Mr. Seahorse
Supporting Member
I'm looking for cool animals for my 20 gallon invert-only tank.
Any Ideas or thoughts???
Any Ideas or thoughts???
What are some very cool marine aquarium animals?
- Thread starter Mr. Seahorse
- Start date
Neogonodactylus wennerae - mantis shrimp
If you go that route, you will be very limited on added much else. But they're awesome with cool behaviors and personalities.
Sally Lightfoot crabs
Urchin
Cleaner shrimp are always cool
If you go that route, you will be very limited on added much else. But they're awesome with cool behaviors and personalities.
Sally Lightfoot crabs
Urchin
Cleaner shrimp are always cool
Alexander1312
Supporting Member
Did we not have the exact question very recently?
Mr. Seahorse
Supporting Member
Thanks for all the replies! Definitely going to get a porcelain crab an anemone and a Sally Lightfoot crab for my 20 gallon, and sexy shrimp for my 5.5 gallon! Do Yellow Sea cucumber need special care? I want someday to also get fire shrimp!
H2OPlayar
Supporting Member
Searching the forums is harder than a simple google, and some new people will reply that didn't see the old one.
No experience myself, but live aquaria often isn't a bad place to start with their take. Good choices. One thing to be wary of with cucumbers is they can nuke your tank if they die.
tribbitt
Supporting Member
If you get the yellow cucumbers, take care to feed them particulate food or phyto sometimes. Since it's a 20 gallon
I think cucumbers might prefer a larger size of tank, I didn't see 20 gallon when I first replied
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
My wife recently acquired a yellow cucumber and it split into two. I was assuming that it was dying. But that was not the case. Waiting for them to extend their fans. Thankfully I always have a fresh supply of phyto. When I first started my IM50 journal, a very cool creature was found in my live rock from @MarcosD and there is still a cucumber inside the rock structure that loves eating phyto and powdered coral foods. Or phyto mixed with Oyster Feast from Reef Nutrition. I agree they are cool creatures.
Never head of them but looks really cool. I would love one.
Aquatic Collection had some recently (not sure if they still have them), I saw them there the day of coral fragging workshop. 01/19/2025
Mr. Seahorse
Supporting Member
Same, I've always wanted a flame scallop!
They used to be one of those impossible to keep animals (and still kinda are along with tunicates, horseshoe crabs, many sea star species, lettuce nudibranchs, coco worms, sea apples, colder water inverts, etc.). However @Srt4eric has managed to keep one alive somehow. I told him it was from all the plumbing "residue" on his arms from work
But don't get one unless you enjoy watching things die however. Stick to hardy, well-documented species that people have kept successfully and don't encourage stores to keep buying things that die easily by spending your money on them.
Mr. Seahorse
Supporting Member
You can keep Lettuce Nudibranchs relatively easy now.
In a small biotope with no exposed power heads, low flow, without wrasses, and with a huge supply of bryopsis maybe. But the average hobbyist you have to remember has a tank with "nemo", some dead dry rock, and whatever all in one tank they were told to get online.