Must have cool inverts...

[vonG]

for a reef tank, I'm looking for suggestions on cool inverts beyond the norm.

suggestions please!

right now I have:
peppermint shrimp
skunk cleaner shrimp
emerald crab
blue leg hermit crabs
a few bigger hermit crabs
turbo snails
bumble bee snail
sand sifter snails
red sea starfish

and fish (for compatibility?)

cherub angel
purple dottyback
scooter blenny
bangai cardinals (3)
yellow watchman goby

[fishtail]

You can always try:

Tiger tail cucumber
Sand sifting conch
Porcelain Crab
Blue Knuckle hermits
feather dusters
coco worms
Sexy shrimps
Pom Pom Crabs

[delslo]

My personal favourites are the haloween hermit and the electric blue hermit.

[az]

you can also try;

anemone crab
blue or yellow coral banded shrimp(stays small)
spiney star astrea snail
red emerald crab

[vonG]

any issues with chocolate chip starfish?


so far the sexy shrimp is the front runner....

[mmaisonneuve]

The Chocolat Starfish is not reef safe......

[vonG]

Thanks Martin.
I <3 the interwebs!

[Greatwhite]

You can always try:

Tiger tail cucumber

^^ That.  Those things looks sooo cool, and do a great job cleaning.  I'd get one, myself - but I don't want to make it compete with my sand sifting star and conches.  Last time I was at Fish Tail, they were unloading a bunch of them.

Get  yourself 2 cleaner shrimp, and 2 blood/fire shrimp.  Those blood guys are beautiful!  (and if you have blue nighttime LED lights, you can pretend they are playing TRON because their white lines light up very nicely)

[Hookup]

Sexy shrimp are pretty cool looking...

Red  or blue linkia Starfish are also nice looking IMO.

Feather starfish are hard to find, but pretty awesome.

[Greatwhite]

Keep in mind that some of the inverts, just like whatever fish you put in, may need the tank to be very well established.  Don't load up a new tank with a flock of starfish - because they'll starve to death.  (also, don't put a flock in... just sayin')    Stars each a film algae that doesn't typically appear in a tank for a little while.

Start with the cheap hermits and snails, then go to shrimp, then crabs... Then wait a little while and go from there.

I don't have any experience with urchins or cucumbers to know when best to introduce them to a tank.

DEFINITELY research any potential purchases for compatibility... Chocolate Chip stars will eat all your coral up, and a fish if it gets the opportunity.  Some fish will eat your snails, shrimp, each other....  I had a yellow tang attack my wife one day, but that's not on a compatibility matrix anywhere.

Most importantly, check compatibility of fish with each other and whether they are "OK" in whatever size of tank you have.

Of course, some inverts are well known for eating corals and other inverts too.  From what I saw in the list(s), the recommendations are all pretty safe together. 

Always check what the critters eat and try to avoid too much competition from your "special" reef inhabitants.  For instance, if (later on) you get a Mandarin Dragonet, don't get any other fish that survive primarily on copepods because the Mandarin may suffer.  (mine eats frozen too, now - so it's not AS important)

[vonG]

excellent!
thanks everyone.

I forgot to mention, the tank is new to me... but had been established for well over a year before I purchased it.

my coral growth is decent and that's just with crap halogen lighting.
LED inbound next week!

d.

macro pic from my tank this week:

[Darth]

it depends on tank size as well, sand sifting stars would need an adequate tank in order to survive long term from what I understand 55 gal min I heard

[Severum]

A sand sifting star was starving in my 120. I'd recommend to stay away from those guys. Same goes for horseshoe crabs.

[Thunda]

A sand sifting star was starving in my 120. I'd recommend to stay away from those guys. Same goes for horseshoe crabs.

LOL   in our 125g we have both a sand sifter and horseshoe crab along with a brittle star and a serpent star. The 3 starfish have been in there for about 5 months now and all seem to be doing well.  The horseshoe crab is a fairly new addition 3 weeks to a month but so far seems healthy and happy (though dumb as a post) 

We've also got 2 sea urchins, a sea cucumber, 2 green emeralds, a red emerald, 3 peppermint shrimp,  2 cleaner shrimp, a sea apple, a sea anemone  crab, various hermits including a couple Halloween hermits, a feather duster and a coco worm.  Also have 5 sea anemones and a tube anemone as well.