Inverts for 10 gallon nano?

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Wah

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
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Hey all, i have a ten gallon nano reef. Specs: 0 nitrites, nitirates, ammonia, ph is in the 8.0 range (I just tested it yesterday, can't recall the actual fiqure, i'll do another today and double check.) Resonable temp, salt is 1.021. Current inhabitants include a pgymy angel ("North atlantic pygmy angel") about two inches, and two four strip damsels. Inverts from hitchikeing include several dusters, snails, and q-tip sponges. Uptime is 2 months and a week. I do weekly water changes and the only equipment is a powerhead and a heater. I took the skimmer i had off as it was causeing more trouble then it was worth on a tank with such waterchanges.

edit: Lighting is provided by two half sun/arctic zoomed coral lifes.

Now i know some people would say i am overstocked, but my formely white live sand has turned green, so i am lacking a sand sifter. I am thinking of picking up a fighting conch and maybe a cleaner shrimp. Would this be a horrid idea? Are there better inverts? I dont want to add another fish, but would a small goby be fine? Maybe a urchin, but i think most arent reef safe?

Much thanks given to those with more experince in salt then myself. :) Please excuse the spelling. :)
 
I think the fighting conch would be a good idea...a couple of them. Gobies are more for larger size tanks....30-50 gallons or more. Hopefully this comes off helpful but you may want to think of a new, larger home for your angel....that fish is probably very stressed in there. They need at least a 30 gallon tank.
 
Current inhabitants include a pgymy angel ("North atlantic pygmy angel") about two inches, and two four strip damsels
I would ditch the pygme...10gal is just too small for one. The two damsels shuld be fine.

As far as sand sifters go...I would get a couple of Nassarius sp. snails. They do a great job at sifting and removing detritus. A skuck cleaner shrimp would also be a nice addition.
 
Hey

Hey all, Sorry forgot about the nano forum.

As for the angel, he will be relocated to a 75gal in due time. His place in the nano is temporary. However, he does not seem to bothered, leaves the damsels alone, and swims about and eats just fine. Hes brightly colored and does not seem stressed or unhappy at all.

As far as snails, i have tons. They dont seem to be doing much good, they seem to stick to the rock and clean there, more then they do the sand.I think they are Stomatella varia almost 100%, based on the sudden increase in numbers and activity when the lights go out. They ooze around the glass a lot and the glass stays very, very clean (but they avoid the sand bed- they go on it, but not to much.) So i'am not set on anything other a snail for the sandbed.

I'am thinking:
2 scarlet hermits
1 fighting conch
1 cleaning shrimp (Speicies to be determined, based on what i find locally.)
4 Nassarius Snails
1 Flame scallop (even though it's not a cleaner, i would be picking it up in the same trip.)
 
Well that all depends on what snails you have though. Like lando said the nassarius snails are better sand sifters than most of the other snails you get. You may have more astraea snails in there or turbo snails. Nassarius snails as well as cerith snails are better at sand sifting...they typically bury themselves in the sand, and of course they love algae. HTH
 
I'd watch the conch, they can get up to 4". I like nassis, ceriths and am thinking on getting a few turbos. My pistol shrimp does a great job at moving sand, constantly.
 
I would strongly suggest you pass on the flame scallop. They have a very poor survival rating in captivity. Additionally, the amount of phytoplankton thses filter-feeders require will rapidly degrade your water quality, especially in a 10gal tank. Just not a good option.
 
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