paul b March 20, 2014 Share March 20, 2014 Secretive animals we keep. In our tanks, especially if they have been set up for quite a while, besides the normal clownfish, tangs, wrasses and cardinals there is sometimes an entire universe of hidden animals that we rarely, if ever see. I am not talking about the tiny feather dusters or brittle stars that invade most tanks. I am talking about fish and crabs that are in there, but we just either forgot about or rarely see. In my tank I occasionally see a tiny, bright red gobi of some kind. I don't remember buying it or can even identify it as I just, very rarely catch a fleeting glimpse of it. Cute little guy and I wish he would make an appearance once in a while. I am not sure if I bought him or he came in with some rock or coral. Another shy fish is my possum wrasse. I love him but he is another one why prefers to stay in the dark shadows only venturing slightly out to grab a worm but never in the full light of the LEDs. I did buy him and may get another one, not to see, but just to know I have. He knows I am watching him as I can see him keep one eye on me as he is trying to get up the nerve to poke his head out. He has this little game he likes to play with me, but I know that he knows that I can see him. Blue stripe pipefish are among my favorites but they also prefer to hunt in the dark undersides of caves. They do come out in the open but the hunting is better in the caverns so they stay there. Such beautiful little fish, it is a shame they don't knock on the front glass to get my attention, but they don't. I guess if I were such a skinny little defenseless fish, I would stay hidden also. I once had a brutlyd or cusk eel. I had him for 18 years and never fed him or saw him eat. They are a bright yellow eel looking fish, very nice looking and if you want to have a fish that you only see every 18 years, that is the fish for you. I would usually find him if I looked in the tank after dark with a flashlight. He would be actively searching around the rocks for creatures or forgotten food that he would eat. I had not seen him in a few months and thought he died and it wasn't until I removed all the rock to re-aquascape that I found him by accident. Unfortunately I killed him in another accident with some nice old specimins. Over the years I have found many creatures hiding among the rocks that I would never have known I had if it were not for an accident. I have found many crabs in holes in rocks that I removed for one reason or another, some of them were quite large. So far I have not found any Supermodels in any of my closets but I keep searching. Sometimes I look for them at night with a flashlight. I realize I will never catch one eating but you never know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 March 20, 2014 Share March 20, 2014 Something in my tank brings coral skeletons (that I don't remember) and drops them in the open part of my tank. It happens every couple months. It's weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b March 20, 2014 Author Share March 20, 2014 I got an urchin that does just the opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey18 March 20, 2014 Share March 20, 2014 That's weird dj... it's like a coral ghost. I had a decorator urchin once too... what a pain in the butt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crob5965 March 20, 2014 Share March 20, 2014 lol, I had 2 Urchins before, they never stole my coral but they constantly knocked them over, I gave them to a friend, he was so happy and greatful for about 2 weeks, then he was pissed at me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x-ray March 21, 2014 Share March 21, 2014 I had 2 large PJ cardinals that just showed back up last week. Was about October the last time I saw them. Must of been on vaca during the bad winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k March 21, 2014 Share March 21, 2014 I have a wife that has many evening meetings of a mysterious nature... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilary March 21, 2014 Share March 21, 2014 I have a blenny (sold to me as a sailfin?) that I bought as a teeny little thing and put into my 24g. It disappeared soon thereafter, then reappeared months later. It's now been at least a year or two, it's probably 2.5' long and only appears at night. If it sees me it's back into the rock work, but from what I've seen it appears to be fat and happy. I actually love that my reef has become a thriving little community of its own - it's not just "my" display. Paul, you don't want to catch a supermodel eating. From what I've heard it's NOT pretty…... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sen5241b March 21, 2014 Share March 21, 2014 I've seen various hitch hiker snails in my tank over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b March 21, 2014 Author Share March 21, 2014 I have a blenny (sold to me as a sailfin?) that I bought as a teeny little thing and put into my 24g. I had a similar experience but it was a sailfish, not a sailfin. The thing grew to 12 feet long and only his bill fit in the tank. I only discovered it because his mouth was almost out of the water and I heard this gurgling sound. Then I noticed wet spots on my ceiling from his tail. Paul, you don't want to catch a supermodel eating. From what I've heard it's NOT pretty…... Yes, it's annoying watching them try to slice an M&M in half for lunch. I've seen various hitch hiker snails in my tank over the years. Me too. Sometimes one of these sneaks in with the Pods I collect and I don't notice it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjamaya March 21, 2014 Share March 21, 2014 I have 2 craps that I only see at night when I'm hunting with a flash light. One that I have discovered is a teddy bear crab and the other is an unknown crab. The unknown one is small like a anemone crab but with a square face.... I've been scouring the net looking for an answer but have not found one. I don't have photos either because he is quick and hides when the flash light comes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcrazyjoker81 March 21, 2014 Share March 21, 2014 I have 2 craps that I only see at night when I'm hunting with a flash light. One that I have discovered is a teddy bear crab and the other is an unknown crab. The unknown one is small like a anemone crab but with a square face.... I've been scouring the net looking for an answer but have not found one. I don't have photos either because he is quick and hides when the flash light comes on. Should of edited the post lol...2 craps :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjamaya March 21, 2014 Share March 21, 2014 Well dang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime March 21, 2014 Share March 21, 2014 We don't give 2 cra... Crabs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sen5241b March 21, 2014 Share March 21, 2014 I had a similar experience but it was a sailfish, not a sailfin. The thing grew to 12 feet long and only his bill fit in the tank. I only discovered it because his mouth was almost out of the water and I heard this gurgling sound. Then I noticed wet spots on my ceiling from his tail. Yes, it's annoying watching them try to slice an M&M in half for lunch. Me too. Sometimes one of these sneaks in with the Pods I collect and I don't notice it. I once setup a tank with several of those same blue-clawed crabs in it. They all killed each other in about 48 hours. (They tasted good though.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b March 21, 2014 Author Share March 21, 2014 Yes they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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