CUC/inverts in new tank - before or after fish

[Becs]

Just a quickie - d'you add your CUC or inverts before or after you add your first fish? Are your CUC your first inhabitants?

[Dave_gray2077]

Just starting my first reef tank. The first things into my tank (baring any hitchhikers on live rock) will be 4 turbo snails.

[spartan300]

I guess I always have added the cuc first. But its only cos the 'books' usually say to do it like that. If the tanks ready I cant see it matters what order you do things, provided its slow and steady. A cuc does a good job though so get em in quick!

[muzzy]

you should only add CUC once ammonia and nitrite are no longer showing on the test kits.
you can also start adding fish at this point, one or two small ones for example, so CUC can be added, before, after or at the same time as your first fish

[muzzy]

ps
dont get anything like shrimps, starfish, urchins for a while, they need a more established tank.
so start off with a mixture of snails and hermits, red leg or blue, but better not to mix the red and blue

how many you add depends on teh tank size, but say for a 4 x 2 x 2 id add 12 snails and 4 hermits to start with

[Becs]

Thanks everyone :)

Muzzy - my tank's nicely cycled, so it's just a matter of biting the bullet and starting to add things....I just wondered which order most people choose. Are SW shrimp much different to FW shrimp? I ask because I keep a number of rare (for the UK) FW shrimp, so I'm quite familiar with shrimp needs (assuming SW aren't that much different) :)

[muzzy]

no idea tbh,
ive never kept freshwater shrimps!

id imagine they have simialr habits, hanging out in crevices or under overhangs awaiting food to pass them

cleaner shrimps can be a PITA if you intend on keeping LPS corals and direct feeding the coral, as they tend to steal it before the coral has a chance.
Im not a great fan of shrimps, i think i have a few peppermints somewhere, but not seen them in months!
had cleaners before, and like i said they are annoying!

id love a pair of harlequins, but i have 2 starfish which ive had a few years and it wouldnt be fair on them to be fed to the lions in that way!

[Becs]

My FW species actively seek out food, but they're all sensitive to water parameters, so I would imagine SW are the same? If they are, I shouldn't have too much trouble - my FW berry happily :)

I'm waiting to move house before turning this marine tank into something approaching a reef, so at the moment it's a FOWLR (or whatever the name is when there's no livestock yet!). I had hoped to get peppermints as I've got a lot of aiptasia, but equally need to get rid of a couple of Pseudocorynactis first. I've not yet decided on cleaners, tbh.

I'm also hoping to get some sexy shrimp too :D and I want to track down a couple of zebra hermits.

I know what you mean about the harlequins - I'd considered them too, but as I've not got any starfish (nuisance or ornamental), it'd be a death-sentence.

[muzzy]

My FW species actively seek out food, but they're all sensitive to water parameters, so I would imagine SW are the same? If they are, I shouldn't have too much trouble - my FW berry happily :)



they are initially, a 2 hour or so acclimitisation is required, but once in they should do fine as long as salinity, temp and pH are kept reasonably stable

[Becs]

Ok cool - very much like FW shrimp. I've had some that've taken up to 4 hours, and one species that needed acclimatisation over a whole day. Here's hoping I manage to do as well with the SW species :)

[the tank]

i added clowns first then cuc

[dj egress]

after as there will not be any food

[sstep33]

i added cuc first once params were good to go.