How Many Cuc?

[Chris_C]

Do i need for my 50 gallon tank? i currently have 5 turbo snails and 5 red leg hermits.


Also do snails shells grow with them? i know hermits move house


Finally does anyone have any advise on best place to get more shells for my hermits?

 

[woody88]

Depends on how many goodies are in the tank for them to eat.
I have 6 turbos and 6 hermits ad well as an emerald crab in my nano and they never go hungry so I'd imagine you'd be ok to increase if you want to. Why do you want to increase tho? Is there a particular reason why?

You can get shells from anywhere. On line/lfs/ the beach. Just throw a handful in so they have a choice when they go house hunting! Lol

 

[Chris_C]

Its not a case of wanting to increase Woody just want the right amount to keep my tank clean. Suppose the main thing i want is my sand clean and they all seem to be mooching on my rock what would you suggest for cleaning the sand? i only have a fairly thin layer of sand .. maybe 2cm.

 

[lewiss]

A bit more of a clean up crew! I'd go 10 hermits, 10 snails, a conch, a urchin, emeral crab x3? I'm not 100% on exactly how many you should keep, that's a guess on my half!! - wait for Seffie or Donya to guide you better!! But I'd def say more!! I've got a similar sized tank and keep the above.

Snails shells grow with them, they release a liquid that turns into a shell, and once their shell has grown they carry on releasing small amounts in order to continue the shells growth!

I buy hermit shells on eBay! Very cheap to buy and post!!

 

[Chris_C]

A bit more of a clean up crew! I'd go 10 hermits, 10 snails, a conch, a urchin, emeral crab x3? I'm not 100% on exactly how many you should keep, that's a guess on my half!! - wait for Seffie or Donya to guide you better!! But I'd def say more!! I've got a similar sized tank and keep the above.

Snails shells grow with them, they release a liquid that turns into a shell, and once their shell has grown they carry on releasing small amounts in order to continue the shells growth!

I buy hermit shells on eBay! Very cheap to buy and post!!

Cheers Lewis you have been most helpful! i will await seffie and donya to add there input

 

[lewiss]

There's some cool zebra ones I got for dwarf hermits! Type in 'zebra hermit crab shells'
No problem mate!! Always happy to help! Sorry I've been quite quiet - been busy up London this week.

 

[Chris_C]

There's some cool zebra ones I got for dwarf hermits! Type in 'zebra hermit crab shells'
No problem mate!! Always happy to help! Sorry I've been quite quiet - been busy up London this week.

Just bought 20 off ebay for £1.99 thanking you! hopefully they all move house into these so i can spot them easier i struggle finding mine sometimes because they blend in with the rock!

 

[Funkoid]

Sorry for the daft question but is there a general number of CUC per litre rule?

 

[Donya]

If the tank doesn't exhibit some need for additional CUC, it's best to just leave it as-is. If the sand is an issue, Ceriths will spend more time on it than other grazing snails. Try putting a couple in and see what impact they make. You can use the impact those snails have to make a better guess about how many more (if any) need to go in.

Sorry for the daft question but is there a general number of CUC per litre rule?

Nope. Animals-per-gallon guidelines are just bad ideas in general. It's best to stock CUC on an as-needed basis to ensure that they get what they need to survive. It's not what most people want to hear, since stocking one at a time in small tanks or a few at a time in large tanks will take quite a long time to build everything up (and the tank will show periodic bits of algae and such as you figure out how many of what you need), but it will result in the best survival rates for the animals.

You can get shells from anywhere. On line/lfs/ the beach.

Can't say I would recommend the beach. I have read too many "whoa my shell just sprouted hairy legs!" sorts of posts around the web from people who mistakenly thought shells were empty. If you're prepared to have a hitchhiker that might not be compatible with the tank then the beach is fine (local laws permitting), but if not, better to get shells that are known to be empty.

 

[seffieuk]

I wouldn't normally add anything to Donya's posts - as she is most certainly the expert, but just want to say, imo people add far too many cuc to their tanks, far too early! As Donya said, buy the amount to do the job and build up slowly

Seffie x

 

[lewiss]

Makes sence I over feed my tank and therefore would need a large CUC!!

 

[Chris_C]

Ok thanks for the help everyone will leave it as it is for the time being and add more down the line if my tank seems to be getting dirty.