Stocking tank with inverts please help.

[snipe]

Alright I am wondering on stocking my tank I am not yet able to but I will be soon. My tank is 55 gallons and I am wondering how many of what I can keep in there. First I will keep the normal and later mabey something alittle diffrent like sponges, anemones, and nudibranch or cucumbers.
First I have been looking at packages and most have like 45 crabs listed in the packed 40 are hermits and 5 are emerald. I also want pompom sallylight foot and some other crabs that are reef safe and suited for my size so I was wondering how many sally's and hermits I should put and still be able to add more crabs later.
Also snails most have around 30 snails I want snails but I want some to be alittle more showie that others like the bumble bee snail. How many snails can I have?
I also want starfish for starters my starfish will be probly a serpent and a brittle "just not a green brittle lol" later mabey a linckia.
I also want feather dusters and such and I am wanting to know how many I could have of thoughs.
I am just wanting to get a reef package but I dont want to over populate my tank with inverts lol. Can anyone post on how many inverts I should keep and still be able to add more later if I want. And to also have fish lol.

 

[snipe]

Any help is welcome

 

[gilpil]

I really like inverts, and this is my opinion. Be carefull with a Coral Banded Shrimp. I do not hav any sponges, anenomes or corals. I am very guarded about these because of my CBS and my Chocolate Chip Starfish. These are my two main concerns. My experience with Red legged hermits, Zebra legged hermits, and Mexican turbo snails has been very good. Many people guard against Mexican Turbo Snails, as they do not have a long life span, and they usually reside in a little bit cooler environement, although I have had no trouble as of yet.
Also I saw you mentioned a Pom Pom Crab. Most people wil say they hide all the time and it is a waste of money. This may be very true, but my Pom Pom crab is one of my best buys. Yes, he usually only comes out when I drop a piece of seafood in my aquarium, buy he is one of the smallest kings of my tank. He will take on the CBS at least 8X his size and is one of my best additions to my tank. We are always excited to see him, which is at the very, very lest, once a week. I know some people will tell you they never see anything but their molting, but I have a quite they opposite experience. I have seen the crab, about 10x for each molting.
Today I have just added a Sexy shrimp and a Decorator Spider crab. These are both experiments. I am hoping the CBS will not eat the Sexy shrimp, if I keep him well fed. I am also hoping the DSC will not eat anything he likes in my tank if I keep him well fed. Surprising to me at this point, with the moolights, the DSC and the CBS are at this moment feeling each other out, and hopefully will not battle. Anyway, inverts are great, and sometimes are much more fun than any fish, unless you get one of those spiney puffers. I swear they are like dogs.

 

[buddahjon]

i LOVE sally lightfoots. but to the questions.... are you just doing inverts, i didnt see any fish on your list.... the fish you choose will help you decide your inverts a little bit i bet

 

[steveoutla]

The packages are a good guideline. If you want to have some other snails in there you might just want to mix and match to get up to the number in the package. As for crabs, I would recommend the scarlet hermits and mexican hermits. I don't have any experience with the Zebra hermits but I do know that the blue leg hermits will constantly battle each other for shells......even if you have plenty of extras in there. This brings up a point.....make sure you do have plenty of extra empty hermit crab shell because if you don't they will kill and eat your snails to get new shells.
As for shrimp - stay away from the coral banded......they are mean muthas. I have a 55g and in it I have:
20 scarlet hermits
10 mexican hermits
30 snails (turbo, nassarius, bublebee)
2 queen conchs
2 cleaner shrimp
2 fire shrimp
2 peppermint shrimp
5 emerald crabs
Everybody gets along well and they are all very interesting to watch.

 

[pkeafer]

Steveoutla,
Off topic, but I wanted to ask you if you go somewhere locally to get your pet supplies. I am in the same area as you generally.

 

[steveoutla]

Where are you located? There is a small fishstore in Leesburg called Aquatic World that specializes in SWF. There is also a store in Annandale called Annandale Super Pets that I haven't been to but that looks pretty good.

 

[snipe]

Well I dont really want emerald crabs they look kinda big. In there place I was thinking of a porcalian crab "here to see how big they are" And sally light foot.
As for hermits I am thinking like 10 scarlet, 10 zebra, 10 elctric blue.
As for snails I am thinking 2 queen conch, 10 trochus snails, 10 nassarious snails, 5 cerith snails for diatoms and 3 astrea snails.
For other crabs I am thinking 10 sally light foot, 1-2 porcalian crab, 1-2 pompom crab And mabey 1 horshoe crab for my dad. I know all the things of them getting sucked up but it is for him I will just have to try and stop it.

 

[steveoutla]

That's going to be awfully crowded. The sally lightfoot crabs get up to 3" maybe larger so I wouln't put more than 2 in the tank. I'm assuming this is the 55g you are talking about?

 

[snipe]

Yeah that is why I am here lol to learn what I can put in there lol.
Can anyone suggest how many inverts I can put in there (I.E. Snails,Crabs,Shrimp I dont want over stock my tank thoughs are my biggest prblems. I will also have fish in there not many just a few mabey a clown or 2 havent decided what type yet. Some sort of goby and other I just havent desided. This tank is going to be a community tank "not" an agressive one.

 

[snipe]

I dont know I will just have to make a sandsifting package for myself for about 20gallon and a algea eating package for about 20gallons that would leave me with 15gallons to work with and add some other stuff.

 

[snipe]

Alright Now lets try this as a runby lol.
Snails
5 bumblebee snails
5 trochus snails
5 nassarius snails
5 astrea snails
Later mabey 2 queen conch "mabey"
Crabs
5 dwarf blue leg hermits
5 dwarf zebra hermits
5 electric blue hermits
3 sally light foot
2 porcelain
Later Mabey an arrow crab and or a horseshoe "mabey" I know horseshoe's are not really crabs but that is were there listed.
Shrimp Hard time deciding still trying lol
Japanese Pistol Or pistol shrimp caribean
Skunk Shrimp
fire Shrimp
Later Glass Anemone Shrimp
Feather Dusters
Red Duster And Hawaiian Dusters
As for Star,Sponge,Anemone,Clam They will be down the road.
P.S. The clam is the crocea Clam the smallest of the clam family offered for aqauriums.
Fish
Green Manderin Goby
Clown Goby Citrinis
Banded possum wrasse
Yashia White Ray Shrimp Goby
I want "1" of these
Flameback Angle, Fire Ball Angel, Pygmy Cherub Angle, All of these are dwarf or pygmy of course.
I am trying to find the smallest of the clowm species. Any help on that would be apreciated. I would like to have a pair but if that isnt possibly I will just go with one of the others.
Also would I be able to have these fish and instead of 1 pygmy angle could I possibly have 2? I am sure I will hear something of over stocked please let me know lol. Just dont give it to me to bad lol.

 

[snipe]

Man no one can help?????????????