Invert only tank

thumpersalley

thumpersalley

New Member
I have a 10 gallon & upgraded to a 15.5 gallon biocube. Instead of dismantling my 10 gallon, I thought maybe I could use it for an invert only tank. (Im open to other ideas for it too). What do I need to do? What can I get? Snails, crabs, then what? I would really like something easy but really interesting. I have a coralite light system, some live rock & sand left in it. I dont really want any fish in it unless it would be needed for some reason. Any ideas are appreciated. Kim
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
You can put a couple of brittlestars in there, depending on some things. If you want it to be a showcase, hey, a green may not be bad. They get very large, but are often less "shy" if you will. Or you can go with 2 or 3 Ophioderma appressum (which I think is sold here as a serpenstar - the black and white one's). Or one big red Ophioderma (squamosissimum). In general I would say you can have 2 or 3, unless you have a green, which takes up a lot of space.
If you want a "showcase" invert you may want to go with a mantis or something like harlequin shrimp, though the latter need a good deal of ancillary support if you will (they only eat seastars).
A pom pom crab is super cool, IMO. Or sexy shrimp. Lots of cute little things to put in there that play nice (unlike the mantis, but mantis can be very pretty).
 
thumpersalley

thumpersalley

New Member
How about
1-2 serpenstars, what do they eat? What do they need as in a home ie rocks?
1-2 pom pom crab, what do they eat & what do they need for a home?
1-2 sexy shrimp, what do they eat & what do they need for a home?
What about decorator crabs? Sea urchins? Any little fish in particular that would be ok for some movement in this tank? Thank you all of the great info. Im glad I found this forum! Kim
 
joe____17

joe____17

Member
Originally Posted by thumpersalley
http:///forum/post/3064135
How about
1-2 serpenstars, what do they eat? What do they need as in a home ie rocks?
1-2 pom pom crab, what do they eat & what do they need for a home?
1-2 sexy shrimp, what do they eat & what do they need for a home?
What about decorator crabs? Sea urchins? Any little fish in particular that would be ok for some movement in this tank? Thank you all of the great info. Im glad I found this forum! Kim

Decorator crabs are a no no. I had 2 and they vary in personality. One of mine was so destructive that i had to give him away while the other was very mellow and still is even though he's gotten quite large already.
 
thumpersalley

thumpersalley

New Member
Ok, so I think Im going for a serpentstar, an urchin & some type of crab. Can I get a shrimp to go in there as well? What kind will get along? Since this tank is going to be set up just for them, Im ok with rock destruction. There will be no corals in there at all, just invert, rocks & live sand. Is there a type of fish, like a goby I can put in there that will be ok? Kim
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
I would be wary of an urchin in such a small tank. They can get pretty big. I would also just throw in that inverts are very intolerant of fluctuations in specific gravity and such, so keeping the water params in line is really important. It can be tough in a small tank.
I think a shrimp would be fine in there. You can probably consider a small fish like a clown goby or such.
 
thumpersalley

thumpersalley

New Member
I went & bought a lawnmower blenny & a peppermint shrimp. Is there anything esle I can get fish or invert wise? Can I get any corals? If not what abour fake corals? Thank you everyone for the help! Kim
 
joe____17

joe____17

Member
10 gallon seems kind of small for a lawnmower blenny to be in im my opinion. Not sure if corals would be a good idea unless you have really good lighting.
 
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