Something to watch on the sand

[Cerberusfish]

So I've had my 75 gallon tank running for almost 3 months. Have 3 cleaner shrimp, 2 nessarius snails, 2 cerrith snails, 2 firefish gobies, 1 bengai cardinal, 1 Royal gramma and 2 occelarris clowns and am about to add a tomini tang and may add 1 or 2 small things before calling it done. I DO very much intend to have corals but need to finish some upgrades to my lighting etc. Everyone is doing very very well but I have a lot of open substrate space to look at and was wondering what some good bottom dweller's would be that are nice and peaceful. I was considering a watchman goby or some other sand sifting goby but I think it'd be kind of nice to have some kind of crab or something that will move across the bottom as well. My shrimp will travel the substrate from time to time but almost always hang out up on the rock work instead. If it will put some work in to keep the sand bed clean then great but it's mostly going to be decorative. Also planning on adding a couple feather dusters to the tank so ideally nothing that will eat those either

 

[Indytraveler83]

My vote would be for small hermit crabs. I personally have quite a few of the blue leg crabs, and they are entertaining, patrol both substrate and rock, and leave corals alone.

 

[Fishy212]

If you supplement pods, mandarin dragonets are an amazing fish to watch. I used to have a red one long ago and now have a spotted mandarin I just trained my guy to eat frozen brine

 

[BloopFish]

Hermit crabs are very interesting to watch on the sand... I really enjoy them - in fact I have about 30 electric orange hermit crabs in my 13.5g tank, just be sure to add enough extra shells. They are rambunctious though, so expect to replace snails after a while - still worth the cost imo.

 

[Cerberusfish]

I LOVE those guys but the problem is the only place near me that would sell the pods is pretty pricey in general (most equipment and fish twice the price of anywhere else I've seen it sold but it's a great store otherwise) and also idk how I feel about having to constantly add pods to the tank. Worried I'd run out and him go hungry or something else. Ifni ever add a refugium to breed the pods in (not planning on it but hey you never know) I def want one

 

[Cerberusfish]

Hermit crabs are very interesting to watch on the sand... I really enjoy them - in fact I have about 30 electric orange hermit crabs in my 13.5g tank, just be sure to add enough extra shells. They are rambunctious though, so expect to replace snails after a while - still worth the cost imo.

I actually have some blue legs in there, probably 5-6 that I used to see a lot but ever since I re did my rocks the way you see them here before Christmas I don't see them on the substrate much for some reason. Are some species more prone to walks on the sand than others?

 

[BloopFish]

I LOVE those guys but the problem is the only place near me that would sell the pods is pretty pricey in general (most equipment and fish twice the price of anywhere else I've seen it sold but it's a great store otherwise) and also idk how I feel about having to constantly add pods to the tank. Worried I'd run out and him go hungry or something else. Ifni ever add a refugium to breed the pods in (not planning on it but hey you never know) I def want one

I highly recommend getting a refugium, you'll be able to add things that you otherwise couldn't because they arent reef safe. In addition, I think a sand conch would be very cool to watch going through the sand - a pistol shrimp and goby pair would also be cool.

 

[BloopFish]

I actually have some blue legs in there, probably 5-6 that I used to see a lot but ever since I re did my rocks the way you see them here before Christmas I don't see them on the substrate much for some reason. Are some species more prone to walks on the sand than others?

If you're willing to risk it, some larger hermit species would simply be more visible because they are larger. In fact, a halloween hermit crab (Ciliopagurus strigatus) is relatively harmless and usually reef safe because they are so immobile and slow - they do have a tendency to bulldoze over things though. Other larger hermit crabs like those in the Dardanus genus tend to be usually not reef safe.

 

[Crabby48]

My recommendation is pistol shrimp, goby pair and a conch snail.
Pistol shrimp is hidden mostly but the pair is everyone’s favorite. I’m a huge fan of pink spot goby!

 

[Cerberusfish]

If you're willing to risk it, some larger hermit species would simply be more visible because they are larger. In fact, a halloween hermit crab (Ciliopagurus strigatus) is relatively harmless and usually reef safe because they are so immobile and slow - they do have a tendency to bulldoze over things though. Other larger hermit crabs like those in the Dardanus genus tend to be usually not reef safe.

I'd rather not risk anything non reef safe and

I highly recommend getting a refugium, you'll be able to add things that you otherwise couldn't because they arent reef safe. In addition, I think a sand conch would be very cool to watch going through the sand - a pistol shrimp and goby pair would also be cool.

What sort of non reef safe things could I add with a refugium?

 

[Crabby48]

Hermit crabs are cool also

and the conch

 

[BloopFish]

I'd rather not risk anything non reef safe and

What sort of non reef safe things could I add with a refugium?

I keep a sponge crab - the Dromiidae variety - in my "refugium." I also keep box crabs and swimming crabs too - all extremely not reef safe, but equally interesting. The cool thing about keeping the sponge crab in the refugium is that it keeps the chaeto trimmed lol. Also a halloween hermit crab is just as reef safe as other commonly kept hermit crabs, just a bulldozer risk.