First inverts, woohoo! - Aquarium Advice

grimlock3000 · 09-30-2004, 03:53 PM

My tank is going on three weeks old. It was setup with cured live rock and Arag Alive "live sand". The tank has been coming along OK and the cycle seems to have already happened. I am in the algae phase now. A few water test in a row turned out OK, but I was planning to wait another couple weeks before picking up my clean up crew. The only sizable invert in the tank is a hitchhiker crab that eats stuff off the rocks.

I had two problems with this plan. The clean up crew is going to be pricey at the [acronym:dbc22d8628="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:dbc22d8628] I want to buy it, so if they all died for some reason, I would be screwed. Also, I was not sure if the crab would be OK with the clean up crew. My wife LOVES the crab, but it is not safe with fish. She wants to keep the crab right up until the day we get fish. I decided the best plan would be to get a few test inverts and see how it went.

Last night I picked up two Astrea Conehead Snails, and two Blue Leg Hermits on the cheap at another [acronym:dbc22d8628="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:dbc22d8628]. I dripped acclimated them and put them in the tank. The crabs when right to work eatting stuff off the live rock. The snails... Well they just kind of sat there. Mine are moving about .25 inches an hour and eating as they go. This morning they were still alive. The crabs had been all around the tank, and the snails made it to the other side of the rock.

Having 4 out of 4 inverts still alive is a good indication that I did something right. And it is cool to have something to watch in the tank

revhtree · 09-30-2004, 04:11 PM

Ya, I think your worrying a bit to much. Inverst such as crabs, and snails, are so super easy to keep alive. You can add all you want to they will be fine!

grimlock3000 · 09-30-2004, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Inverst such as crabs, and snails, are so super easy to keep alive. You can add all you want to they will be fine!

Quit raining on my parade when I think I accomplished something

revhtree · 09-30-2004, 04:23 PM

Sorry Grimlock, i didnt catch what you were meaning in the first post. I thought you were asking did we think it was ok to add inverts. My bad.

You are def. doing something right, thats not what I meant. If you have had one crab living in there just fine, you are well on your way.

grimlock3000 · 09-30-2004, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Sorry Grimlock, i didnt catch what you were meaning in the first post. I thought you were asking did we think it was ok to add inverts. My bad. Embarassed

No need to be sorry, I know what you meant, I was just trying to be funny

Quote:

You are def. doing something right, thats not what I meant. If you have had one crab living in there just fine, you are well on your way.

The crab running around at night was a good barometer that my tank could sustain life. My wife got attached to it since it was the only thing in the tank. It is unfortunate that my crab is exactly the same as what TB Saltware uses as its example of a "Bad Crab!!"

http://www.tbsaltwater.com/diy.html

grimlock3000 · 09-30-2004, 07:45 PM

That is right after I put them in the tank. They never hang out together anymore :P

crage34 · 09-30-2004, 10:33 PM

get a cleaner shrimp!

i love mine

phases99 · 10-01-2004, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crage34

get a cleaner shrimp!

i love mine

I'm starting to hate mine, he's gotten huge and steals food right out of my corals mouth.

revhtree · 10-01-2004, 07:25 PM

I love my cleaners. They were cleaning my arm about 10min ago!

diverdown69 · 10-01-2004, 11:00 PM

I just took a fairly large striped leg hermit out of my tank. He was harassing my warty anemone and I won't have that. All of my hermits are striped leg hermits (local native species) and they do quite well in my tank at 25ppt salinity. My tank is pretty clean. I do need to get a cleaner shrimp or something like it. I also have a small population of barnacles and bivalves (probably small Ostreola oysters) that contribute to the cleanliness of the tank. If you have never watched barnacles feed, it is pretty neat to watch.

09-30-2004, 03:53 PM	#1
grimlock3000 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: maine Posts: 1,971 Images: 1	First inverts, woohoo! My tank is going on three weeks old. It was setup with cured live rock and Arag Alive "live sand". The tank has been coming along OK and the cycle seems to have already happened. I am in the algae phase now. A few water test in a row turned out OK, but I was planning to wait another couple weeks before picking up my clean up crew. The only sizable invert in the tank is a hitchhiker crab that eats stuff off the rocks. I had two problems with this plan. The clean up crew is going to be pricey at the [acronym:dbc22d8628="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:dbc22d8628] I want to buy it, so if they all died for some reason, I would be screwed. Also, I was not sure if the crab would be OK with the clean up crew. My wife LOVES the crab, but it is not safe with fish. She wants to keep the crab right up until the day we get fish. I decided the best plan would be to get a few test inverts and see how it went. Last night I picked up two Astrea Conehead Snails, and two Blue Leg Hermits on the cheap at another [acronym:dbc22d8628="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:dbc22d8628]. I dripped acclimated them and put them in the tank. The crabs when right to work eatting stuff off the live rock. The snails... Well they just kind of sat there. Mine are moving about .25 inches an hour and eating as they go. This morning they were still alive. The crabs had been all around the tank, and the snails made it to the other side of the rock. Having 4 out of 4 inverts still alive is a good indication that I did something right. And it is cool to have something to watch in the tank __________________ 26 freshwater 2x Sunburst Platys (2M, 2F) // 3x Neon Tetras (?) // 2x Cherry Barbs (1M, 1F) // 2x YoYo Loaches (?) // 1x Bushy Nose Pleco (M) // 1x Clown Pleco (?) // 15H marine -30# Live Rock -Mixed Snails (Nassarius // Cerith // Astrea // Black Turbo // Mexican Turbo) -8x Blue Leg Hermit Crabs // 1x Banded Serpent Star // 1x Cleaner Shrimp -1x Royal Gramma // 1x Percula Clownfish -2x Mushroom Leather // Metallic Green Star Polyps // Pulsing Xenia // Striped Xenia // Blue Mushroom -Remora + Maxi-Jet 1200 // 2x Maxi-Jet 600 // Maxi-Jet 400 // Visi-Therm Deluxe 50 // Current USA Orbit 2x 40w [acronym:f2db8017b4="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:f2db8017b4]

09-30-2004, 04:11 PM	#2
revhtree Aquarium Advice Addict Community Admin Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rossville. Ga Posts: 4,047 Images: 1	Ya, I think your worrying a bit to much. Inverst such as crabs, and snails, are so super easy to keep alive. You can add all you want to they will be fine! __________________ Remember to Keep Christ First! 120G - Deltec AP601 Skimmer - Reefkeeper2 - Geo 618 - (2)Tunze 6100 - Tunze 6212 Wave Box - (2) 250w MH's w/VHO

09-30-2004, 04:23 PM	#4
revhtree Aquarium Advice Addict Community Admin Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rossville. Ga Posts: 4,047 Images: 1	Sorry Grimlock, i didnt catch what you were meaning in the first post. I thought you were asking did we think it was ok to add inverts. My bad. You are def. doing something right, thats not what I meant. If you have had one crab living in there just fine, you are well on your way. __________________ Remember to Keep Christ First! 120G - Deltec AP601 Skimmer - Reefkeeper2 - Geo 618 - (2)Tunze 6100 - Tunze 6212 Wave Box - (2) 250w MH's w/VHO

09-30-2004, 07:45 PM	#6
grimlock3000 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: maine Posts: 1,971 Images: 1	That is right after I put them in the tank. They never hang out together anymore :P __________________ 26 freshwater 2x Sunburst Platys (2M, 2F) // 3x Neon Tetras (?) // 2x Cherry Barbs (1M, 1F) // 2x YoYo Loaches (?) // 1x Bushy Nose Pleco (M) // 1x Clown Pleco (?) // 15H marine -30# Live Rock -Mixed Snails (Nassarius // Cerith // Astrea // Black Turbo // Mexican Turbo) -8x Blue Leg Hermit Crabs // 1x Banded Serpent Star // 1x Cleaner Shrimp -1x Royal Gramma // 1x Percula Clownfish -2x Mushroom Leather // Metallic Green Star Polyps // Pulsing Xenia // Striped Xenia // Blue Mushroom -Remora + Maxi-Jet 1200 // 2x Maxi-Jet 600 // Maxi-Jet 400 // Visi-Therm Deluxe 50 // Current USA Orbit 2x 40w [acronym:f2db8017b4="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:f2db8017b4]

09-30-2004, 10:33 PM	#7
crage34 Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Kentucky Posts: 295	get a cleaner shrimp! i love mine __________________ 30gal / 2: maxijet 600s / 150w heater / CPR Bak Pak2 (maxijet 1200)/[acronym:65c55ef054="Fish only with live rock"]FOWLR[/acronym:65c55ef054] 30lbs base rock 6lbs Brazilian [acronym:65c55ef054="Live rock"]LR[/acronym:65c55ef054] 35lbs sand (20lbs of [acronym:65c55ef054="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:65c55ef054] [acronym:65c55ef054="Live sand"]ls[/acronym:65c55ef054] i think it cycled my tank faster) 3 blueleg hermits 4 turbo snails royal gramma gold stripped maroon clown

10-01-2004, 07:25 PM	#9
revhtree Aquarium Advice Addict Community Admin Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rossville. Ga Posts: 4,047 Images: 1	I love my cleaners. They were cleaning my arm about 10min ago! __________________ Remember to Keep Christ First! 120G - Deltec AP601 Skimmer - Reefkeeper2 - Geo 618 - (2)Tunze 6100 - Tunze 6212 Wave Box - (2) 250w MH's w/VHO

10-01-2004, 11:00 PM	#10
diverdown69 Aquarium Advice Activist Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Corpus Christi, TX Posts: 128	I just took a fairly large striped leg hermit out of my tank. He was harassing my warty anemone and I won't have that. All of my hermits are striped leg hermits (local native species) and they do quite well in my tank at 25ppt salinity. My tank is pretty clean. I do need to get a cleaner shrimp or something like it. I also have a small population of barnacles and bivalves (probably small Ostreola oysters) that contribute to the cleanliness of the tank. If you have never watched barnacles feed, it is pretty neat to watch. __________________ "If you don't fish, you should..."

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