Reef Safe Inverts?

[jamal-188]

I'm going to place a order online and get a bunch of inverts and maybe a fish or 2 in the next week or so. It seems the list of reef safe crabs/starfish/urchins etc is shorter than the non-safe list. Is there a trustworthy index somewhere that I can check out what I buy so I don't have to retun anything else?

I know I will be getting a cleaning shrimp or 2
Would like a coulple reef safe crabs(not hermits) besides emerald crabs
Maybe 2-3 starfish that will not destroy corals or good algae
Some snails which I guess are all pretty much reef safe
Maybe a nudibrach

 

[e-cat]

crab- spider crab
star fish, blue lincka, red and orange star fish( fromia elegans , fmonilis)
nudibranches have specialized diets so you should know what kind your getting too know exactly what it needs too survive

 

[e-cat]

oh yeah
serpant stars are cool, but large ones might grab a fish.

 

[jamal-188]

I heard the blue lincka are difficult to take care of, if that is not true I would love to get one! I do have a smaller serpent and he's pretty cool. I don't know exactly what I want because I'll read a certain critter is reef safe on one site then on another it will say use caution or not reef safe.

 

[e-cat]

im not sure how difficult they are sorry, im sure some one on here will have owned them at some point and can help you out there.

 

[steve-s]

I know I will be getting a cleaning shrimp or 2

Depending on tank size, I would opt for two. That way they may mate and provide a natural food source for corals and such.

Would like a coulple reef safe crabs(not hermits) besides emerald crabs

Sallylightfoots (with caution), porcelain crabs and acro crabs should be fine. I would not get the arrow crab as they are known to attack fish.

Maybe 2-3 starfish that will not destroy corals or good algae

In the beginning anyway, I would choose hardier species such as serpent stars. They are great for surface substrate clean up. If you get a brittle, avoid the green ones as they will be a problem. The black brittles are much safer.

Some snails which I guess are all pretty much reef safe

For the most part yes but I would suggest sticking to what you need for the time being. There are a great many "decorative" type snails that would be useless as far as keeping the tank clean. Keep to the known species that will help with the tanks health.

Maybe a nudibrach

Skip this idea altogether. They will not live long in a captive system.

Cheers
Steve

 

[jamal-188]

Sounds good, thanks everyone! I really just want to stick with stuff I know 100% will work. I"m tired of having stuff die or just not work out with my tank mates. I'll keep reading as much as I can until I'm ready to order