High pressure shells: Do you look for signs of stress in the invertebrates in your reef tank?

[Peace River]

High pressure shells: Do you look for signs of stress in the invertebrates in your reef tank?

Maybe you pay more attention to an expensive clam than you do to a shrimp or a crab, or maybe your focus is on the more mobile inverts. Either way, for many reef keepers the concentration is on the fish and the coral with the invertebrates getting a passing nod. When you do stop and look at the invertebrates, do you look for signs of stress? If so, please share what you are looking for and feel free to share any tips about signs of invertebrate stress with the R2R community!

Photo by @Epic Aquaculture; March 2024 Reef of the Month


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.tidalgardens.com

“The goal of Tidal Gardens is to offer the highest quality corals to those seeking a piece of that world without destroying it. We hope to instill a deep appreciation for the natural reefs and help develop a self-sustaining hobby that no longer requires the collection of fish and corals.”

 

[JayM]

My focus is mainly on my Maxima clam and the cleaner shrimp as the 3 of them are always easy to spot. It's getting hard to tell a hermit crab from an actual snail anymore, but I do try to make sure I see at least the ones that are easy to spot are doing well.

 

[Reefer Matt]

The invertebrates in my tanks, besides the coral, are there for utility purposes. I don’t have any ornamental ones. I do notice when snails get light, and replenish them as necessary. I also like to watch my urchins carry things around.

 

[merkmerk73]

I drop a frozen clam in once a week or so because the hermits sometimes act like they don't get enough food and within minutes almost every hermit in the tank is tearing into the clam.

That's about it. Also I check for little vermitids on the shells.

 

[MattPLaw]

I love my inverts! My maxima I feel is easy to see how she feels. Same with the shrimp, i just assume if they are eating and cleaning they are happy.
Other than moving around and eating what do you look for in the health of snails?

 

[shakacuz]

occasionally. i look at corals more than i do inverts.

 

[vlangel]

Most of my inverts are sturdy and need little monitoring. However, I do have a scallop that I keep an eye on.

 

[Dburr1014]

I will sometimes look for growth on the clams shell. It always seems open so I don't worry to much.
Shrimps always get food.

 

[Jasonak]

I love my inverts! Just as important to me as my coral/fish to be honest.

 

[Fish_Fry]

Does checking to see that they are still there count?

My inverts are mostly CUC, with the largest being some peppermint shrimp and emerald crabs. It's easy to tell if a fish or coral is stressed. I wouldn't know where to begin with a small invert. I would care more if I had a clam, starfish or other large and expensive invert.

 

[mdpitts]

This is a timely post because I JUST now got back from buying some dried seaweed at Petco. I've never bought seaweed but I'm thinking my CUC is really hungry due to being too efficient in my small tank.

 

[Doctorgori]

I usually leave one or two sides of my tank un clean for my turbos to graze, always check for pinched clam mantle and signs of nipping ….Always check my shrimp population with marine bettas

 

[Charlicat1]

My cleaner shrimp is the highlight of my tank; his personality is amazing and funny