Saltwater Invertebrates

Invertebrates

Invertebrates are loosely described as any animal without a spinal column. There is an interesting variety of marine invertebrates suitable for the home aquarium. They vary widely in difficulty to care for ranging from fairly easy to quite difficult. We'll cover some of the more common inverts here, including most that are usually available at your local pet shop.

Note: most invertebrates are sensitive to even moderate levels of nitrates so it is important to monitor your water quality and perform regular water changes to keep nitrate levels low.

Sea Snails (Difficulty - Easy)

Sea snails are one of the most easily cared for invertebrates and can be a valuable addition to any saltwater aquarium. Snails are herbivorous and will help keep your tank clean by grazing on algae, but will should be offered dried seaweed (kelp) to supplement their diet.

Sea Slugs (Difficulty - Easy)

Sea slugs can also be an excellent and interesting addition to the home aquarium. They are a little more delicate than Sea Snails and can be very sensitive to water quality, particularly high nitrates. The various species of Sea Slugs offer a wide variety of colors and often brilliant markings. They too are herbivorous and need a dietary supplement of dried kelp.

Shrimp (Difficulty - Fairly Easy to Moderately Difficult depending on species)

Shrimp are one of the more popular inverts for the home aquarium. They are interesting and beautiful, and give the added benefit of helping keep your tank clean by actively picking through any extra food that has settled to the bottom of the tank. Most shrimp are omnivorous and will feed on most any food introduced into the aquarium including brine shrimp, mussels, and even most flake or dried foods.

Sea Stars (Difficulty - Fairly Easy to Difficult depending on species)

Most sea stars have five arms radiating from a central body disk to form the shape of a star. There are many varieties suitable for the saltwater aquarium and range greatly in color and body patterns. Some, like the popular chocolate chip star are are slow moving and docile. Others, like the bristle star and serpent star, are surprisingly active and quick moving. Most stars can be offered a diet of small pieces of fish or shrimp placed near them or even under their body. Whole clams or mussels, stored in your freezer and thawed before feeding, also make an excellent food source for most sea stars.

Anemones (Difficulty - Medium to Very Difficult depending on species)

While usually more suited for a reef aquarium, some anemones can also be kept in "fish only" aquariums and can make an interesting and beautiful addition. Some clown fishes will even pair up with certain species of anemone and spend most of their time swimming through the soft tentacles. Most anemones have stinging tentacles and can inflict damage on your fish, other anemones and even live corals. Make sure you do your homework on the particular species you are interested in before introducing it into your aquarium. Almost all anemones require strong lighting, above average water quality and good water current so they can feed properly. Most can also be feed small pieces of fish or shrimp and other meaty aquarium foods.

When you're done here, check out some of these other aquarium sites:
Katy's Tropical Fish
Angelfish Revealed
SaltWater Aquarium Advice
Tropical Fish Secrets
Aquatic Experts
Starting A Reef Tank