list of inverts for a nano reef

[Aquatic Spendthrift]

i would like to know as many options of inverts i can put i a 5 gallon nano reef. i'm especially interested in symbiotic relationships. my tank is bare bottom. i know about pistol shrimp -goby and sexy shrimp or nem crab with rock or mini maxi nem but what else is there?

[1891Bro]

Based on your username, I’d recommend the gha/rock n junk relationship. 

[Aquatic Spendthrift]

3 minutes ago, 1891Bro said:

Based on your username, I’d recommend the gha/rock n junk relationship. 

 That might cost a little too much even for me. 

[Lula_Mae]

19 minutes ago, Aquatic Spendthrift said:

i would like to know as many options of inverts i can put i a 5 gallon nano reef. i'm especially interested in symbiotic relationships. my tank is bare bottom. i know about pistol shrimp -goby and sexy shrimp or nem crab with rock or mini maxi nem but what else is there?

My little porcelain is hosting a St. Thomas mushroom (very anemone-like in appearance).  I believe anemone shrimp like Pederson's can also host small nems, I don't have any nems but my Pederson's is one of my favorite critters ever.  Pom pom crabs have a symbiotic relationship with their anemones, although they can lose the nems in captivity, sadly.  They are also all-time favorites of mine.  There's different colors of porcelain crabs too, if you go with one of those.

[Tamberav]

pom pom crab is symbiotic with the live anenomes it carries. 

Acro crabs + acro corals. 

 

Petershrimp + nems.

 

Anemone hermit crab

 

Staghorn hermit crab

 

Heliofungia shrimp + long tentacle plate corals

 

Decorator crab may count? Idk if it is really symbiotic but they like to make themselves pretty

 

Walking dendro is a coral with a worm that lives inside it and moves around

 

Then there is this guy... the crab + urchin but it also shows the relationship of bangaii cardinals and urchins

 

Obviously some of these do not belong in a 5g but sharing anyways.

 

 

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

White Spotted Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes brevicarpalis) + mini maxi nem 

Porcelain Anemone Crab (Neopetrolisthes maculosus) + mini maxi nem

Clown Porcelain Anemone Crab* + torch coral (or any coral with wavy tentacles)

 

^I've tried these three combos and they've worked before. @Tamberav has given some very good suggestions as well. I had a tiny acropora crab hitchike on a small piece of acro before - I assume both of them had a symbiotic relationship because the crab never moved away from the coral. Only problem was, the crab was super cryptic and I barely saw it. 

 

*Not to be confused with gaudy clown crab - the one I had was imported from Philippines and mislabeled. I'll try to get the scientific name for you if I can so that you can look it up. It's a beautiful little fella. Very active too. 

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

I still haven't found the species name of the clown porcelain, but here was mine (did some digging in some past albums):

 

1. Clown Porcelain Crab hosting Torch Coral.

 

 

2. White Spotted Anemone Shrimp hosting Torch Coral.

 

 

3. Porcelain Crab hosting mini maxi carpet.

 

 

Right now you're limited in terms of your tank size, but these guys were great. Also weren't cryptic, so you could always see them. 

 

[Aquatic Spendthrift]

wow! there is some greats stuff i never knew about it got me thinking, does anyone know a way to keep pompoms on the pompom crab alive. from what i have read it seems to be based on lucky if the nems live or not. also  Porcelain Crabs are filter feeder right? so would they get enough food in a 5 gallon?

[mndfreeze]

Pom pom crabs don't always lose their nems, but its pretty common.  They will actually split their own nems and stuff if they lose one.

 

Porcelain crabs filter feed but also eat normal stuff.  You can target feed them pretty much anything you would feed a fish like sinking pellets, mysis, brine, etc.

[TatorTaco]

On 6/11/2018 at 10:48 PM, Tamberav said:

Heliofungia shrimp + long tentacle plate corals

I can't seem to find much/any information on this.  I have a long tentacle plate coral smack dab in the middle/front of my tank and I've love to have a shrimp call it home. 

[jesseatam]

I have a porcelain crab but the not the anemone kind. I mostly fed it reed roids at first but now I just spot feed it either pellets of algae wafers, it’s helps if you soak them first to soften them up so it’s easier for the crab to eat. Mine learned quickly to associate the pipette and tongs with food and literally attacks them now. Mine also seems to graze on algae too but I can’t  tell if its actually eating it or not.

 

For other symbiotic relationships there’s a type of carribean pistol shrimp that associates with curlique anemones, and there’s also types of crabs that live in arcopora and other sps.