List of marine aquarium invertebrate species explained
This is a list of various species of marine invertebrates, animals without a backbone, that are commonly found in aquariums kept by hobby aquarists. Some species are intentionally collected for their desirable aesthetic characteristics. Others are kept to serve a functional role such as consuming algae in the aquarium. Some species are present only incidentally or are pest species.
Common name(s) | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Description | Max size |
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Christmas tree worm[1] | | Spirobranchus giganteus | Yes | Expert | Found living anchored in live coral colonies in nature. Each worm has two crowns, which come in a variety of different colors, and are spiraled in the shape of a Christmas tree. | 5cm (02inches) |
Cluster duster | | Bispira brunnea | Yes | Moderate | This species grows in groups of up to 100 individual tube worms, living together in a single clump. The clusters of tubes adhere to a rocky substrate at a central point.[2] | 2.5cm (01inches) |
Feather duster worm, Fan worm | | Sabellastarte sp. | Yes | Easy to Moderate | A sedentary (but it can scoot around), tube dwelling worm with a fan-shaped crown (radiole) that projects from the end of the tube. This can be white, tan, orange, sometimes with striping. They build their tubes out of sand, mud, and bits of shell. | 20cm (10inches) | |
Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Description | Max size |
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Atlantic horseshoe crab | | Limulus polyphemus | Yes, with caution | Easy | A bottom dwelling animal that is actually not a true crab. Found burrowing in mud or sand flats in the wild, they need a deep sand bed in their aquarium. | 60cm (20inches) |
Sea spider[3] | | Pycnogonids | No | | Not collected for the aquarium trade, but occasionally seen on live rock and corals as a hitchhiker. They can be pests in a reef tank, preying on soft coral, sponges and anemones. | NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) | |
Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Notes | Max size |
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Anemone crab | | Neopetrolisthes maculatus | Yes | Easy | It lives in anemones. Also a filter feeder | |
Arrow crab | | Stenorhynchus seticornis | with caution | | | |
Hermit crabs | | Paguroidea sp. | Will eat snails | Easy | | |
Emerald crab | | Mithraculus sculptus | With caution? | Easy | May eat fish | |
Pom-pom crab | | Lybia tessellata | With caution? | Easy? | | |
Sally lightfoot crab | | Percnon gibbesi | With caution? | Easy? | | |
Spider decorator crab | | Camposcia retusa | With caution? | Easy? | Will get some polyps to use for cover. | |
Spiny lobster | | Panulirus versicolor | | | | |
Brine shrimp | | Artemia salina | Yes | Easy | Kept not as livestock, but rather to feed inverts and fish. | |
Sexy shrimp | | Thor amboinensis | Yes | Easy | | |
Snapping shrimp | | Alpheidae sp. | With caution? | | Will make loud snapping sounds. | |
Peacock mantis shrimp | | Odontodactylus scyllarus | with caution | Easy | Will eat shelled things and possibly fish. Some people say they will redecorate their tank including moving corals but people have successfully kept them in reef tanks. Not a true shrimp but a stomatapod with the smashing raptorial appendage | |
Coral banded shrimp | | Stenopus hispidus | Yes | Easy | Will eat small fish, in the wild they set up cleaning stations | |
Camel shrimp | | Rhynchocinetes durbanensis | Yes | Easy? | Will nip on soft corals. | |
Harlequin shrimp | | Hymenocera sp. | Will eat starfish | Moderate? | Will only eat starfish. | |
Peppermint shrimp | | Lysmata wurdemanni complex | Yes | Easy | some people think they eat coral but only eat dying coral giving the appearance of eating healthy corals | |
Skunk cleaner shrimp | | Lysmata amboinensis | Yes | Easy | Will clean dead tissue and remove parasites from fish. | | |
Corallimorphs
Hydrocorals
Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Temperament | Care Level | Description | Max size |
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Lace coral[5] | | Distichopora sp. | | | | |
Fire coral | | Millepora sp. | | | | | |
Large-polyp stony
Small-polyp stony
Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Temperament | Care level | Description | Max size |
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Pink bird's nest coral[11] | | Seriatopora hystrix | | | | |
Cauliflower coral | | Pocillopora sp., usually Pocillopora damicornis | | | | |
Dimpled encrusting Montipora | | Montipora verrucosa | | | | |
Finger coral[12] | | Montipora digitata and Montipora samarensis | | | | |
Millepora coral, "Milli" coral | | Acropora millepora | Peaceful | Moderate | A popular and readily available species that comes in many color forms. It should not be confused with fire corals of the genus Millepora. | |
Plating montipora | | Montipora capricornis | Peaceful | Moderate | | |
Staghorn coral[13] | | Acropora cervicornis | Peaceful | Difficult | A very rare species, it is generally not available to the average hobby aquarist due to its critically endangered status. It would make a good aquarium specimen, but can only be obtained with a special license. | | |
Soft corals
Common name(s) | Image | Taxonomy | Temperament | Care Level | Description | Max size |
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Cabbage leather coral | | Sinularia brassica and Sinularia dura | Semi-aggressive | Easy | | |
Clove polyps, Daisy polyps[14] | | Clavularia sp | Peaceful | Easy | | |
Devil's hand leather coral | | Lobophytum sp. | Peaceful to Semi-aggressive | Easy | | |
Finger leather coral | | Sinularia sp. | Semi-aggressive | Easy | | |
Jasmine polyps, Daisy polyps | | Knopia | Peaceful | Easy | | |
Pulse coral, Pulsing Xenia | | Xenia sp. | Peaceful | Easy | An easy to care for coral known for its prolific asexual reproduction and polyps that actively move their tentacles in a pulsing motion. | |
Red chili coral | | Nephthyigorgia | Peaceful | Expert | | |
Spaghetti leather coral | | Sinularia flexibilis | Semi-aggressive | Easy | | |
Star polyps | | Clavularia viridis, Pachiclavularia viridis, or Briareum violaceum (taxonomy uncertain) | Peaceful | Easy | | | |
Common name(s) | Image | Taxonomy | Temperament | Care Level | Description | Max size |
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Stick polyps, Tree polyps | | Acrozoanthus | | | | |
Button polyps, Zoanthids, "Zoas" | | Zoanthus | Semi-aggressive | Easy | Common, but pretty, coral that is a mainstay of the reef hobby. Their diversity of color is almost infinite, ranging from pale to full-on rainbow. | |
Button polyps, Palythoa, "Palys" | | Palythoa | Semi-aggressive | Easy | Palythoa are nearly as ubiquitous as Zoanthus in the reef hobby. Their colors are usually more muted, but still attractive. | |
Button polyps, Protopalythoa | | Protopalythoa | Semi-aggressive | Easy | Similar to Palythoa, these may actually be in the same genus due to taxonomic uncertainty. | | |
Echinoderms
Sea cucumbers
Starfish
Urchins
Jellyfish
Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Description | Max size (bell diameter) |
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Blue Blubber Jellyfish | | Catostylus mosaicus | No | Expert | This jellyfish actually ranges in color from white to dark purple to reddish brown. It has a dome-shaped bell which pulses at a quick, steady pace, making these jellyfish strong, active swimmers. | 25cm (10inches) |
Moon jellyfish | | Aurelia aurita | No | Moderate to Difficult | A whitish to clear jellyfish with a large dinner-plate shaped bell. They have a fringe of short tentacles around the edge of the bell, and four longer oral arms extending from around the mouth. | 50cm (20inches) |
Sea Nettles | | Chrysaora sp. | No | Expert | Range in color from white to striped orange and brown to purplish. Long tentacles trail behind the bell, sometimes for several meters. | 30cm (10inches) |
Upside Down jellyfish | | Cassiopea sp. | No | Expert | This jellyfish has a somewhat green or grayish blue coloration due to symbiotic algae living in its tissues. It resides on the bottom, exposing its tentacles (and the algae inside them) to the light. very similar to coral in behavior | 30cm (10inches) | |
Bivalves
Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Description | Max size |
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Atlantic Thorny oyster | | Spondylus americanus | | | | 10cm (00inches) |
Bear paw clam | | Hippopus hippopus | | | | < | --NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches)--> |
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Blue clam, Boring clam | | Tridacna crocea | Yes | | | 15cm (06inches) |
China clam | | Hippopus porcellanus | | | | < | --NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches)--> |
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Electric flame scallop | | Ctenoides ales | Yes | | | < | --NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches)--> |
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Flame scallop | | Ctenoides scaber | Yes | | | 3inches |
Fluted giant clam | | Tridacna squamosa | Yes | Moderate? | | 40cm (20inches) |
Flying scallop | | Promantellum vigens | | | | < | --NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches)--> |
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Gigas aka "Giant" clam | | Tridacna gigas | Yes | | | 120cm (50inches) |
Maxima clam | | Tridacna maxima | Yes | Moderate | | 20cm (10inches) |
| | Tridacna derasa | Yes | | | 60cm (20inches) |
Thorny oyster | | Spondylus sp. | | | | < | --NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches)--> | |
---|
Gastropods
Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Description | Max size |
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Abalone | | Haliotis sp. | Yes | Easy | | 12cm (05inches) |
Arabian Cowrie | | Cypraea arabica | | | | 10cm (00inches) |
Astraea snail | | Astraea sp. | Yes | Easy | | NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) |
Bumble bee snail[15] | | Engina mendicaria | Yes | Easy | | 1.5cm (00.6inches) |
Cerith snail | | Cerithium sp. | Yes | Easy | | 3.5cm (01.4inches) |
Gold ring cowrie | | Cypraea annulus | | | | 5cm (02inches) |
Lettuce sea slug | | Elysia sp., usually Elysia crispata | Yes | Moderate | A sacoglossan sea slug with folded parapodia (side appendages), that give it a lettuce-like appearance. They feed on algae, and incorporate algal chloroplasts into their cells. Color ranges from brownish to green, and can include blues, yellows, and pinks. | 5cm (02inches) |
Nassarius snail | | Nassarius sp. | Yes | Easy | | 2.5cm (01inches) |
Queen conch | | Eustrombus gigas | Yes, but may knock over loose rocks and coral. | | | 30cm (10inches) |
Sand conch | | Strombidae | | | | |
Sea Hare | | Aplysiomorpha sp., usually Aplysia sp. or Dolabella sp. | Yes | Expert | | NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) |
Tiger cowrie, | | Cypraea tigris | | | | 15cm (06inches) |
Turbo snail | | Turbo sp. | Yes | Easy | | NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) | |
Cephalopods
Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Description | Max size |
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Common tropical octopus | | Octopus vulgaris | No | Expert | | Mantle: 25cm (10inches) Arms: 1m (03feet) |
Dwarf cuttlefish | | Sepia bandensis | No | Expert | | Mantle: 45cm (18inches) |
European common cuttlefish | | Sepia officinalis | No | Expert | | Mantle: 10cm (00inches) | |
Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Description | Max size |
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Aptasia | | Aiptasia sp. | No | | A common pest species in marine aquariums which spreads rapidly and harms corals and invertebrates with their sting. Can sting fish, but fatalities are rare. Notoriously difficult to eradicate, but a number of organisms can be used for control, including peppermint shrimp and Berghia verrucicornis. | |
Bubble-tip anemone | | Entacmaea quadricolor | With caution | Moderate | A relatively easy to keep anemone species, it is very colorful, and has distinctive bubble-like swellings on the tips of its tentacles. | 30cm (10inches) |
Condy anemone[16] | | Condylactis gigantea | With caution | Moderate | Common anemone species in the aquarium trade. The base color is usually brown to white, often with color on tentacle tips. Many color variations exist, including magenta, purple, yellow, and green. | 15cm (06inches) |
Delicate sea anemone[17] | | Heteractis malu | With caution | Difficult | Also known as the malu anemone or white sand anemone. Color tipped tentacles reach 4 cm in length. This anemone should not be placed on a rock, it prefers a sandy substrate to bury its base in. | 20cm (10inches) |
Long tentacled anemone | | Macrodactyla doreensis | With caution | Moderate | | 50cm (20inches) |
Magnificent anemone | | Heteractis magnifica | With caution | Expert | One of the most difficult anemone species to keep healthy in captivity. | 1m (03feet) |
Rock flower anemone | | Phymanthus crucifer | With caution | Moderate | | |
Tube anemone | | Cerianthus sp. | Yes | Moderate | Not a true anemone (actinarian), but a member of the order Ceriantharia. Can make a very colorful aquarium specimen, colored with pinks, purples and sometimes shades of fluorescent green. | | |
Common name | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Description | Max size |
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Ball sponge | | Cinachyra allocladia | Yes | Expert | | |
Branching vase sponge | | Callyspongia vaginalis | Yes | Expert | | |
Bee sponge | | Acanthella sp. | Yes | Expert | | |
Orange ball sponge | | Cinachyra kuekenthali | Yes | Expert | | |
Orange fan sponge | | Axinella bookhouti | Yes | Expert | | |
Red ball sponge | | Dragmacidon lunaecharta | Yes | Expert | | |
Red tree sponge | | Amphimedon compressa | Yes | Expert | | |
| | Sycon | Yes | | Commonly regarded as a pest species | | |
Tunicates
Common name(s) | Image | Taxonomy | Reef safe | Care Level | Description | Max size |
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Blue lollipop tunicate[18] | | Nephtheis fascicularis | Yes | Expert | | 7.5cm (03inches) |
Golden sea squirt, Ink-spot sea squirt[19] | | Polycarpa aurata | Yes | Moderate | | 15cm (06inches) | |
See also
References
- Alderton, David (2005). Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish (Second ed.). DK Publishing, Inc. pp. 286–297. .
- Lougher, Tristan (2008) [First Published 2007]. What Invertebrates?: A Buyer's Guide for Marine Aquariums. What Pet? Books Series. Barron's Educational Series, Inc. . LCCN 2006933016.
Notes and References
- Web site: Sprung. Julian. Aquarium Invertebrates: Featherdusters In The Aquarium. Advanced Aquarist. Pomacanthus Publications, LLC. 14 December 2014. 14 August 2002.
- Web site: Cluster Duster (Bispira brunnea). AquariumDomain.com. 14 December 2014.
- Web site: Goemans. Bob. Marine Spiders (Sea Spiders). saltcorner.com. 26 November 2014.
- Web site: Sprung. Julian. Aquarium Invertebrates: Mushrooms, Elephants Ears, And False Corals: A Review Of The Corallimorpharia. Advanced Aquarist. Pomacanthus Publications, LLC. 4 December 2014. 14 October 2002.
- Web site: Borneman. Eric. Venomous Corals: The Fire Corals. Reefkeeping Magazine. Reef Central, LLC. 13 December 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141103163834/http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/eb/. 3 November 2014.
- Web site: de Vries. Joost. Tubastraea micrantha, the Black Sun, is the most majestic Azoox coral. Reef Builders. 10 October 2012. Reef Builders, Inc.. 10 December 2014.
- Web site: Elegance Coral. FishChannel.com. I-5 Publishing, LLC.. 13 December 2014.
- Web site: Fatherree. James W.. Aquarium Corals: Corals of the Genus Euphyllia. Advanced Aquarist. Pomacanthus Publications, LLC. 4 December 2014. 3 October 2012.
- Web site: Fatherree. James W.. Aquarium Corals: A Look at the Sun Corals. Advanced Aquarist. Pomacanthus Publications, LLC. 4 December 2014. 14 December 2011 .
- Web site: Hanley. Charles J.. Why Duncan, Your Whiskers are Tickling my Corallite!. QualityMarine.com. Quality Marine. 13 December 2014.
- Web site: Thein. Than. The Perfect Beginner SPS Coral: Seriatopora (Bird's nest). Saltwater Smarts. 13 December 2014.
- Montipora digitata: A Stony Coral for All Hobbyists. Advanced Aquarist. Dana Riddle. VII. January 2008.
- Web site: Staghorn Coral. Animal-World.com. Animal-World. 13 December 2014.
- Web site: Fatherree. James W.. The Stoloniferans: Clove Polyps, Star Polyps, and Pipe Organ Corals. Saltcorner. 4 December 2014.
- Web site: Bumblebee Snail. Microcosm Aquarium Explorer. Microcosm, Ltd.. 23 November 2014.
- Web site: Condy Anemone - Condylactis gigantea. Fishlore.com. Fish Lore.com. 27 November 2014.
- Web site: Delicate Sea Anemone. Animal-World.com. Animal-World. 28 November 2014.
- Web site: Fatherree. James W.. An Introduction to Tunicates. Reefs.com. Reefs Magazine. 14 December 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141214222130/http://www.reefs.com/magazine/145124-introduction-tunicates.html. 14 December 2014. dead.
- Web site: Fatherree. James W.. An Introduction to Tunicates. Reefs.com. Reefs Magazine. 14 December 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141214222130/http://www.reefs.com/magazine/145124-introduction-tunicates.html. 14 December 2014. dead.