5.5 Gallon Stocking?

[sbash]

Hello All!

While cleaning up my equipment room, I found enough 'junk' to thrown together a 5.5 Gallon Nano as seen below. I it not much to look at right now, and the equipment needs to be moved to the back. I have enough random soft corals to fill out the tank nicely. The mushrooms look like they are doing fine, I just put some shaggy GSP in there (it is retracted in the picture). There is undoubtedly some small bristle stars and I can see an asterina on the glass in the picture. I will likely throw in a couple hermits of course, and a couple small snails.

What else can I put in it?
What is safe to sift this tiny sandbed?
Shrimp?
Other crabs?
What else is small and interesting?

 

[KVYA]

Sexy shrimp. Cerith snails. Florida ceriths.

 

[sbash]

Sexy shrimp, good call... Are they compatible with Cleaner or Peppermint shrimp?

 

[stevo01]

Pistol shrimp and goby bonded pair, sexy shrimp, bumble bee shrimp, cerith, nassarisus.

 

[stevo01]

I would avoid any hermits in a Pico.

 

[KVYA]

Sexy shrimp, good call... Are they compatible with Cleaner or Peppermint shrimp?

If your talking about the skunk/scarlet cleaner shrimp, yes. Peppermint is fine. The sexy will host any puffy coral and mind it's own business. I've had one just stay in my Kenya tree forest

 

[KVYA]

Wouldn't recommend a scarlet for a Pico though. Anyone else want to comment on this? I might be wrong. Better safe than sorry though

 

[stevo01]

The pistol and goby bonded pair work so well in a Pico system. My sand bed is constantly being moved by an upbeat hard working pistol shrimp.

I also have a walking dendro that has been getting around pretty well. Makes cool sand trails.

 

[Baby Ray]

Clown gobies are cool in small tanks. I would recommend sexy shrimp or pedersons cleaner shrimp. Shrimp goby pairs are also cool.

 

[Baby Ray]

Clown gobies are cool in small tanks. I would recommend sexy shrimp or pedersons cleaner shrimp. Shrimp goby pairs are also cool.

 

[KVYA]

Fire fish if you can cover the top

 

[Elementalj]

Fire fish if you can cover the top

For REAL

 

[KVYA]

For REAL

What?

 

[Elementalj]

Fire fish and open tanks never work [emoji6]

 

[sbash]

Wow, suddenly a flurry of activity :)

I would avoid any hermits in a Pico.

Why is that?

The pistol and goby bonded pair work so well in a Pico system. My sand bed is constantly being moved by an upbeat hard working pistol shrimp. I also have a walking dendro that has been getting around pretty well. Makes cool sand trails.

I was looking at a pair in my LFS yesterday, definitely an interesting option. I will need to figure out where exactly I am putting this tank once it matures before I decide if a fish is going in it or not.

Walking dendro... Just when I think I have a grasp on the weirdness of the ocean, someone comes out with something like this...

Wouldn't recommend a scarlet for a Pico though. Anyone else want to comment on this? I might be wrong. Better safe than sorry though

IF I put a scarlet cleaner in this tank, it would be temporary and I would get a very tiny one. Once grown, I would pull it and put it into another tank. Is their overall size your concern here?

Fire fish if you can cover the top

Although I might put a canopy on it (as mentioned above, I am not sure where this tank will be living yet), I doubt I will put a firefish in it. I feel like they get too big...

Fire fish and open tanks never work [emoji6]

Oh for sure, I learned that the hard way unfortunately. I had one in a 65 gallon open top for a couple years, it passed away for different reasons (it got injured and stopped eating). Then when I added one to my 220 (30 inches high), I thought the extra height would work to my advantage; but I found it on the floor after a couple months. So I am generally avoiding them until I put a top on my 220...

Anyway, thanks for the responses guys, this is some great information! I have had this little 5.5 gallon in my basement for years and am excited to finally get it up and running...

 

[UF18]

Cleaner shrimp, sexy shrimp, and tailspot blenny. Awesome combo in my 3 gallon pico

 

[stevo01]

Why is that?

I was looking at a pair in my LFS yesterday, definitely an interesting option. I will need to figure out where exactly I am putting this tank once it matures before I decide if a fish is going in it or not.

Walking dendro... Just when I think I have a grasp on the weirdness of the ocean, someone comes out with something like this...

I think, Hermits can be annoying and destructive. I have glued down frags getting ripped off too often. Due to the Pico size it will be awful picking up frags all the time. I'm thinking a good snail, shrimp, fish selection can give you a good working system with out hermits. A good blenny to eat algae > hermit/s.

The dendro is moving around and keeping the sand tidy. It may continue moving around but it may find a happy spot too. It's the weirdest thing in my tanks for sure.

 

[sbash]

I think, Hermits can be annoying and destructive. I have glued down frags getting ripped off too often. Due to the Pico size it will be awful picking up frags all the time. I'm thinking a good snail, shrimp, fish selection can give you a good working system with out hermits. A good blenny to eat algae > hermit/s.

The dendro is moving around and keeping the sand tidy. It may continue moving around but it may find a happy spot too. It's the weirdest thing in my tanks for sure.

Very true, hermits are a bit disruptive at times. I do enjoy looking at them though. If that is the only real concern, then I can just put them into another tank when they get big enough to start being a pain.

 

[Elementalj]

Here's mine. She's about 7 months old now.

 

[sbash]

Here's mine. She's about 7 months old now.

Looks good, what do you have in it for livestock (aside from the corals)?