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New to reefkeeping? Here are some easy inverts.
Choosing
your
Inverts
■
Name:
Cleaner shrimp,
Lysmata amboinensis
Origin:
Pacific
Size:
7.5 cm/3”
Minimum tank size:
60 l/13
gal
Comments:
Cleaner shrimp
are colourful and easy to
care for. In the wild they
clean passing fish, but in the
aquarium they will accept
frozen foods instead. They can
be kept together and with other
invertebrates.
■
Name:
Mushroom rock,
Actinodiscus
/
Discosoma
/
Ricordea
spp.
Origin:
Pacific
Lighting requirements:
Moderate
Water flow:
Low to moderate
Comments:
Mushrooms
are hardy and easy to keep.
Unlike most corals they
don’t thrive in very strong
light conditions and prefer
a slower flow. So place at
the bottom of the rock pile
where currents and lighting
penetration are less. They
come in all colours and sizes.
■
Name:
Toadstool,
Sarcophyton
spp.
Origin:
Indo-Pacific
Lighting requirements:
Moderate to high
Water flow:
Moderate
Comments:
Toadstools are
popular soft corals that are easy
to care for but they can grow
too large for tanks under 200l
capacity. Place them low down
so that when they do grow, they
don’t shade other corals. They
can be propagated by cuttings
or by sprouting new toadstools
from the base.
Photography: Neil Hepworth