145g Reef Tank - Invertebrates

Unidentified Anemone

Unidentified Anemone

This spectacular anemone came as a hitchiker on the Kenyan live rock I used to set up my reef tank with.

It is still alive and readily accepts frozen foods such as mussel and krill.

Definately not photosynthetic.

Hoplocarida

Mantis Shrimp

This mantis shrimp receives usually a number of different reactions - but mostly that of fear and anger. See, most aquarists hate them with a passion and rid their tanks of them.

It is my opinion that they are much more intelligent than the average fish, and if properly fed will not eath your fish.

I currently have about 4 in various holes they drilled in the live rock.

Stenopus hispidus

Boxer shrimp

This was my very first non-coral creature, and it is still with me. The first time it molted I nearly freaked thinking it died, but I learned to understand how they grow.

It is quite aggressive, expecially since it believes it owns the tank. But it rarely bother my current livestock - though I do believe it was responsible for the mysterious dissappearance of my clown fish and firefish.

Paguristes cadenati

Scarlet hermit crab

I have lots of hermit crabs - some blue legged, some zebra and still some others I can not identify.

They are very helpful at eating small filamentous pieces of algae and cleaning up small pieces of food that were missed by the fish.

Spirorbidae

Feather duster worm

One of several feather duster worms that came with the live rock.

Turbo

Turbo snail

I have a couple of turbo and other snails in my tank to help out with the normal growth of micro algae.

They never bother anything and are really good at what they do.

Unidentified Anemone

Unidentified Anemone

An unidentified anemone that most people told me are not suitable for my tank. In terms of keeping it alive they were completely wrong. It is thriving and very healthy.

But in terms of co-existing with my sessile inverts - they were right. It stings EVERYTHING in its path - I have not yet found anything that is more aggressive - it stung my porites, mushrooms, tube anemones, clams, acropora etc.

I am very tempted to move it to my 480g tank...

Tridacna crocea

Crocea clam

A beautiful clam - just sad one day my cleaner shrimp decided to irritate it by drilling a hole in its mantle. It is not as beautiful as here, and it is not growing. It has not died either, so I assume my tank conditions just keeps it alive but not thriving.

In my mind that is wrong so I'll never add another Crocea clam unless I change my lighting and remove the cleaner shrimp.

Crinoid

Feather star

Truly a sad specimen... It was doing really well - very active and eating. But one night my Green Brittle Star jumped it and consumed half of its flesh - and this caused it to die.

I tried another one but it is not looking good - so I am not going to try keeping these crinoids again.

Callyspongia

Yellow sponge

A sponge growing naturally on the live rock - as it was introduced with it. It does not like light.

Thor amboinensis

Sexy shrimp

One of two sexy shrimp that lives on my two anemones. They jump ship regularly between the green anemone and my carpet anemone.

I once caught one harassing my christmas tree worm, but apart from that they are rather timid.

Cerianthus lloydii

Purple tube anemone

Beautiful purple tube anemone. It is not photosynthetic and mostly feeds at night. During the day it retracts completely in to the mucus tube it created.

It readily accepts frozen food and cyclopeeze.

Cerianthus lloydii

Orange tube anemone

An orange version of the same anemone above.

Spirobranchus giganteus

Christmas tree worms

My porites rock with christmas tree worms. When I purchased it I was told the rock will die and the worms with it. Well, since I purchased it my rock turned a nice brown colour from being pink, and the worms are all still there and much larger too.

They thrive on the plankton additions I regularly add to the water column. This is one of my most prized specimens.

Neopetrolisthes maculatus

Porcelain crab

A porcelain crab "hanging in there" in my green anemone.

Lysmata amboinensis

Pacific scarlet cleaner shrimp

One of several cleaner shrimp. The regularly clean the fish from minute animals. Sometimes they can become a bit of an irritation by stealing other corals' food and harassing my clams.

Ophionereis reticulata

Spiny black brittle star

The legs of one of my brittle stars. I have several - all hidden during the day under pieces of live rock. At night they sometimes come out and scavenge food and detritus.

Really good specimens for the reef aquarium.

Tridacna maxima

Maxima clam

This clam has grown considerably more than the Crocea. I guess it is because it is larger and require less light.

Mespilia globulus

Blue tuxedo urchin

My Tuxedo urchin decided to steal some zoanthids, lots of bryopsis and some other algae fragments for camoflage since I introduced it.

99% of the time it is on the back glass wall eating away at the coralline algae - which is great since it helps keep the growth in check.

Sabellid

Dwarf feather duster

This feather duster lives on planton and detritus. It adds colour and seems rather easy to keep.

Stichodactyla

Carpet anemone

I tried two other carpet anemones before this one and both died quickly. I was convinced they were bad specimens, and when I saw this one in the LFS's tank it seemed very healthy. Seems like I was correct - as it is still growing strongly.

Once every week I give it a piece of lance fish or mussel which it greedily accepts. This anemone rarely moves from its spot.

Diadema spp.

Long-spined urchin

Protula bispiralis

Coco worm

Ophiocoma echinata

Black Brittle Star 

Enoplometopus spp.

Reef Lobster