Interesting inverts

[Han]

I have a 75g aquarium with a radiata lionfish. I’ve been down on my luck with fish lately and it looks like the lion will be alone, at least for a while. The tank is a bit boring with 1 fish, id like to introduce some more inverts to add some interest but finding inverts that are both reef safe and that won’t get eaten by the lionfish is proving difficult.

Besides corals the tank currently has 10 hermits, 6 astrea snails, 6 nassarius snails, and a sand sifting starfish. Does anyone have any ideas? The tank is only a few months old.

 

[BloopFish]

A halloween hermit crab would be a very interesting addition. Conch snails, clams, urchins, and sea hare could all be interesting provided you have enough food in the tank for them. By clams I mostly mean Tridacna clams.

 

[hllb]

I would assume (don't have first hand knowledge) that there would be at least one type of urchin that the lion wouldn't eat (maybe a long spine?). My urchin is a great and interesting invert in my tank.

 

[Han]

A halloween hermit crab would be a very interesting addition. Conch snails, clams, urchins, and sea hare could all be interesting provided you have enough food in the tank for them. By clams I mostly mean Tridacna clams.

I like the halloween hermit idea, I have some in another tank and like them a lot. My concern with some other inverts is lack of food, I target feed the lion twice a week so there is really no food waste besides coral food which I target feed the corals twice a week. I also don’t have strong lighting so I worry that a clam wouldn’t get enough light.

 

[Han]

I would assume (don't have first hand knowledge) that there would be at least one type of urchin that the lion wouldn't eat (maybe a long spine?). My urchin is a great and interesting invert in my tank.

I don’t think lions bother urchins, what kind do you have and how is it with corals? I’ve never kept one before

 

[hllb]

I like the halloween hermit idea, I have some in another tank and like them a lot. My concern with some other inverts is lack of food, I target feed the lion twice a week so there is really no food waste besides coral food which I target feed the corals twice a week. I also don’t have strong lighting so I worry that a clam wouldn’t get enough light.

I recently bought sinking algae wafers and OMG my hermits swarmed the one I dropped. I was hoping to feed my snails with them and they didn't seem to notice them, but the hermits loved them.

 

[hllb]

I don’t think lions bother urchins, what kind do you have and how is it with corals? I’ve never kept one before

I have a Halloween urchin. He doesn't bother my corals at all - he's never picked up any frag plugs either, though I've heard they sometimes do. No harm done, but might have to move them back. But, I have heard that some fish would possibly eat the smaller spined urchins like that. I had heard this one is much less likely for a fish to bother it, and still reef safe:

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/591/?pcatid=591

 

[BloopFish]

I like the halloween hermit idea, I have some in another tank and like them a lot. My concern with some other inverts is lack of food, I target feed the lion twice a week so there is really no food waste besides coral food which I target feed the corals twice a week. I also don’t have strong lighting so I worry that a clam wouldn’t get enough light.

You can always supplement food for the hermit crabs. Contrary to how most people view them, invertebrates can be pets too - they don't have to only be janitors and clean up crew. The sinking algae wafer like you said can work very well, as well as dried or fresh seaweed. You can keep hermit crab aggression low by providing adequate food and shells.

 

[Han]

I have a Halloween urchin. He doesn't bother my corals at all - he's never picked up any frag plugs either, though I've heard they sometimes do. No harm done, but might have to move them back. But, I have heard that some fish would possibly eat the smaller spined urchins like that. I had heard this one is much less likely for a fish to bother it, and still reef safe:

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/591/?pcatid=591

that’s a beautiful urchin, I’ll definitely consider one. I do plan on eventually keeping macroalgae once I get nutrients up, would the urchin eat it all?

 

[Han]

You can always supplement food for the hermit crabs. Contrary to how most people view them, invertebrates can be pets too - they don't have to only be janitors and clean up crew. The sinking algae wafer like you said can work very well, as well as dried or fresh seaweed. You can keep hermit crab aggression low by providing adequate food and shells.

Yeah, I think lack of food is becoming an issue already. I have one hermit that’s quite a bit larger than the blue legs and I’ve caught him trying to eat them. I’ve tried supplementing him directly yesterday, I’ll keep doing that.

 

[BloopFish]

Yeah, I think lack of food is becoming an issue already. I have one hermit that’s quite a bit larger than the blue legs and I’ve caught him trying to eat them. I’ve tried supplementing him directly yesterday, I’ll keep doing that.

They could also be fighting for shells - even if the guy is bigger (they don't seem to be the smartest at times). Depending on what types of hermits you have, having shells for them to change into is a must for long term husbandry. How old and big is your lionfish? I think eventually the food source for the CUC will increase as the lionfish grows - even though they have a relatively slow metabolism for their size.

 

[Han]

They could also be fighting for shells - even if the guy is bigger (they don't seem to be the smartest at times). Depending on what types of hermits you have, having shells for them to change into is a must for long term husbandry. How old and big is your lionfish? I think eventually the food source for the CUC will increase as the lionfish grows - even though they have a relatively slow metabolism for their size.

I have about 10 empty shells for the blue legs, but none for the big guy. My lionfish is still small, I’ve had him for about a year and he’s ~4 inches.

 

[BloopFish]

that’s a beautiful urchin, I’ll definitely consider one. I do plan on eventually keeping macroalgae once I get nutrients up, would the urchin eat it all?

Urchins will definitely eat macroalgae. I have only kept like 5 different types of hermit crabs, but they all seem to munch on macro sometimes. Urchins just munch on the rock and eat whatever they happen to chew on. This is their unique upside and downside. They'll eat nasty things like hair algae and bryopsis, but they will also eat coralline. Most species in the hobby will not eat corals though.

 

[BloopFish]

I have about 10 empty shells for the blue legs, but none for the big guy. My lionfish is still small, I’ve had him for about a year and he’s ~4 inches.

What kind of hermit crab is the big guy?

 

[Han]

What kind of hermit crab is the big guy?

Not sure, he’s pretty big and has “hairy” legs.

 

[BloopFish]

Not sure, he’s pretty big and has “hairy” legs.

Hmm I can't say I've ever seen this species before. My best guess is something in the genus Calcinus. I have a feeling he's probably not going to get much larger though. I have a Calcinus pictus that currently reside in larger trochus and turbo snail shells though.

 

[Han]

I can try adding some turbo shells for him, I have some laying around

 

[BloopFish]

I can try adding some turbo shells for him, I have some laying around

Some hermit crabs will prefer shells that have more room than you'd expect they'd need. Kind of looks like someone in an oversized t shirt sometimes. Though I have a theory that having adequate shell size also contributes to more frequent molting/growing. There was a study done that showed that crabs in undersized shells were much more aggressive and would frequently win more when trying to evict other hermit crabs out of their shells - even if they were physically weaker.

 

[Han]

I have some large empty halloween hermit shells too, will other hermits use them?

 

[BloopFish]

I have some large empty halloween hermit shells too, will other hermits use them?

Ciliopagurus sp. hermit crabs have evolved to inhabit cone shells and other shells such as conch shells that are heavy and have flat openings. This is due to the fact that they are considered undesirable for most hermit crabs of other genera - they are too heavy and their openings are not ideal for them. Halloween hermit crabs have a very flattened body, atypical of most hermit crabs. Due to this, it's unlikely they will prefer these shell types if other shells are offered. For example, my Calcinus pictus hermit crabs were originally in cowrie shells (which has a very flat opening), but once I added more "normal" shells such as turbo shells and cerith shells, none of them occupied cowrie shells. It won't hurt to add them though.