Never add "THIS INVERT" to your reef aquarium?

[Gogol_frag]

We're talking about clean up crews this week and a BIG part of a CUC are inverts! But not all inverts are good for a reef tank. Some are good at cleaning but are bad at coral nipping. Let's talk about it!

What are some common inverts (snails, crabs, etc.) that you would NEVER put in your reef? Why?

image via @CornishCrustyCorals

Tough to say never, but from past experiences I avoid any carnivorous snails (including Nassarius) and all crustaceans. I have one nassarius and one hermit that have hitchhiked into my reef, and as of now am not terribly bothered. Likely, i will also never get things that can become a potential threat to lifestock like Sea Hares, Sea Cucumbers, Sea Apples etc.

 

[Mackey]

Just had a thought......

They say gorilla crabs are horrible and must be taken out asap right????
I've battled getting one out years ago and currently trying to get one out on my new tank...
However, this gorilla crab has left everything alone and it's been more than a month now..
The same applies to the gorilla crab i killed years ago..he lived happily with all my corals for over a year until I discovered him..
From my recollection, when I had a peppermint in the past, these jerks would be destroying lps corals within about a week of introduction esp if u have no aiptasia..

So.... Maybe it's unfair to say gorilla crabs are the spawn of the devil!!

I mean I had a anemone crab live on my bta for 2 weeks. I even fed his butt regularly... But within 2 weeks.. I caught him eating my hammer!

Thoughts??

Whoever wrote this post is a Gorilla crab.

 

[MuggyReef]

Have you done any research? Do you know have any idea what they eat?

Nope, thats why I have no interest in getting one right now. Just looked up their diet and my tank just isn’t there yet. Maybe in another 6 months I’ll think about looking into them, my lfs always has a Linckia or two in their coral colony tank.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Nope, thats why I have no interest in getting one right now. Just looked up their diet and my tank just isn’t there yet. Maybe in another 6 months I’ll think about looking into them, my lfs always has a Linckia or two in their coral colony tank.

Yeah, they draw a lot of attention so you see them plenty often at shops...they're very fragile and sensitive and thrive off biofilm that grows on live rock. What part of the biofilm do they actually need? Trick question...nobody actually knows what they're consuming for nutrition in the biofilm and therefore if you have the "right" biofilm to sustain one. The only definite way to feed one is using live ocean rock with natural biofilm already grown on it.

 

[Double monti 61]

Have some invertebrates in my tank 15 gallons no problem with them including my peppermint shrimp.

 

[Tray21]

Will never have another peppermint shrimp! The one I had ate 3 rainbow bubble tips before I could get it out of the tank.

 

[MuggyReef]

Will never have another peppermint shrimp! The one I had ate 3 rainbow bubble tips before I could get it out of the tank.

Yeah I have 3 peppermint shrimp, 2 are just fine but 1 is a complete *******. It destroyed my first Duncan but before it died i didn’t see it mess with the coral so got another and just made sure they were all fed. Welp today caught him going after the new Duncan so had to create a protector out of a bottle for the coral until I build my sump and place at least the one shrimp in there.

 

[Bradig326]

I guess I have had good luck with peppermint shrimp. I had a few for 3 years or so. And no incidents that I'm aware of. I do have a Hoevens wrasse that patrolled the tank so maybe he made them nervous.

 

[Privateye]

I've been wracking my brain and I can't think of anything common I'd write-off. All fit certain scenarios. Gorilla crabs, mantis shrimp, and whelks are often hitchhikers and not common or desirable.

All shrimp are ---holes. Peppermint, skunk, pink, etc. They do their jobs though. You'll see aiptasia disappear with peppermints, skunks will clean your fish past the point of obnoxious, but pinks don't do anything useful other than dig beach glass out of the sand. They all will rip food from corals and anemones. And bother them with their antennae if the tank is small enough. The flame hawk I've had for 7 years tolerates no shrimp though. They're just snacks.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

The only common invert I can think of that I don't see myself wanting in a reef tank at any point is the longspine urchin, and that's really just because I don't particularly want to have to worry about/make room for the spines.

 

[tweeter]

Hermit crabs!! They are murderers out to steal a new house!

 

[Rich Klein]

Really? I’ve kept tuxedos longer than 5 years, I don’t think their life expectancy is much longer than that. All my others I’ve traded away. I can’t tell you the last time I had one die on me.

I have 15 captive bred tuxedos in my 220 now as well, I expect them to do just as well as the others in the past.

Likewise, I have 12 pincushion urchins (started with 14) over 6 years old

 

[MarineCrouton]

Emerald crabs. Terrible creatures. Had one branching hammer with 13 heads start dying off. One night I watch the crab tearing out healthy polyps.

I thought most Emerald Crabs were reef safe. Is it just the odd one that would start chewing on a coral?

 

[EugeneVan]

I've had a longspine urchin since I put my first LR in the tank at week 2. It was smaller than my little finger nail. Now body size of a gold ball.
I'm now at 10 months and it's still alive. My No3 has never been below 15ppm and currently at 50.
I also found a new Tuxedo urchin recently from my last piece of rock.

I love Tuxedo urchin. I have 5 in my 200 gal. From time to time I see tracks of clean path on the live rock. I know who is doing overtime last night

 

[PeterEde]

My lo

I love Tuxedo urchin. I have 5 in my 200 gal. From time to time I see tracks of clean path on the live rock. I know who is doing overtime last night

My longspine cleans up coralline off the rock as I am trying to grow it. I wish it would tackle the cualerpa instead

 

[Paullawr]

Marine crabs typically ‘reef safe - with caution’

I thought most Emerald Crabs were reef safe. Is it just the odd one that would start chewing on a coral?

 

[The_Skrimp]

Emerald crabs and peppermint shrimp. Don’t believe anyone who tells you they’re reef safe. I’ve had a hermit crab or two go rouge and start picking on coral before but it’s nothing compared to the damage that an emerald crab or a peppermint shrimp can cause. In my experience, it’s not if but when they’ll start ripping up your coral for food.

 

[Zoa.Mania]

Peppermint shrimps.. these guys are vicious
But never say never..

 

[Mark Novack]

You are scaring me. I just added a few of the more disliked ones.

 

[timry2]

Coral banded shrimp are true crab killers. I had a rouge one that killed every hermit crab it came across. the weird thing is he would hang out by my snowflake eel, and the eel wouldn’t eat him. I think that shrimp was the one thing i was hoping the eel would eat because I couldn’t catch it.