Invert only Tank

[Orion]

This is nothing more than a twinkle in my eye at the moment, but I would like some feedback on it and some things for me to think and ponder about.

I've never owned a marine tank. But one of the things I think is so facinating with them is all the 'critters' that one can keep other than fish. This is really what draws me to this side of the hobby.

I would like a tank, presumably medium to large, that has a very wide range of inverts in it. I would like many different species of different types. From my limited knowledge of SW, I would think that this type of setup would require massive amounts of LR, not nessicarily for the filtering capabilities, but more for the numerous nooks and crannies they will need.

I like to aquascape my tanks and have them look nice as well and very functional, so I'm thinking that a 75 gallon would be a good place to start with such a project. Also if I'm going to have all this LR, I would also like to try my hand with some easy going corals (I know less about proper coral keeping than I do Marine fish, and that aint much). I don't know what inverts are reef safe and those that are not. So if I'm going to greatly restricted on the species that I would be able to keep due to any corals, I think I would rather skip the corals and focus only on the inverts.

So my questions now are:
Is this a bad idea from the start?
Any species that I should avoid like the plauge?
Any species that would fit in great?
Any other idea's/words of warning for a system like this?

Like I said, this is only in my mind, with no plans of making it happen any time in the forseable future. Just wanting some feedback or other neat idea's for it.

 

[aresgod]

I also really like inverts, there are many choices, but the problem is that in large tanks(75+) many inverts will disapear, only to re-apear once months later. They are many inverts that often will stay out in the open, but smaller tanks make it easier to keep track of them. I have a herd of 5 cleaners that I really like, and they are out all the time, my pistol shrimp isnt out that often, I have other inverts that I haven't really seen since the day I bought them, and this is all in a 40.

 

[RockingCricket]

A word of warning on Arrow crabs. Although they are interesting and jammed full of personality, but they get very big, very very quickly. Mine has tripled in size (from about 3 inches to 9 inches) in less than 2 months.

 

[OCCFan023]

On any extra words: Id probably put money that if you did do this, once you get it all setup and running, youll be dragged into getting fish (unless your willpower is of the utmost)

 

[Orion]

haha, a tank that's too big, that's just something you don't hear very often.

It's not going to do me any good if they all hide because the tank is too large. So with a good selection of species and numbers, what would be a good tank size then to shoot for?

Thanks for the head's up RockingCricket. I may just skip over the arrow crabs...

We'll see OCC we'll see. Personaly I don't think SW fish can't hold a candle to Tanganyikan cichlids. But mabey that's just me.

 

[aresgod]

I would maybe shoot for a 30 long, small enough that it wouldnt be a pain to keep a large number of different inverts. Also the trick with inverts is that alot of them are stupid and don't move. So you can encourage them to live in certain spots where they are visible, like with a pistol shrimp you can make a burrow out of pvc and put it where you want it, then put him in it after acclimation, usually they wont move. Same goes with other inverts that will live in immoble corals. In a thirty you can keep lots of inverts, one or two fish and have a very easy life. low stocking levels= less water changes = happier.
I like sexy shrimp, pom pom crabs, harlquin shrimp, blood shrimp, cleaners, peppermint shrimp, porcelain crabs...thats a list of stuff I've had that are interesting.

 

[1979camaro]

i would really recomend the pom pom. such a cool little guy when i see him (maybe 4 times a week...but im not near the tank much)

 

[Orion]

Cool thanks guys. I'll have read up on these guys some.

What about the corals? Think I could get by with some of the more forgiving ones with some of these?

As for fish, the only one that really jumps out to me are clown's. Not because of Nemo, but ever since I first learned of symbiotic (sp) relationships I have always wanted to experence this first hand, which would also require an anemone. Something about how they get along so well and the anemone being venemous (can't spell this morning...) is neat to me.

I was also reading about a pistol shrimp and a goby I belive a while back in a magazine. That would be right up my alley with a shrimp.

 

[wayne]

I would start smaller than a smaller than a 75. Anemonaes are not easy to keep.
You should just get stuck in. You're going to change your mind over likes/dislikes anyway

 

[1979camaro]

you won't be terribly restricted if you try to go with corals...if you do go that way you should have no problems with them as long as you plan ahead. by almost all acounts the easiest ones are zoanthids and mushrooms followed by some of the soft leather corals

 

[radamsk1]

Good luck if you do get to starting a SW invert/coral tank A long time ago, I originally got interested because when you go to the fish store you see all these cool fish and then find out they're saltwater. Well eventually once I got started doing some marine tanks, I discovered corals and the host of life you can keep in such a system, often making it a lot more exciting at times than just keeping fish! As for the difficulty of SW, I've found it easier to maintain than my planted discus tank, and I keep them together on the same water change schedule of at least 1x per week for the nano, and less often for the 75 gal SW. You can have a wide range of aquatic life in tank, especially inverts and coral. Fish have less of a range of tolerance of each other in such closed systems, but they're a bit different than freshwater. The main worries are maintaining the water parameters -- pH, alkalinity (hardness/carbonate), S.G., calcium and trace elements, and the regular ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite. You never know how it will be unless you try... but there wouldn't be so many people that have SW tanks if it was bad ;-), which it isn't at all.

 

[Orion]

Too cool guys thanks for all the feed back. This really gives me a good starting place for when i get to the point of setting one up and a lot to think about. After I'm ready I guess my next task will be to find a place that carries marine life.

Now, this is just me thinking here, but how well would a 20 long work? I have the tanks, and I have stands that would fit a 20 long, so it would save me a chunk of money in the begining to be able to use this instead of a new tank and new stand.

 

[wayne]

It's a decent starter size. My 'work tank' is a 20 long.

 

[aresgod]

20's not bad, 30 would be better, make your life easier in the long run, but it is definetly doable with a 20

 

[FroggyFox]

"come to the dark side...." hehe

I would just add to what everyone has said that it would be worth your while to continue doing research and maybe pick up those two books that are suggested in some of the stickies at the top of the forum. The Paletta one helped me kind of visualize some of the stuff that the salties here were telling me Oh, and also looking at other setups, either pictures on reef central or visiting my local stores and seeing their display tanks and asking questions.