Quote:
Originally Posted by raisemyrent
thanks, Myka. you're right, inverts are more sensitive to poor water...
so why does everyone start with a CUC? especially as there's not a lot for them to eat yet, IMO.
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Ya your tank is too small for a shrimp....unless you spot feed often. I've had trouble keeping them in my 33g, but I don't spot feed.
People start with a CUC for a couple main reasons; they are cheap and "disposable" (I disagree on the second part) which makes them good for kamikaze work, and they get on top of the algae before it becomes a problem. A big mistake many people make is that they pick out a HUUUUUGE CUC and slam it into a mostly barren tank, and 3/4 of them die from starvation. Wow, that was a good waste of money. Websites suggest 1 snail and 1 hermit per gallon. That's ridiculous. Some people
may require a CUC of that size, but not until
the tank has matured. Be aware that hermits are predacious and will often kill snails when they are hungry or just to steal their shells. Many people (myself included) dont' keep hermits just because of this. Scarlet hermits are the lesser of the evils, with Mini Blue legs next. Start off with a small CUC (like 2 or 3 like you intended), and add more as you see fit and as your tank matures.
I find Astreas (my fav), Trochus, and Turbos live the longest. Nassarius die left, right, and center (in my tank anyway, they rarely last over a year in my tank) but are good for eating detritus, and cerith aren't far behind (|and pretty useless imo). Margaritas are a temperate species and shouldn't be kept in tropical tanks (unbeknownst to way too many people) which is too bad because they are one of the best algae eaters. What am I missing? Bumble Bee snails are not always reef-safe. Oh Ring Cowries are pretty cool, but aren't very hardy and don't do much imo, wait until your tank matures, and even then you will probably lose half of them within the first 6 months, but the remainder will be hardy.