Trusty Nano Inverts

[schleppey]

Yo, I have recently been looking to add some additional inverts to my IM20 reef tank. Currently have 4 scarlet hermits, no fish yet, soon to be firefish. I keep many kinds of freshwater shrimp so I have been very interested in a saltwater variety or other cool saltwater inverts. If at all possible I would like to avoid the big shrimp like Fire, Cleaner, and Coral Banded because they will throw off scale in my tank, but it seems like I may not have many options. After researching for some time I have found some viable candidates, however they all have these pitfalls I would like to avoid if possible. I am planning on getting a pistol shrimp/goby from my LFS at some point 100%, so this would be in addition to those little guys eventually.

 

Sexy Shrimp - I really would like to keep a small colony if possible and this invert seems to best fit that bill. I do really like how they look and think they would scale nicely to my tank, but I have nothing for them to host and would need to make that big decision. The big problem here is I see so many people say they are coral eating fiends, if not spotfed daily. I choose to spotfeed my tank twice a day so it may not seem like a huge deal, however I have doubts about them going rogue/ what if I am not the one feeding my tank, that may be a difficult task.

 

Boxer Shrimp/ Mini Coral Banded Shrimp (Blue/Yellow) - Very cool and I would be happy to have in my tank in an ideal scenario. I feel like he may hunt out and kill the pistol at some point is my main concern. The other concern being that this guy essentially closes the door on a lot of other inverts due to his aggression. They can be kept in pairs but I do not know where I could get my hands on that, which would leave me with only 1 shrimp in my tank. Albeit they would look amazing I really like colonies and inverts can be perfect for that I feel like. 

 

Harlequin Shrimp - Do I even have to comment on this lol. I do even not know where to begin with starfish feedings.

 

Pom Pom Crab- Mainly just have heard they always loose their little hands and starve to death/disappear 

 

They have some healthy sea slugs at my LFS however I would prefer something that moves is possible. 

 

If you guys can think of something that might fit my wants I would appreciate it if you let me know. Also if you have experience with any of my prospects, please let me know if you think they would be viable for me and if my information is complete rubbish. Thanks 

[1.0reef]

Anemone shrimps, plenty of common species that won't disturb other livestock and look really cool.

Acropora/Trapezia crabs, small, peaceful, needs an sps host though.

Anemone crabs, peaceful, not as shy as Pom Pom crabs, and some exhibit cool filter feeding behavior.

[Felicia]

Here's a list of inverts that are reasonably common/easy to find and that do well in reef tanks from my experience:

 

Crabs:

- Porcelain crabs - peaceful crabs that do well in aquariums. Can host anemones and corallimorphs, but don't require a host. Will eat a variety of foods including meaty frozen foods and flakes.

- Pom Pom crabs - very peaceful and fascinating/beautiful little crabs. Generally do well in aquariums and will eat a variety of food so I've never really heard of an issue with them starving. They are small and peaceful though, so they can be eaten by large aggressive fish. They can be very cryptic, so you may not see them frequently.

- Emerald/ruby red mithrex crabs - hardy algae eating crabs. They'll eat a variety of algae including hair algae. Just make sure you have enough algae in your tank for them to eat.

 

Shrimp:

- Scarlet cleaner shrimp - one of my favorites because they're hardy, have a ton of personality, and are very easy to feed. They will eat anything and everything in terms of food.

- Pederson's anemone shrimp - very small, but spunky little shrimp. Will eat flake, pellet, or frozen food. Will host anemones and corallimorphs but don't require something to host. They're just very small, so can get eaten by large, aggressive fish.

- Pistol shrimp - small burrowing shrimp that are fascinating to watch in their symbiotic relationship with a shrimp goby. One of the most popular is the Randall's pistol shrimp which stays small and has pretty red and white stripes. Easy to feed and relatively hardy.

 

Others:

- Serpent starfish - small harlequin serpent stars or plain serpent stars are wonderful scavengers. Reasonably hardy. They're nocturnal, so they'll come out at night to forage for leftover food. They'll also learn to come out at feeding time to fan any food that falls to the sand. They're fascinating to watch and a wonderful addition to a clean up crew, serving the same purpose as hermit crabs.