Interesting Inverts: Urchins, starfish, shrimp

[ReeferReefer]

I have about finished fish stocking in my 90g mixed reef and am looking for some interesting inverts to stock. If there is an existing thread for this please direct me. I have a handful of scarlet hermits, netrite snails, and 2 nassarius snails. I am interested in doing a trio of skunk cleaners perhaps? What are good sea stars for beginners? Any recommended urchins? Anything else you get a kick out of watching?

 

[LetItReef]

Conch

 

[ReeferReefer]

Conch

I was considering one,but I worry about it moving around my corals on the sand?

 

[MaddyP]

Depending on your fish, I really like sexy shrimp, pom pom crabs, and porcelain crabs. There are also several species of anemone shrimp that pair well with mini carpets (perfect for sexy shrimp).

 

[Nibejeebies]

I really love my Harliqun serpent star, and I didn't want to get it but gf talked me into and I'm glad she did, the blue linka star.
I also have an urchin in a different tank but let me tell you... She's a bulldozer and a thief.


Older pic of my Harliqun serpent star - she will actually reach out and take krill or chunked/chopped silversides from my hand. She even some times shakes my finger. Though that could just be my imagination

Sand sifting star-

Blue Linka 2 pics...

And the hat wearing urchin

 

[Nibejeebies]

I should note, that the serpent stars by nature tend to hide most of the time, very rarely do they actually come out and about but when they do, it's magical l!
[emoji16]

 

[ReeferReefer]

Yeah I don't want a decorator uchrin of any kind. I'm interested in bristle stars for sure,just don't want something that will attack fish. I hear sand sifters often starve? The linka looks amazing but will they starve too?

 

[ReeferReefer]

As a note, my tank is well established, just under a year old

 

[Nibejeebies]

I've had my sand sifter for 6 months, and he appears to be growing (knock on wood). The blue linka , well... I don't think we actually know what they eat. I've seen it appearing to go after pods, I've also seen it deny access to a nori strip to the fish while she got some for her self, at least it appeared that way, I can't be certain that she ate any nori but it's possible.

The serpent stars/ bristle are great detritivors (spelling) but I tend to give her a good meal once a week with a krill or chopped silver side.

Urchins , no matter what species are going to be "decorators". This black and red ( though mine is all black) doesn't intentionally go hat shopping, but as she passes stuff she picks it up with her spines, hence the dragons breath algae in the pic.
I've heard other reefers say they have knocked over rock, and even torn frag plugs out of their superglue and epoxy mounts just by strutting buy. Mine hasn't killed anything, and hasn't been that drastic. She's moved a GSP a couple of inches, and ripped some shreds of the Dragons Breath but over all I've been pleased with her. Then again she's in a mainly softy tank so...

 

[ReeferReefer]

Thanks. I love the look of long spine and pencil urchins but worry about them grabbing the lose frags on my sand bed or knocking lose rock work. I might give a linka a try along with a bristle after introducing some cleaner shrimp

 

[ReeferReefer]

The tiled sea star is appealing as well. I just hope that these guys can survive long term and not starve

 

[gashunk]

i had a spiky urchin that ate coral so its kinda hit and miss but my tuxedo urchin doesnt touch them but he does move coral kinda like Velcro sticks to everything uhh harlequin shrimp are cool as well but they eat starfish so youll have to keep buying starfish to feed it if you dont mind that they are pretty cool i like my sea apple everyone saids they are hard but its just a filter feeder granted if it does die it can crash your tank if it doesnt get taken out withing "x" amount of time

 

[ReeferReefer]

Thinking I'll hold off on an urchin then. Probably start with a pair of skunk cleaners and a fire shrimp, then get a starfish of some kind