Cuc?

[adam98150]

I've just set-up my very own marine aquarium, and i've purchased 20KG of live rock, i rinsed this in saltwater and slowly added it to the tank around ten hours ago. My SG is steady at 1.025, and the temp is 25c, the live rock seems to be fully cured, and contains corals, sponges, starfish and snails. My 250W Halide just bust, so the corals won't do very well.

I currently have an Ammonia reading of zero, and a PH of 8.2 - this seems rather strange, shouldn't there have been at least some die-off during transit? Or is it too soon to get any readings? I'll test everyday to see what i come up with.

My tank is 35g/UK (159l), it measures - 36(l) x 18(h) x 15 (d).

I'm hoping to keep a nice reef, and my future stock is as follows - Golden Dwarf Moray (10 - 12" max), and a Fu Manchu Lionfish (4" max)

So, what CUC will i be looking to purchase? Since i'm pretty limited (the above are crustacean eaters), i take it i can still have hermits, Snails, and stars? Any ideas? How many would i be looking to purchase? Do i add them slowly? (week by week), or don't they add much to the bioload?

Obviously i won't be adding anything until i'm sure my tank has fully cycled.

Thank you, Adam.

 

[rabbut]

What has bust on your Halide? Lamp, Balast, Fitting?

How long did it take to move the rock, and was it kept wet all the time? If it was kept wet, and was moved quickly, it is entirely possible that there was no noticeable die-off during the move This is why it is safe to add cured live rock to an established tank after livestock is in. Short travel time in damp conditions means die-offs so small that they aren't noticeable, and usualy you will not see any mini-cycles as a result of additions. The same will apply with moving cured rock to a new system quickly. Longer travel times will lead to a need to let the rock sort itself out again, and drying it out will kill it all together.

I presume nitrite and nitrate are the same as before adding the rock?

All the best
Rabbut

 

[adam98150]

Thanks,

The live rock was out of the water for around an hour or so, sealed in a large bag, still wet / moist. It is the lamp that broke, they offered a replacement, so it's not too bad. My T5's are doing well, for now . . .

I only managed to test the ammonia and PH, i'll do a complete test when i get home from work.

 

[rabbut]

I wouldn't expect a large die-off from that transit method and time, thats for certain

Did the glass on the lamp fracture, or is it just not fireing up?

All the best
Rabbut

 

[shibby]

your probaly get away with blue knuckle or white claw hermits there usually a bit bigger then the dwarfs. your probably see some results coming through maybe a small cycle but i doubt it will be alot. i would monitor it closely for about 2 weeks to see if everythings okay.

i think the 2 fish you picked are quite hard to get feeding, so a nice challenge t5's are good lights, high lighting isnt really needed to much during the cycling, most things on the rock will probably be happy just to see some light !

 

[adam98150]

Thank you, Shibby and Rabbut.

I wanted an oddball tank, and i always welcome a challange.

I'll be sure to leave my T5's on through-out the day tomorrow, see if anything opens. I also just found a Feather Duster, very small indeed. I'll look into the hermits, they seem to be the most interesting out of the CUC. Will the white knuckles and white claws live in harmony, or would i be better off going with one type only? How many do you suggest i add in one go?

I appreciate your comments, cheers, Adam.

(I answered you at work Rabbut)

 

[adam98150]

One more thing, i tested my water again today. (two days after adding the live rock)

Test results are as follows -

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 20 PPT
PH - 8.2

------

How long can the live rock last without ammonia? Also, i take it that the live rock was fully cured, and rather mature - so was my tank immediatly cycled? Should i still wait a couple of more weeks? I'm worried as the live rock won't have a source of ammonia.

 

[CageUK]

Yes it looks like your tank is fully cycled. The first thing to do is a reasonably sized water change to reduce the nitrates a bit. About a 40% change is what is normally recommended.

The clean up crew can go in in preparation for a diatoms bloom if it happens. Don't leave it too long to add some fish because as you say, the tank needs to be fed. If you can't get fish for a while the just put a little food in the tank every couple of days (not too much especially if you have no cuc).

Congratulations you now have a fully functioning marine aquarium. Take things slowly and your new pride and joy could give you pleasure for years to come (not to mention empty your wallet!).

Cheers

 

[sacramonel]

Just my little opinion when purchasing a CUC. Firstly remember that any online retailer is attempting to make a profit and thusly recommend a CUC that is a lot more than necessary. I think having 1 snail per 2 gallons seems to work fine. I also put some in the refugium/sump to stop any hair algea blooms. Also be wary of hermits. I like them but wont put more than 10 in my 75. They will find your snails and decimate them. I woke up one morning and found 5 of them destroying a 3 inch astrea. Also, shrimp, in my opinion don't do much cleaning of the sandbed. So they aren't neccessary. They may be nice to look at and help clean the fish, but in a CUC its not necessary. So don't get suckered into buying one if you don't want to.

And, again, be prepared to re-up your snail population every 6 months or so. They will fall prey to the hermits.

 

[adam98150]

Thanks again everyone,

I wasn't going to buy a cleaner shrimp, reason being it will most likely be eaten.

How many Turbo Snails could i put in there comfortably in one go? I've taken a look into the Blue Knuckle Hermits and many people say they shouldn't be trusted, i couldn't find much information on the White Claws, or an online retailer (UK). I appreciate the suggestion.

 

[shibby]

i think blue knuckles are one of the more peaceful hermits! provide the hermits with enough shells and they usually wont feel the need to search and destroy snails. i would class blue knuckles as peaceful as scarletts. ive put a fair few into the reef at work and there brilliant, tell you what when my reef is up and running il test them out
ive mentioned the site before but check out fishmanfrags, give you a good idea of cuc they have a fair few listed.

 

[CageUK]

I'll second Shibby's opinion on the blue knuckles. I got them on recommendation from this forum and had no problems with them at all, apart from them running roughshod over the corals and freaking them out but that happens with all creatures of this type. Shrimpster does it regularly.

The blue knuckles are peaceful and whilst there seems to be horseplay (a very large hermit pins a smaller one to the floor... there's no way he's after the others shell) no one seems to get hurt.

They look great as well.

 

[ben1987]

they are attractive, but rite little bulldozers. They barge through whatever they like. Im sure ive read somewhere that adult ones have been known to eat some corals aswel?

 

[adam98150]

I'll take my chances.

Right, how many should i go for, i'm thinking two to three to start? Do they like to be in small groups? I'm now worried that i haven't bought enough live rock, is 20KG ok for a moderately stocked 159L tank?

Anything else i should purchase along side my crabs? Could you suggest a type of snail which would be at less risk of being eaten by the hermits?

Great advice so far!

 

[rabbut]

You are above the minumum recomended amount of live rock there. The "rule of thumb" is 1kg per 10l of water, so 16kg would be the minimum for your tank. I can't realy help with the crabs I'm afraid