Database

Invertebrates

Shrimp, snails, crabs, urchins, starfish and anemones — freshwater, brackish and marine.

Water Type

Group

Difficulty

Aquarium Style

Region

Size

–cm

Temp Min

–°C

56 results

Beginner💧 freshwater

Amano Shrimp

Caridina multidentata

The classic algae-eating workhorse shrimp, unmatched for clearing hair algae from planted tanks. Hardy at 3-15 dGH, but never breeds in freshwater: its larvae need brackish water, so all reports of 'Amano babies' in freshwater tanks are actually other shrimp species.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Assassin Snail

Anentome helena

The striped predator of the aquarium world, kept to hunt down pest snails and worms. It burrows by day and hunts by night, and will happily share a tank with fish and plants - it ignores shrimp and fish entirely. Also known as Clea helena; both names are accepted.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Astraea Snail

Astrea tecta

A small, cone-shaped snail that excels at consuming film algae from glass and rocks. Essential for reef tank maintenance but cannot right itself if flipped over.

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Beginner💧 freshwater

Babaulti Shrimp

Caridina babaulti

A small, colorful freshwater shrimp available in green, brown, and striped morphs. Hardy and easy to breed, making them excellent additions to planted community tanks.

Intermediate💧 freshwater

Bamboo Shrimp

Atyopsis moluccensis

Also called the wood shrimp, it stations itself in the current and fans microscopic food from the water with its four feathery feeding fans. Needs brisk flow (8-10x tank volume per hour) and regular feedings of powdered or micro food, or it will slowly starve in a clean tank.

Expert💧 freshwater

Blue Bolt Shrimp

Caridina cantonensis

A striking blue color morph of Caridina cantonensis. Deep blue body with white banding. Extremely sensitive to water parameters — requires very soft, acidic water.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Blue Crayfish

Procambarus clarkii

A selectively bred color morph of the red swamp crayfish with brilliant blue coloration. Hardy and active, but will eat plants and harass tank mates.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Blue Diamond Shrimp

Neocaridina davidi

A selectively bred color morph of Neocaridina davidi with solid, opaque blue coloration. Hardy and easy to breed, making them popular for planted tanks.

Advanced💧 freshwater

Blue Tiger Shrimp

Caridina sp.

A selectively bred freshwater shrimp with striking deep blue coloration. Requires soft, acidic water and careful parameter maintenance. Prized by shrimp collectors.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Brittle Star

Ophiocoma sp.

A reef-safe detritivore that hides in live rock. Excellent cleanup crew member. Mostly nocturnal.

Intermediate🌊 saltwater

Bubble-Tip Anemone

Entacmaea quadricolor

The classic clownfish host anemone whose tentacle tips swell into bubbles when healthy. Demands bright light (350-500 PAR) and a stable, mature 115 L+ reef; anchor its foot in a rock crevice, not open sand, target-feed it meaty food, and keep corals clear of its stinging reach.

Intermediate💧 freshwater

Caridina omnipos (Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp)

Caridina omnipos

A small, colorful shrimp from Sulawesi lakes. Red body with white markings. Needs warm, hard water.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Cerith Snail

Cerithium sp.

A small, useful cleanup crew snail. Burrows in sand, consumes algae and detritus. Hardy and reef-safe.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Cherry Shrimp

Neocaridina davidi

The most popular freshwater shrimp — bright red coloration, extremely hardy, and prolific breeder. The gateway species for shrimp keeping. Tolerates a wide range of conditions.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Chocolate Chip Starfish

Protoreaster nodosus

A distinctive starfish with dark brown tubercles resembling chocolate chips on a lighter body. Hardy but may consume corals and small invertebrates.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Cleaner Shrimp

Lysmata amboinensis

The famous skunk cleaner shrimp that runs a cleaning station: fish line up to have parasites and dead skin picked off. Hardy, outgoing, and reef-safe; an Atlantic lookalike, Lysmata grabhami, is sold under the same name in some regions.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Coral Banded Shrimp

Stenopus hispidus

A bold, long-antennaed shrimp with coral bands that stands guard at its cave and makes an instant display piece. Not a true shrimp (it belongs to Stenopodidea): keep it singly or as a mated pair, as it will attack other crustaceans in its territory.

Advanced💧 freshwater

Crystal Red Shrimp

Caridina cantonensis

A high-grade bee shrimp bred for its striking white-and-red pattern. Demanding keeper: thrives only in soft, acidic water (GH 4-6 dGH) and practically requires reverse-osmosis water with an active buffering substrate. Stable cool temperatures around 22 C are essential.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Emerald Crab

Mithraculus sculptus

A small, bright green marine crab valued for its ability to eat bubble algae (Valonia) in reef tanks. Generally peaceful but may eat small snails or corals.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Feather Duster Worm

Sabellastarte magnifica

A marine tube worm with a stunning feathery crown used for filter feeding. Retracts quickly when disturbed. Peaceful and easy to keep in reef tanks.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Fire Shrimp

Lysmata debelius

A deep blood-red cleaner shrimp that treats fish at a personal cleaning station. More shy and nocturnal than its cousins and noticeably pricey; needs a stable, mature reef and is extremely sensitive to copper - remove it before any copper-based treatment.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Fromia Starfish

Fromia nodosa

An attractive starfish with a geometric pattern of orange and cream plates. Generally reef-safe but may starve without adequate microfilm and detritus in the tank.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Ghost Shrimp

Palaemon paludosus

A see-through, feather-light scavenger sold by the handful. Tough across 3-15 dGH and a wide temperature band. Beware mislabeled tankmates: true Ghost Shrimp is Palaemon paludosus, while the larger, more predatory Macrobrachium species are often sold under the same name.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Golden Back Yellow Shrimp

Neocaridina davidi

A bright yellow color morph of Neocaridina davidi with a distinctive golden back stripe. Hardy, prolific breeder, and excellent algae consumer for planted tanks.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Great Ramshorn Snail

Planorbarius corneus

The large, coiled ramshorn that doubles as a cleanup crew and a living water-quality alarm. Every individual is hermaphroditic, so any pair can breed - populations explode only when overfeeding creates a feast, and they shrink right back once feeding is cut back.

Intermediate🌊 saltwater

Harlequin Shrimp

Hymenocera picta

A striking marine shrimp with white body and purple-magenta spots. Famous for eating starfish, including crown-of-thorns. Must be kept in pairs.

Expert💧 freshwater

King Kong Shrimp

Caridina cantonensis

A solid black color morph of Caridina cantonensis with minimal white markings. One of the rarest and most expensive shrimp variants. Requires expert-level water parameters.

Advanced🌊 saltwater

Magnificent Anemone

Heteractis magnifica

One of the most beautiful but demanding anemones, with vibrant green or purple tentacles and a brightly colored oral disc. Requires intense lighting and stable water parameters.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Malaysian Trumpet Snail

Melanoides tuberculata

A conically shelled burrower that aerates the substrate and patrols it for leftover food at night. Females reproduce by parthenogenesis, so a single snail can seed a colony - they are a genuine muck-prevention asset, but heavy feeding will let them multiply fast.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Mystery Snail

Pomacea bridgesii

A colorful, active apple snail that cruises the glass for algae and leftover food. Pairs lay their pink egg clutches above the waterline - remove them to avoid overpopulation. Keep hardness at 7-18 dGH and offer calcium-rich foods so the shell stays strong.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Nassarius Snail

Nassarius spp.

A small marine scavenger snail that burrows through sand, consuming detritus and leftover food. Essential for maintaining clean substrate in reef tanks.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Nerite Snail

Neritina natalensis

The best algae-eating snail for aquariums. Cannot reproduce in freshwater, so populations stay stable. Comes in zebra, tiger, and olive patterns. Will lay white eggs on glass.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Pencil Urchin

Heterocentrotus mamillatus

A large urchin with thick, blunt spines resembling pencils. An excellent algae grazer that may inadvertently knock over small corals or unsecured rockwork.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Peppermint Shrimp

Lysmata wurdemanni

Nature's aiptasia control: it hunts and eats the glass anemones that plague reef tanks. Forgiving of typical reefkeeper mistakes and tolerant of various foods, but as an invertebrate it is highly sensitive to copper. Check the stripe pattern - the similar camel shrimp stays a pest-eater only in name.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Pom-Pom Crab

Lybia tessellata

A tiny, fascinating crab that carries small anemones in its claws like pom-poms for defense and food capture. Harmless and entertaining in reef aquariums.

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Beginner💧 freshwater

Rabbit Snail

Tylomelania spp.

A large, striking freshwater snail with a conical shell and colorful body. Comes in orange, yellow, and dark variants. Active algae and detritus consumer, but slow breeder.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Red Cherry Shrimp

Neocaridina davidi

A tiny, vivid red dwarf shrimp that breeds easily and endlessly entertains. Fine in nano tanks from 20 L; keep GH 4-15 dGH for successful molting, avoid copper-based medications entirely, and use a sponge filter so young shrimplets never get sucked in.

Intermediate🐟 brackish

Red Claw Crab

Perisesarma bidens

A charismatic crab with vivid red claws that needs brackish water (SG 1.003-1.010) plus a 50-70% land area to climb on - it is not a true freshwater species despite how stores sell it. Feisty with slow tankmates; keep one per tank and cover every escape route.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Rock Flower Anemone

Phymanthus crucifer

A Caribbean anemone in a dazzling range of colors that, unlike most anemones, settles where placed and rarely wanders. Hardy and forgiving, it anchors its foot in the sand or rock and accepts meaty foods; keep small corals out of reach of its stinging tentacles. Often sold as Epicystis crucifer.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Sand-Sifting Starfish

Astropecten polyacanthus

A burrowing starfish that churns the sand bed and feeds on worms, copepods, and small benthic invertebrates living in it. Demands a deep (7 cm+), well-established sand bed and roughly 280 L per specimen; once it exhausts the sand's food supply it quietly starves, so it suits mature systems only.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Scarlet Hermit Crab

Paguristes cadenati

A small, bright red hermit crab that scavenges detritus and algae. One of the safest hermit crabs for reef tanks as it rarely attacks snails for shells.

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Intermediate🌊 saltwater

Sea Cucumber

Holothuria sp.

A detritivore that processes sand and waste. Reef-safe but needs established tank. Can be sensitive to water changes.

Intermediate🌊 saltwater

Sebae Anemone

Heteractis crispa

A hardy host anemone with long tentacles tipped in white or purple. Commonly paired with clownfish and thrives under moderate to high lighting.

Intermediate🌊 saltwater

Sexy Anemone Shrimp

Periclimenes brevicarpalis

A small, translucent shrimp that lives on sea anemones. Fascinating symbiotic relationship. Reef-safe.

Advanced💧 freshwater

Snowball Shrimp

Caridina sp.

A selectively bred freshwater shrimp with opaque white coloration resembling snowballs. Requires soft, acidic water and pristine conditions for breeding.

Advanced💧 freshwater

Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp

Caridina dennerli

A stunning red and white striped shrimp from the ancient lakes of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Unlike most Caridina, it thrives in warm, alkaline water (pH 7.5-8.5, 26-30°C).

Intermediate💧 freshwater

Sulawesi Red Cherry Shrimp

Caridina dennerli

A striking red shrimp from Lake Matano in Sulawesi. Requires warm, alkaline water. More challenging than Neocaridina.

Advanced💧 freshwater

Taiwan Bee Shrimp

Caridina cantonensis

A high-grade Caridina morph with bold black and white banding. One of the most prized ornamental shrimp. Requires soft, acidic water (pH 6.0-6.8, GH 4-6) and pristine conditions.

Intermediate💧 freshwater

Thai Micro Crab

Limnopilos naiyanetri

A pea-sized, fully aquatic crab - no land zone needed - that perches on driftwood and picks microparticles from the water. Fragile and easily overlooked; keep a group of 3 or more in a mature nano tank, and never expose it to copper or sharp parameter swings.

Advanced🌊 saltwater

Tridacna Maxima Clam

Tridacna maxima

A stunning giant clam with brilliant blue, green, or purple mantle patterns. Photosynthetic — requires strong lighting. A showcase centerpiece for reef tanks.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Trochus Snail

Trochus maculatus

A conical-shaped algae-eating snail that is one of the most effective and hardy cleanup crew members for reef aquariums. Can right itself if overturned.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Turbo Snail

Turbo spp.

A large marine snail with a heavy, conical shell. One of the most effective algae grazers for reef tanks, capable of consuming large amounts of film and hair algae.

Beginner🌊 saltwater

Tuxedo Urchin

Mespilia globulus

A tidy, reef-safe urchin dressed in alternating dark and light bands that keeps rock, glass, and decor swept of algae and film. Grazes mostly at night and stays put by day; supplement with nori in low-algae tanks and never expose it to copper or high nitrate.

Intermediate💧 freshwater

Vampire Crab

Geosesarma dennerle

A small, semi-terrestrial crab with striking purple coloration and bright yellow eyes. Requires a paludarium setup with both land and water areas.

Advanced💧 freshwater

Vampire Shrimp

Atya gabonensis

A large, impressive freshwater shrimp with fan-like appendages used to filter feed from the current. Can grow up to 15 cm and requires strong water flow and clean, well-oxygenated water.

Beginner💧 freshwater

Zebra Nerite Snail

Vittina natalensis

A striped, hard-working algae grazer that never overpopulates: its eggs are laid all over the glass but only hatch in brackish water, so they simply stay put. Prefers harder water (GH 6-20 dGH) with calcium for a healthy shell; watch for escapes, as it can climb out of open tanks.

Invertebrates

Amano Shrimp

Assassin Snail

Astraea Snail

Babaulti Shrimp

Bamboo Shrimp

Blue Bolt Shrimp

Blue Crayfish

Blue Diamond Shrimp

Blue Tiger Shrimp

Brittle Star

Bubble-Tip Anemone

Caridina omnipos (Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp)

Cerith Snail

Cherry Shrimp

Chocolate Chip Starfish

Cleaner Shrimp

Coral Banded Shrimp

Crystal Red Shrimp

Emerald Crab

Feather Duster Worm

Fire Shrimp

Fromia Starfish

Ghost Shrimp

Golden Back Yellow Shrimp

Great Ramshorn Snail

Harlequin Shrimp

King Kong Shrimp

Magnificent Anemone

Malaysian Trumpet Snail

Mystery Snail

Nassarius Snail

Nerite Snail

Pencil Urchin

Peppermint Shrimp

Pom-Pom Crab

Rabbit Snail

Red Cherry Shrimp

Red Claw Crab

Rock Flower Anemone

Sand-Sifting Starfish

Scarlet Hermit Crab

Sea Cucumber

Sebae Anemone

Sexy Anemone Shrimp

Snowball Shrimp

Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp

Sulawesi Red Cherry Shrimp

Taiwan Bee Shrimp

Thai Micro Crab

Tridacna Maxima Clam

Trochus Snail

Turbo Snail

Tuxedo Urchin

Vampire Crab

Vampire Shrimp

Zebra Nerite Snail

Cookie Preferences

Invertebrates

Amano Shrimp

Assassin Snail

Astraea Snail

Babaulti Shrimp

Bamboo Shrimp

Blue Bolt Shrimp

Blue Crayfish

Blue Diamond Shrimp

Blue Tiger Shrimp

Brittle Star

Bubble-Tip Anemone

Caridina omnipos (Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp)

Cerith Snail

Cherry Shrimp

Chocolate Chip Starfish

Cleaner Shrimp

Coral Banded Shrimp

Crystal Red Shrimp

Emerald Crab

Feather Duster Worm

Fire Shrimp