
Caring for an invertebrate tank is similar in many ways to looking after a saltwater fish tank but keep in mind that invertebrates are not as hardy as most fish. You should be skilled at keeping marine fish before embarking on the more demanding task of keeping invertebrates healthy. in addition a specialised diet is required for most invertebrates so you need to check the requirements of any that you are thinking of purchasing to make sure you can provide this on a regular basis. It is also important that any fish you add to an invertebrate tank are compatible. Invertebrates are also very sensitive to some medications, in particular copper, which is a popular ingredient of remedies for Oodinium and whitespot. It is essential therefore to only use fish that have natural immunity to these diseases, keep the water conditions optimum so as to keep them as healthy as possible and use a steriliser to prevent any organisms from developing in the tank.
photo credit: sflovestory
Invertebrate Tank Setup
We recommend at least a 55 gallon tank, preferably long and shallow to allow adequate light penetration. HAlide lighting is a good choice for a marine setup and encourages the growth of micro-algae called zooxanthellae which can help to provide food for your invertebrates. This micro-organism uses the energy in light to produce carbohydrates and alanine from carbon dioxide which are then used by the invertebrates. The invertebrates produce ammonia and phosphates which are used by the algae. A sophisticated symbiosis which we need to encourage in our invertebrate tanks!
Invertebrates can be divided into two types, tropical and cold water and you should take care before buying any that they are compatible with each other.
Tropical Invertebrates
Tropical invertebrates include cleaner shrimp, sea apple, red hermit crabs and tubeworms. These species are all compatible with each other and have similar requirements. They prefer a temperature of between 75F and 79F a salinity of between 1.010 and 1.024 and a pH between 8.2 and 8.4 (slightly alkaline). These numbers are very precise and you will need to do frequent checks to make sure that they are kept within these levels.
Cold Water Invertebrates
In general you won’t find cold water invertebrates in the pet shop but are usually collected from the wild. Some species that can be successfully housed in your invertebrate tank include prawns, shrimps, sea anemone and starfish. Before setting out to do this you must make sure that you are not collecting any endangered species and that you have the means to feed them adequately. A separate tank to keep a food supply of mussels, scallops and shrimps is a good idea rather than to use frozen food and you can also feed them pieces of raw fish. Shrimps are eaten by all of the invertebrates above including the shrimps so be careful when mixing these species. A live, healthy shrimp will be unlikely to be eaten by the other inmates however.food should be added in tiny amounts and less frequently than you feed fish. Try to only add as much as can be consumed in less than a minute.
Live Rocks
Live rocks should always be included in an invertebrate tank as they provide food in the form of parasites that live on the rocks. Shrimps and crabs also need a substrate such as live sand or crushed coral on the tank bottom for digging and hiding.
Conclusion
Caring for invertebrates can be demanding but is a very rewarding hobby and your tank will undoubtedly attract a great deal of attention from guests and children who especially love to see these unusual creatures.

