treesprite May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 I give up working on having a nice combination of fish for a while, because my fortune with fish over the past 6 months has been terrible. What I am looking for, is suggestions for some other types of livestock that would be safe for a reef tank, not knock everything over, not difficult to keep, beneficial, interesting, and fairly easy to obtain. I'm thinking about getting a skunk cleaner shrimp and one of those red shrimps - will they work out ok together in a 65, or will they fight? I want to get a nardoa starfish at some point, to control the dasterdly asterinas in my system, but I have only seen them in stores a couple of times, and that was a long time ago. I don't want any clams right now. Suggestions please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 I had skunk cleaners and the red polka-dotted Fire Shrimp in the same system without any problem. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 I have three skunk cleaners across two tanks. I also have a harlequin serpent star which has excellent markings that you can enjoy only at feeding time (since it keeps to itself under a rock otherwise). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mling May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 I too have an interest in "Other" livestock. I hear that the Fire Shrimp is nocturnal. Since I have a 156, I was told that I will probably never see it again after I put it in. Just like the porcelain crab that I bought 4 years ago, it was about 1/2 " then and I had given it up for dead. Then when I recently moved, I found it when I emptied the tank, all 2 inches of it and very much alive ! Have not seen it again since I put it in the 156. Since I don't intend to move again, I probably will never see it again. I just know it is the reason why some frags keep getting moved. My pistol shrimp has been with me for 5 years now and it is always interesting to observe. Just becare ful that your live rock is siting on the bottom of your tank or is supported by PVC pipes, as suppose to supported by aragonite. This is because this shrimp will barrow all over your tank and cause cave ins if your LF is not properly supported. Be careful of urchins, many will eat your corals but there some that are reef safe. I also had a sea cucumber. Gave it back to the LFS about it went after my BTA. Know of some folks who are happy with theirs though. I had a scallop for a few months before it died, I understand that they are not exactly suitable for captivity. I also returned my arrow head crab beause it's favoriate diet was blue legs ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 I have a sunk cleaner shrimp, a few peppermints and coral banded all in a 72gal together, also a giant serpent star, and some sally lightfoots (my favorites), havent had any problems.. The coral banded would love to catch the shrimp but cant even get close... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 As stated above, fire shrimp are very reclusive and I would avoid them if you want something you can see. I would be concerned that a pistol shrimp would decide to place his burrow somewhere where you can't really watch him. Peppermint shrimp are inexpensive and don't hide all day, but they might be too common to be the primary mobile animals in your tank. I would find a large coral banded shrimp and have it be the only shrimp...they can be pretty impressive, and might spend more time roaming around if there are no other shrimp to compete with. Another good option is one of those really big and colorful mantis shrimps. Roozens always seems to have a couple in stock. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 I have a mantis in my natural tank. He eats a hermit or a snail every now and then, but he also does an excellent job on cleaning up the abundant bristle worms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 Do mantis shrimp break glass..? Are they compatible with other inverts, star fish, shrimp etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 Mantis shrimp do not break glass! That is a perpetuated urban legend in this hobby. No one has ever made a video proving it. They are a predatory shrimp that mainly eat snails and crabs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 So will it eat my sally lightfoots, or emeralds, or is it just hermits..? What do you feed them..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 I think skunk cleaners are a lot of fun to watch clean fish, your hand, etc. I could never target feed without it constantly ripping mysis out of my dendros and acans, though. I had to sit there with my chopstick fending it off while the corals ingested the shrimp. So the skunk got the boot. I think in a bigger tank it would not have been as much of a problem. One invert that I really enjoy is sexy shrimp. They shake their tails around when they get excited and always seem to be on display in my tank. The downside is that they are really small. Works in my 12 g, but they would probably get lost in a big tank. Another one that I have really enjoyed in my tank is my pistol shrimp. I picked him up at Roozen's about 6 months ago. I had gotten a pistol a few years ago that bulldozed my tank, digging huge piles of sand and tunnels. It was a disaster. So it took a good deal of reassurance, but Jos said that the kind I wanted (with red stripes) stayed small and was much more limited in its burrow digging. I was pleased to see that it paired up with my yellow watchman within a day, and had made 2 burrows at the very front of the tank. End result: yellow watchman and pistol hang out up front all day, and no giant piles of sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 So will it eat my sally lightfoots, or emeralds, or is it just hermits..? What do you feed them..? IME, as long as there are plenty of hermits and turbos and the mantis is small, then it won't eat your ornamentals. I had an 8" Peacock Mantis with Cleaner shrimps and CBS and it only ate what I fed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 Fire shrimp... mine was NOT reclusive. In fact, he ate out of my fingers. He was so friendly that one day when I was gluing a frag, he managed to get super-glue on his claw. Couldn't use it until he molted. I think I would train him to fingers in a small tank by holding mysis in your fingers, before putting him in a larger tank. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE May 21, 2009 Share May 21, 2009 I'm gearing up to keep cuttlefish . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miniflea May 23, 2009 Share May 23, 2009 Skunk cleaner shrimp are neat. I've had one for a week and its molted already. Question- I also really like coral banded shrimp, could I add one? My tank is fairly small (30gal), would they get along? Would it make a difference if I got a smaller one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite May 23, 2009 Author Share May 23, 2009 I'll pass on the mantis, pass on anything that burrows under my LR, pass on things I'll barely see, and pass on things with spears or pinchers big enough to catch/kill a fish. I used to have a skunk cleaner shrimp - greedy monsters that do an awesome job of keeping a tank clean of uneaten fish food. The clowns caused an avalanche that crushed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar May 23, 2009 Share May 23, 2009 I'm gearing up to keep cuttlefish . Sam, Cool critters, but probably not a good choice for treesprite's tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite May 23, 2009 Author Share May 23, 2009 I don't think it was a suggestion, just an expression of happy anticipation about his future planned "other" livestock. You should see his water & plumbing setup... awesome. I really enjoyed the tour and am hoping to do so AFTER the tank is set up & stocked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE May 23, 2009 Share May 23, 2009 Sam, Cool critters, but probably not a good choice for treesprite's tank. Yeah, I know, I was just kidding . Sorry. I don't think it was a suggestion, just an expression of happy anticipation about his future planned "other" livestock. You should see his water & plumbing setup... awesome. I really enjoyed the tour and am hoping to do so AFTER the tank is set up & stocked Thanks a lot, I'll make sure to get you over then . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vader May 25, 2009 Share May 25, 2009 You could get several emerald crabs, they are a blast to watch, I've seen them in green and red colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite May 25, 2009 Author Share May 25, 2009 NO emerald crabs! Emerald crabs are not reef safe. The last few I have had were bad. I really don't want any crabs other than my hermits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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