Inverts in a 20g question.

[True_Bohemian]

What would suggest on inverts in a 20gallon system? My lighting would be 130 watts Power Compacts until I upgrade my lights to something higher. I plan to have zoos, many diffrent soft corals, some Lps that can be under that lighting and leather if they don't grow so big for the tank. The fish would be 2 firefish and maybe something else bold. My question is same as above, what do you suggest on inverts. Also, is it possible to "prune" a coral if they are getting a bit big for the tank. Thanks in advance.

 

[True_Bohemian]

Also, I forgot to add. Please add any species of inverts I should stay away for a nano and explain I should. I like to learn.

 

[AIMFish]

Yes, "pruning" is possible, "fragging" would be the term that most people use tho It sounds like you have a good plan so far. I can't think of anything overly bad not to add, other than known bad things of course I keep less hermits and snails than most, I see it as another mouth to feed and another vent to........... You know the whole what goes in must come out theory. I'd rather it come out with a siphon.

 

[Henry22]

Some cool inverts are, fire shrimp(never kept), peppermint shrimp( hid alot), skunk cleaner(always out), coral banded shrimp( may eat other shrimp, trys to go after fish, never kept) and those are just the shrimp, but theres a bunch more. Go to www.liveaquaria.com and check out the marine invert section, pick out the ones you like and come back her e and ask about them.

 

[True_Bohemian]

Ok, Well I was looking around on the site that you linked to and was wondering about a Derasa Clam. Not sure about a clam though in a Nano. Would they get to big for the tank and I think it would be a very long time before my tank has matured. With regular patterns in calcium and other things. I'm just really wondering about them. What I have been really looking at was a Tuxedo Urchin or a Pencil Urchin, a skunk cleaner and/or a peppermint shrimp, a porcelain crab, some other crab "reef-safe", a sand-sifting star for cleaning purposes, a fan worm of some sort and a number of snails. Now in the possible future, a linckia? Big step and heard they don't do so well, I thought if I lower the cleaning crew a bit it might have a chance.

Note:Not counting the clean up crew. Which isn't much, blue hermit crabs and snails.

Now, I am making my own rock and everything but want to make it look natural. I think I might add some sea squirts and sponges and other natural things that might come on the live rock. Any advice with anything I have posted?

 

[AIMFish]

Urchins are a pain for knocking things, (rock, corals) over, I'd skip them. The Clam will get to big for a 20 but I've seen others do it, that'd be your call, as long as you can keep it happy. I can't keep linkia's alive, I'd like to know how myself but that's what "search" is for

 

[Henry22]

Skunks are cool, peppermints differ and some are always out and some arent, but I suspected mine of eating some of my zoos, a porcelain crab is really cool, although I dont know whats better between a porcelain anenome crab and a reg porcelain crab. Skip the sand-sifting star, it will clean your sand bed of all the beneficial organisms and will then starve to death. If you want a clean sand bed, get a bunch of nassarius snails. Linkia starfish also get really big, or at least the blue ones do, but I have never kept one.

 

[True_Bohemian]

Okay, so stay away from the: SS Starfish (Sounds like a boat!), and The urchins (but I really kind of want one and I'll think it over). Maybe I can get a diffrent type od star that won't eat any inverts and corals. Thanks everyone and when I think of other possibilities, I'll post them to see if they are right for me.

 

[Henry22]

I would stay away from serpent stars. They eat fish at night when their sleeping and stuff, and yes fish sleep or just stay in one place.