Crabs can be fun, interesting, and helpful additions to a saltwater aquarium. There is a large variety of saltwater tank crabs that are available for hobbyists to buy. From the Emerald Crab to the Horseshoe Crab to hermit crabs, they come in many different shapes and sizes and with that many different uses as well. …
Invertebrates
Invertebrates are animals that lack (as you might guess) vertebrae–backbones. This is not a very meaningful distinction from a zoologist’s perspective, as it pretty much includes all animals except for one phyllum, Chordata, if not a single subphyllum, Vertebrata. Still, it is a somewhat useful distinction for aquarists, who tend to best understand the needs of fish (i.e. fellow vertebrates). Fish are very widely available and generally are relatively easy to maintain in captivity. They are active and reasonably (sometimes surprisingly) intelligent. We can even (at least to some extent) train them. Invertebrates, on the other hand, might seem a comparatively alien. Often, they don’t eat in the same manner that we do. They may require very special foods or lighting. They might be extremely fussy about certain water parameters (iodine, calcium, etc.). For sure, they might be a little intimidating for beginner aquarists. Worst of all, because they are such a diverse group (everything from sponges to octopuses to mantis shrimp!), they oftentimes require a lot of research and planning to keep successfully in captivity. All that being said, it is the sheer variety of marine inverts as a group that makes them so fun and rewarding to keep in aquaria. For sure, nothing can be more amusing for an aquarist to show their well-stocked reef tank to a non-aquarist friend/family member and get questions like, “Is that real?” or, ”Is that alive?” In this section, you will learn about the natural history of diverse invertebrate marine life and how to successfully keep each type in captivity.
Saltwater Tank Cleaners
Utilizing saltwater creatures is one of the best ways to keep aquariums clean. Not only are you adding more interesting organisms, but you are also increasing biodiversity. This allows for an overall more stable reef. There are quite a few of these saltwater tank cleaners that will prove to be a great helping hand to …
Starfish in Saltwater Aquariums
When it comes to marine aquariums, and reef tank setups in particular, the number of fish you can realistically keep in the system is limited. But, the variety and number of invertebrates you can keep are almost endless. Almost. Even tanks as small as five gallons can house a few Sexy Shrimp and micro brittle …
Breeding Peppermint Shrimp
Peppermint shrimp, or Candy Cane shrimp, are one of the most popular ornamental shrimp within the aquarium trade. In fact, they are so popular that they are intensely harvested, more so than most other invertebrate species. With them being so popular, and their ease of breeding, we really should be working together as hobbyists to …
What snails do you really need?
Remember those early saltwater keeping days, when you didn’t know much about your clean up crew other than that they can help keep your tank looking better and reduce algae scraping on your part? Typically, beginners simply go to their fish store, ask for “some cleaners, maybe some hermits and snails please” without really knowing …
Derasa Clam Care
The Derasa Clam (Tridacna derasa) is the second-largest clam of the Tridacna clams. It is also one of the easier clams to care for. This clam can grow to about 20 inches in captivity. They typically have a brown gold coloration with white stripes or spots. It may also have bright blue along the outline …
Keeping Clams in the Reef Tank
I remember getting about six months to a year into this hobby, thinking I knew everything about proper water parameters, lighting, dosing, and keeping a reef tank in general. Or, at least enough to keep most coral alive. I had zoanthid, leather, and ricordea colonies thriving and my rose Bubble Tips had never looked better, …
Tunicates in the Marine Aquarium
Aquarium hobbyists, and reef aquarists in particular, are anything but conformists. If truth be told, they love to stand out from the crowd. There are all sorts of ways to break from the pack–experimenting with novel equipment or methodologies, building a supremely aesthetic aquascape, and so on. But the one sure way to garner attention …
All About Saltwater Snails
They are found in freshwater, saltwater, and on land; they are called snails! Hobbyists have found saltwater snails to be one of the best critters for reef aquarium algae control. There is a saltwater snail for almost every kind of algae. For this reason, It is not surprising that they are one of the most …
A More In Depth Look At Captive Bred Livestock
Once upon a time, all of our saltwater fish, invertebrates, and corals were wild caught, there was no captive bred livestock anywhere. Hobbyists were still using compact fluorescent bulbs and tap water in their reef tanks, under gravel filters were still cutting edge technology, and most people had their fish for six to twenty four …
A Beginners Guide to Mysis Shrimp
Just like any other pet or animal you care for, it is important to be sure that the inhabitants of your saltwater aquarium are getting the best possible food so that they can live longer and healthier. The best way to do this is by feeding them live natural food, such as mysis or mysid …
Peppermint Shrimp: The Aiptasia Destroyers
Peppermint Shrimp The Aiptasia Destroyers This time was going to be different, you said. You had just set up a new aquarium system, and were going to take full advantage of every opportunity to do everything just right. Not only were you determined to include everything in the system that should be there, but you …
Pincushion Urchins (Lytechinus variegatus): The Algae Destroyers
No matter who you are, how skilled you are as an aquarist, how diligent you are at cleaning your tank, how little you feed or how advanced your filter system is, one thing is all but certain: unwanted forms of algae will appear in your reef tank from time to time. Nuisance algae can be …
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Is There Really a Difference Between Wild-Caught and Aquacultured Marine Aquarium Livestock?
Is There Really a Difference Between Wild-Caught and Aquacultured Marine Aquarium Livestock? These days, when it comes to aquarium livestock, marine aquarists are inundated with choice. Of course, a good deal of thought typically goes into the kinds of animals we will keep. Choice of animal species is certainly important; this not only determines the …
A Look at the Harlequin Shrimp
It is probably safe to say that the majority of aquarists (especially marine aquarists) are initially awestruck by the visual impact that a well-maintained aquarium can create. While they are certainly attracted to the bright colors that so many reef animals bear, they may also find themselves fascinated by the unusual behaviors that these creatures …
Utilizing the Trochus Snail (Trochus spp.)
Algae, of course, is not an inherently bad thing; without it, the natural world could not exist as we know it. However, there are many types of algae that readily grow in plague proportions under certain environmental conditions. Imbalances of nutrient levels (whether in nature or in the home aquarium) can quickly result in blooms …
An Overview of the Atlantic Sea Nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha)
It is a bit of a fortune to jellyfish enthusiasts that one of the most attractive aquarium species, the Atlantic sea nettle, is also among the easiest to take care of. The availability of captive bred specimens, as well as high-quality live and prepared jellyfish foods, will almost surely lead to an increased presence of …
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A Look at the Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia Aurita)
It was not so long ago that one could see jellyfish only at the public aquarium or in the ocean. There were few or no sources of healthy animals for those aquarium hobbyists that were interested in keeping them. Even more difficult to obtain were the specialized “kreisel” aquarium systems needed to successfully house most …
Aquarium Cleaning Machines: Cerith Snails in the Reef Tank
An aquarium substrate surface can be a dirty place. Detritus, feces, uneaten fish food, film algae and other unwanted materials might pile up there. Fortunately, there are many “clean-up crew” creatures that can be used to remove various types of nuisance algae and/or settled organic wastes. There are only a few cleaners, however, that will …
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An Overview of the Sand-Sifting Conchs
Just as the floor is usually the dirtiest spot in the house, so is the substrate in most marine aquaria. As many aquarists who have dug their hand into a deep, mature sand bed can attest, an aquarium substrate can trap and store an enormous amount of particulate organic matter (POM). Not only is this …