The I Love Inverts Thread.

[Sunstar]

Basically its what the title says.

I love things that are spineless. Beautiful, clawed, multi-legged creatures who live in aquatic environments.

 

I adore the shell toting Hermit crabs, The cleanliness OCD Skunk Cleaner, the multitudes of tiny mysids that swim around, and the hairy horror who lives in his own rock condo in a different tank.

 

I realised this month, I may be collecting crabs. I have a bunch of blue legs in my display - I actually want them in my frag tank (when they are a bit bigger)

 

My hairy horror is an extremely large gorilla crab, who actually shares his tank with my hallowe'en crab. The beautiful hallowe'en is there because its a suspect in a series of unexplained fish deaths - or at least - I feel its a little too dangerous. I was told by someone they are likely to kill a sleeping fish. After removing it, I had no more fish deaths until my micro carpets took a taste for fish flesh- those are also removed.

 

I currently have in my tank(s)

Dwarf Blue legs

Red Tipped Dwarf

Dwarf Zebra

(one with black vertical stripes)

Hallowe'en

Scarlet Legged

Anemone Crab

Skunk Cleaner

And Gorilla Crab

 

So what inverts do you have and adore?

[WV Reefer]

love this topic!

 

sexy shrimp

green legged hermit

left handed hermit

fire shrimp

 

crocea clam

 

peanut worms

bristle worms

spaghetti worms

eunice worm---named The Creep and about to get his own home. He likes to decorate with coral frags.

 

Fish are really just extra decorations.

[Shoob1e]

Emerald crab

Red crab

Fire shrimp

Couple red, blue and halloween hermits

Also have this crazy ass skunk cleaner shrimp that swims in open was like hes a fish i think he is mistaken himself

[Pajama_Card]

love this topic!

 

sexy shrimp

green legged hermit

left handed hermit

fire shrimp

 

crocea clam

 

peanut worms

bristle worms

spaghetti worms

eunice worm---named The Creep and about to get his own home. He likes to decorate with coral frags.

 

Fish are really just extra decorations.

you should start a thread for the Eunice worm

[WV Reefer]

you should start a thread for the Eunice worm

 

 

 

I definitely will. I have been on this forum for almost a year and have still not posted any kind of tank thread either. I'm lazy.

[RIP Sebastian]

I had a hermit crab named Fidel who ruled my tank with an iron fist. I recently gave him back to my LFS and he now has 120 gallons to terrorize.

[BulkRate]

Porcelain crabs - so many different kinds. No more awesome member of the leftover-food-stage of the clean-up crew than them.

 

Currently have a couple caribean blue, a couple of zebra, and one huge caribbean red hanging out in my 9 gallon. As well as a single highly territorial spotted being hosted in my rock flower anemone garden.

[Sunstar]

Emerald crab

Red crab

Fire shrimp

Couple red, blue and halloween hermits

Also have this crazy ass skunk cleaner shrimp that swims in open was like hes a fish i think he is mistaken himself

my skunk cleaner is cleaning my fingers when ever I need to be in there. She is almost as OCD as Jacques in Finding Nemo.

[flatlandreefer]

I totally agree, I enjoy watching inverts more than my fish. I watched my two emeralds get into a brawl the other day, it was pretty entertaining. I Also like my pincushion urchin and nassarious snails when food is dropped in the tank.

[Clown79]

I love hermits! They are so entertaining and they are great cleaners.

 

i love my pom pom crab, crabs are just so fun to watch.

 

My cleaner is hilarious.

[fishfreak0114]

Cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, blue leg hermit, scarlet, zebra, porcelain crab, serpent starfish.

 

My shrimp are definitely favorites, but so pesky when I try to feed corals! The zebra hermit is named beetle juice, and I never even meant to get him. I was trying to buy a blue leg but I got the wrong one thankfully because that's the coolest hermit I've had so far

 

My current wishlist is:

Pom Pom crab, blue coral banded, and an emerald crab for bubble algae.

[Clown79]

I love my pom pom.

 

My emerald didn't touch my bubble algae. I just remove it myself. I liked my emerald but was concerned with the drawbacks if having them. I think my dottyback killed him.

[fishfreak0114]

I had one before and it ate the one bubble I had. I find them so darn cute! I mostly want it for the cuteness factor, but I'm worried it'll decide to eat coral. I only had two bubbles of algae to remove, but I dropped one! Couldn't find it so I'm assuming I will be dealing with more soon

[Clown79]

Bubble algae is almost inevitable.

 

The emerald isn't generally known to go after corals but as they get bigger may go after slower or ill fish.

[fishfreak0114]

I'm honestly surprised I haven't gotten it sooner. Oh well, it's the challenges that keep this hobby fun and engaging. I thought I'd heard emeralds might Zoas. I'll probably just get one, my last two were angels.

[metrokat]

Love this thread but where are the peechurs?

[Clown79]

My theory on animals- they are all about survival and anything can happen..

[Sunstar]

Love this thread but where are the peechurs?

You are so right! let me see if I got some decent peeks of my beloved critters.

[Sunstar]

"AB" my beloved Gorilla Crab

 

Oh... OHAI!


Moustashio: My Dear Skunk Cleaner Lady


Tiny Tick (dwarf Zebra) and Scarlet (Scarlet Legged)


Tiny Tick on his home coming day.


Tarzan



Jazz: Anemone Crab and its host the RFA


Pumpking the Hallowe'en Crab.


Blue Legged - possibly Tarzan Om nom nomming :3 With Emerald Crab (RIP) Photo bombing.

[ajmckay]

I'm definitely a fan of inverts... They're unique in that there's so much variety and you never really know what you're going to get. Some can be quite risky.

 

In the past I've had a small mantis that shared a tank with an arabian cowrie. Both cool, neither reef safe.

 

I'm currently enjoying my skunk cleaner shrimp a ton. Also just started a Fluval Spec III and it will be invert only. It's current inhabitants are 2 sexy shrimp (awesome!), a red legged hermit, and a pom pom crab - one of the most unique inverts IMO. They can be really secretive but they can also be somewhat aggressive. It's funny to watch mine spas out when the feeding tube comes in - waves it's anemones furiously at anything that comes nearby. I'm thinking a 3g might be too small for a hermit though - i'm 90% sure it killed my stomatella snail and mini nassarius.

 

I'm bummed I missed it but literally took a pic of him and 5 minutes later looked again and saw a molt.

[fishfreak0114]

Sunstar, you're gorilla crab is beyond adorable! One day I'd like to set up a small tank for non-reef safe crabs.

 

Ajmckay, that is a great picture! Do you think a Pom Pom would get lost in a bc29? I know they're pretty tiny.

[Sunstar]

Sunstar, you're gorilla crab is beyond adorable! One day I'd like to set up a small tank for non-reef safe crabs.

 

Ajmckay, that is a great picture! Do you think a Pom Pom would get lost in a bc29? I know they're pretty tiny.

 

He is definitely not structure safe. The way that creature heaves a huge one pound rock around and makes small tsunamis

[Pajama_Card]

"AB" my beloved Gorilla Crab

 

Oh... OHAI!

 

 

 

 

That is the biggest gorilla crab I have ever seen! What size tank is he in, how old, and of course does he have a thread.

[Sunstar]

the tank is a 7 gallon (10 gallon cut down.) he does not have a thread but gets spoken of in my Nemesis III periodically. As for age, I have no idea. The Coral reef shop called me up this time last years stating they had a rather large crab and if I was willing to give him a home. I said hold him for a few days while I modify my tank to do so.

 

He seems incredibly peaceful and extremely shy. when I take hold of him, as I did in the upper picture, he usually pushes away until he can get back into his tank.

 

I have some table clams and periwinkles in teh tank with him and the hallowe'en crab. incase they want a fresh snack. But I think he mostly eats the algae or whatever I can offer him. As he is shy, it usually takes a lot of effort to find him. He is usually buried under the sand.

[ajmckay]

Ajmckay, that is a great picture! Do you think a Pom Pom would get lost in a bc29? I know they're pretty tiny.

 

A BC29 probably wouldn't be too bad. You won't see it a lot, but it may come out occasionally. There's always the trick where you create an ideal hidey spot in a place that you can easily see and hope that it stays there. Sometimes they get bolder over time - especially if there aren't many aggressive tank mates.