invert stocking
- Thread starter krollins
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SaltySqueeble
Well-Known Member
Sea cucumbers, nudibranchs come in some cool colors and sizes. Pink urchins also beautiful and good for algae
SaltySqueeble
Well-Known Member
Sea cucumbers, yes - the sand sifting ones are generally easy to keep; the filter feeding ones aren't particularly hard to keep either, but they may require phytoplankton to feed on.
Skip the nudibranchs - they have very specific diets, and pretty much all nudibranchs will starve in our tanks.
For unique inverts, do you care if they're reef-safe or not? I ask because some really cool inverts - like saron shrimp, murex snails, or crown conchs, for example - are not reef-safe.
My thoughts for reef-safe, unique inverts that are sold in the hobby and should be beginner friendly:
-Sand-sifting sea cucumbers
-Pompom crabs
-Giant knobby cerith
-Conch snails (for oddball, I'd particularly recommend a Spider Conch)
-Chitons
-Money Cowries
-Stomatella snails
-Serpent/Brittle stars (*Not the Green Serpent Star, Ophiarachna incrassata, as that one is predatory)
-Fleshy limpets
-Some hermit crabs (like the Hidden Hermit, for example)
Some I would avoid:
-True starfish (Asteroidea - brittle/serpent stars are Ophiuroids, not Asteroids; they're not true starfish)
-Nudibranchs
-Most cowries
-Symbiotic shrimp that you can't provide an appropriate symbiont for (for example, the Curly Que Pistol Shrimp, Alpheus armatus, which pairs with the Corkscrew Anemone, Bartholomea annulata)
They can - it's very rare, though:
Yeah, I've only heard of a couple of instances where a "cuke nuke" actually took place despite knowing multiple instances of cucumbers ejecting either a toxic fluid, their organs, or their cuvierian tubules, so it's definitely not a common event (at least not with sand sifting species). That said, keep in mind that the toxicity varies from one species to the next, and some species are more toxic in certain ways (some are more toxic when they expel toxins in some way, others contain more toxin in their body wall, etc.), and various circumstances (such as water volume, skimmers, running carbon or not, etc.) about the aquarium they're in can determine how much harm the toxin causes.
Personally, I'd say they generally seem pretty safe, but you need to be aware of the (relatively low) risk and have a plan in place to handle it if things go awry.
The cuke nukings:
An instance of ejecting a fluid (nothing seemed to have been harmed in the tank, but this stuff is reportedly toxic):
EMERGENCY - Anemone Toxin / Sea Cucumber Toxin
Hi! Unfortunately, this morning I woke up to all my fish deceased, the sea cucumber and anemone also dead, with some gooey like slime stuck in my return pump. All of my crabs and snails are alive including my pom-pom, Anemone Crab and my Conchs, critters I thought to be extremely sensitive...www.reef2reef.com
EMERGENCY - New Black Sea Cucumber Red Stuff
Hey all, I recently got a black sea cucumber. I acclimated it with the drip method, and after a day it is now expelling this stuff. I've ready a lot about the toxicity, but I'm not sure if I should pull him now or not. All my SPS and fish seem to be fine.
I'm not sure on the lobsters, but there are plenty of unique shrimp out there - pistol shrimp, bumblebee shrimp, saron shrimp (any shrimp of the Saron genus is going to be a cool shrimp IMO), tiger/bongo shrimp, lots of different cleaner shrimp, sexy shrimp, rock shrimp, green lantern shrimp, a variety of "table" (human food) shrimp (these get large and may or may not eat small inverts - not a lot of people keep them), etc.
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krollins
Active Member
What is their shipping policy?
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krollins
Active Member
Are bongo shrimp okay with serpent starfish?
pom pom crabs ! 2 inverts for 1
I would assume so, but I don't actually know.
Mr_Knightley
2500 Club Member
As far as I know, bongos and harlequins will eat any type of echinoderm, though they prefer true Asteroidea. Anything with tube feet.
I have never kept them (starfish lover) so I cannot speak from experience.
I have never kept them (starfish lover) so I cannot speak from experience.
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krollins
Active Member
I do not have an asterina starfish population but I have heard they can eat fish food when hungry.
I'm not sure with bongo shrimp (there's not a lot of info) but harlequins only eat starfish - there are conflicting reports on them accepting brittle stars when entirely out of other options, but it seems like if they do, it would be an extreme famine food.
I have heard unconfirmed rumors that they may also go for urchin feet on occasion- I find this plausible but extremely unlikely.
From everything I've heard, they don't seem to bother cukes at all, so I'd assume they'd leave them alone too. I haven't heard anything about them and crinoids.
Also, just to clarify for anyone wondering- harlequin shrimp do not just eat the tube feet of these critters, they eat the whole critter, typically starting with the tube feet (presumably to keep the critter from fleeing/struggling while they eat).
Also, related fun fact, despite reports to the contrary, bumblebee shrimp don't eat echinoderms.
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