Touch Tank Ideas

Recently my daughter has been really wanting her own touch tank so I'm seriously considering turning my spare 10g that I currently use quarantine tank into one for her. I want to keep it simple with a bare bottom, hang on filter and stock lights - maybe some fake plastic decorations. I want to leave to door open for using it as QT.

The question is, what do you put in a touch tank that's safe for both the animals and the child?

The only thing that I can come up with is;

pencil urchin
hermits
snails

Not all that exciting, but it's a start. Anyone have any other ideas? Believe it or not there isn't a lot information out there on this or that I'm a bad searcher

 

cleaner shrimp... they love to clean hands when they r in the tank!

 

Shrimp. Didn't think of that. Thanks!

 

Neon gobys will also hop on your hand to clean.

 

starfish?

 

I think I may stay away from fish. I'm not sure if the stress of hands in the tank will freak them out too much.

Starfish was requested but I wasn't sure if they needed sand and rock work to thrive or if the tank would be too small. What do you think?

 

heh i love to play with my cleaner shrimp

 

Cleaner wrasse but make sure its the african strain, had mine for ever and every time i put my hand and arm into my tank he would clean it, was pretty cool to watch.

 

sea biscuits/sand dollars, pencil urchins, horseshoe crab, giant marine hermit, a starfish that isn't a brittle or serpent, something like a linckia or even a chocolate chip would be cool. The tank may need to be big, but that is what I would get. vivarium styled touch tanks are cool. just some thoughts.

 

A cleaner wrasse would need other fish in the tank to clean and to make sure it stays well fed.