inverts for planted tanks

[lulaface]

I'm in the process of changing my tank over from a reef to mostly macros. I have a wide variety of inverts, but I'm scared some of them will cause too much damage to my plants as I add them. I've already booted my pencil urchin out. He lives happily in the refugium now where he can eat all the grape caulerpa he wants.

What critters have you guys had good (or bad) experiences with? Are there any that will still clean up nuisance algae while ignoring the pretty stuff? Probably not that lucky, huh?

 

[yrema]

hmm cowries and other small columbellid snails don't seem to eat macros.

 

[graveyardworm]

Columbellids, Astraea, Cerith, Stomatella are all good snail choices. Astraea and Stomatella being my personal favorites, they can be found easily as captive bred, will breed in your tank, and place no pressure on wild populations. For the sand bed if there is to be one you could use fighting conch, and sea cucumber. Avoid crabs of any kind and shrimp.

 

[Samala]

I've had great luck with common shore shrimp.. Palaemonetes vulgaris and similar species over the last four years. Like David, I also love Stomatella and Astraea, and use Ceriths in quite a few of the tanks too.

I've had blue leg hermits that behaved like perfect gentlemen but red legs that decided to trash the tank. The current invert situation doesnt have any hermits in fact.

There is one other snail that I love and have in all my tanks, chestnut turbans. I like them because they're local to the area and correct for the biotopes I run and they've bred once or twice in the tank. (Those the little baby snails dont want to live much past the first three months of life.. still cant figure that one out.)

>Sarah

 

[3D-Reef]

I Think this could be a Great thread!!
All of the different inverts that live in seagrass meadows/planted tank,(sponges,corals,gorgonians,snails,fish,etc..) is quite long,and would be intresting to have some sort of list that is included with what biotope it's from(the different kinds grass beds).Of course not all inverts would be suitable for the home tank,but some kind of reffernce for setting up a specific tank would be cool.

Along with what Sarah and David have said,I have a couple of queen conchs and an abalone,all of which have been model citizens.

 

[graveyardworm]

Just for a little clarity on my post. I suggested leaving out crabs and shrimp from a functional DSB point of view. Many shrimp and crabs tend to dessimate sand bed infauna populations, and also sand sifting seastars. If your intention is to have a seagrass tank with a non functioning sand bed then the list of acceptable inverts could be quite lengthy.

 

[lulaface]

I'm actually not planning on doing seagrasses. Just macro algaes like halimeda, caulerpas, red "kelp", etc. My sand bed varies in depth due to my pistol shrimp's digging, but is 2-5 inches of mud and fine aragonite.

So far I have only noticed my emerald crabs and large turbo snail bothering the macros. I also have nassarius, astrea, and cerith snails that seem to only focus on film algae and detritis. I caught my smalled crab sitting in the middle of my red feathery plant (can't remember the name) eating it like popcorn. She got booted to the fuge. I'm keeping an eye on the other three. So far they are still just picking at the rock like usual. The large turbo, Mr. Big Stuff, is not being very nice. I had a sprig of sargassum (?) on some rock and he mowed it down. I guess the bigger snail, the bigger the appetite.

So, conchs have been good for people? Which type? And what sort of cowries have ya'll had experience with?

 

[yrema]

ring cowries specifically, as they don't get big. (unlike tiger cowries, very obtrusive.)

 

[graveyardworm]

The Florida fighting conch remains small and would be appropriate for an aquarium. The Queen conch gets far too large for the average aquarium, and usually dies a premature death from starvation.