# invertbrates for African rift tank?



## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

Dear folks,

this might sound crazy and stupid... :lol:

anybody keep any invertebrates in african rift tank?

1) i am thinking about those big african cameroon fan shrimp?
2) crabs?
3) snails?
4) crayfish?

thanks


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## Nina_b (Jan 3, 2011)

your fish will love them 

I don't think any invertabrate will survive when they shed their carpace.


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## Aedes (Mar 27, 2011)

i started with about a dozen or more snails from a previous tank.
i have long since sucked up their empty discarded shells that were left to float along the bottom of the tank.

RIP little guys.


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## RRasco (Aug 31, 2006)

I have success with nerites in my all male hap/peacock tank and also in my mbuna tank. I don't think snails, however, are invertebrates.

As for shrimp, crabs, crayfish. Depending on their size, the fish could be a harm to them, or them a harm to the fish. I'm gonna grow out some brine shrimp, for food.


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## Aedes (Mar 27, 2011)

RRasco said:


> I don't think snails, however, are invertebrates.


*About Snails*

Snails are invertebrates, which means they lack a backbone. They belong to a large and highly diverse group of invertebrates known as the Phylum Mollusca (also known more commonly as 'mollusks'). The Phylum Mollusca includes slugs, clams, oysters, mussels, squids, octopuses, and nautiluses, in addition to snails.


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## RRasco (Aug 31, 2006)

Aedes said:


> *About Snails*
> 
> Snails are invertebrates, which means they lack a backbone. They belong to a large and highly diverse group of invertebrates known as the Phylum Mollusca (also known more commonly as 'mollusks'). The Phylum Mollusca includes slugs, clams, oysters, mussels, squids, octopuses, and nautiluses, in addition to snails.


Thanks. I had no idea. Of course, I know next to nothing about biology. You learn something everyday!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

My nerites do fairly well with peacocks but not well at all with mbuna and Tangs. I hear their lifespan is only about a year anyway. I have one going on 2 years, but that is out of 24 snails.


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

DJRansome said:


> My nerites do fairly well with peacocks but not well at all with mbuna and Tangs. I hear their lifespan is only about a year anyway. I have one going on 2 years, but that is out of 24 snails.


wow good , what type of snails are good for high ph tank?
my tank ph is about 7.8
my syndonits catfish is not really effective on clearing up the bottom.
do snails eat the debris on the bottom?

will be good and useflu if they did.

thanks


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Snails can live in any pH. The problem is most overpopulate and clog up the tank, filters, etc. Nerite snails will not reproduce in freshwater so that problem is solved.

It is a rare (nonexistant?) creature that will eat true debris. Debris is for the fishkeeper to remove by vacuuming and good filtration. Both your synos and cichlids will clean up food from the bottom.

IME snails are better at glass and rocks like bristlenose plecos than substrate cleaning.


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## RRasco (Aug 31, 2006)

The snails will move across the sand occasionally, but they tend to always be on the glass or rocks. I have not actually seen them cross the sand, but they have to get to the rocks somehow.


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## exasperatus2002 (Jul 5, 2003)

I have an assassin snail with my yellow labs to help keep the malaysian trumpet snails at bay. With the fry, I keep ghost shrimp to help clean up after the kids. I'd like to try a bamboo shrimp in the main tank since they're a large shrimp but being I do feed them diced shrimp, I dont think the bamboo shrimp will like the way they'll be lookin at him.


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## sjnovakovich (Sep 13, 2010)

I had a few mystery snails in my n. pulcher tank. The snails spawned, and now I have about a half dozen baby mystery snails crawling around. I moved the 4 adult snails to my angel/discus tank. Two of the snails made good snacks for the angels. However, in the pulcher tank, the snails do a good job of keeping the sand algae-free.


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