Where to get mini brittle stars and...

[ERB82]

...other beneficial little critters for my tank? It seems like a lot of people get these guys and other beneficial creatures as hitch hikers when they buy other stuff. We don't have anything like that in our tank. The only hitch hikers I've spoted are some small bristle worms astrinera (i know i spelt that wrong P ) stars that seem to eat coraline algea. Right now we don't have a 'fuge setup but it would seem like a good idea to get more of those little critters that eat detritus and what not off your live rock and sand bed.

So how do we get that kind of stuff in our tank? Get a cup of established live sand? Add in some cheato full of pods and mini bristles behind the rock work?

Oh and my roomie and I don't have much money but we do have frags of some sort of pink branching leather thing(doesn't look like colt or kenya trees I see a lot) and some radioactive dragon eyes to trade if anyone wants to help us out in some way. I guess most of you veterans aren't looking for anything like that though haha

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can offer!!!

 

[650-IS350]

http://www.ipsf.com/

 

[Sparkss]

SALTWATERSIG had some chaeto avail a short while back.. it is probably loaded with the critters that you are looking for. Just a few is all you really need, so long as they are kept safe from predators (IE: in a fuge). They will multiple soon enough

 

[ERB82]

Thanks for the link and the heads up on the Cheato source. I'll have to search for his post.

So another question is, should I bother adding to my display or should I wait till I can make or buy some sort of HOB refugium?

Or should I try and biodiversify the display in the meantime?

 

[Sparkss]

you are better off in a fuge of some sort. If you add them to your display you run the risk of your fish wiping out the critters, although that would not really apply to the mini stars, just the other typical fuge critters

 

[shilo_1]

Look at your LFS for a bottle of "Tiggerpods" - basically bottled live pods that you can add to your tank to seed it or feed fish that eat them, etc. A bottle full of them is usually under $20. You can also order online from Reed mariculture.