Pics of your favorite hitch-hiker

[phil519]

I was wondering if folks had an interesting hitch-hiker they'd like to post on a thread. As I only have part 1 of my package - here's the cool pic of a hermit I found...

Let the bragging begin!

(oh and if I could get my camera to focus properly I'd take a pic of the brain coral that "tagged" along)!

 

[patsan]

Hey Phil, where in NY are you located?

 

[phil519]

Here's an interesting critter (I assume it's a feather duster). It only appears at lights out or in the early morning. When the lights are on - it's completely hidden. The total diameter of the duster is smaller than a dime.

 

[patsan]

Wow...that is so neat looking!! OMG I can't wait for my package to come!!

 

[Rockker]

I wish I had a camera good enough to take clear close up of all of the hitchhikers I got.

12 live bi-valve clams. At LEAST a dozen emerald and porcelien crabs.

Tree sponges, encrusting sponges, 3 gorilla crabs (BOO!), but I got them removed. I have 2 small patches of Kelp that are grwoing nice.

Countless barnicles that shoot out and back feeding. Probably a dozen feather dusters. Probably 10 medium and baby serpent starfish. Too cute.

I am 4 months into my 55 Gallon package and i am still seeing new things. I had almost no die off so far except a tree sponge and it was my fault.

Tip: Sponges CANNOT be exposed to air. It will kill them.

I had mine near the top and everytime I would do a water change, it would hit air.

I would recommend TBS to ANYONE.

Rockker

 

[dwculp]

Here is my favorite hitch-hiker. He grew HUGE in two months. I have been trying to get him, only half heartedly though. During my initial cycle and shipment this guy was one hair algea eating machine. Tearing through patches of hair algea like it was nothing. Now that there is no hair algea left him proceded to begin tearing through sponges, corals, coralline algea, whatever. I was able to actually reach in and grab him. The first few pics are him in the reef before nabbing him. Then a few for perspective out of the tank and finally him in his new home in my 75 gallon FO. That lion is saying "Dude, if you were smaller or I was twice as large you'd be lunch!!"

 

[phil519]

:eek1: That crab is a monster.

I am so eagerly awaiting my second-half shipment. But alas my wife is pulling me off to go on vacation for a week - which means I won't be around to receive anything!!!! Hopefully I'll something to post here next week when I return.

dw - your tank looks so amazing. The close-ups of the crab show the growth on the rocks and how you've been able to maintain or even increase the beauty of the tbs rocks. Plus you've kept that fishy alive somehow too!

 

[patsan]

What type of crab is that? A decorator crab or a gorilla crab?

 

[dwculp]

Some type of deco crab. Gorillas are HAIRY all over. I mean hairy, legs, carapace, claws, hair everywhere.

 

[phil519]

also the gorillas that i've seen that are hairy little buggers also have black tips on their claws. One thing these hairy guys remind of is a spider.

I do want to share a sad note. I had a really cool red serpent star that was either a hitchhiker or a freebie and unfortunately he keeled over because of my ineptness. The first week was amazing as I'd feed him at night by hand. At this time I did a very newbie mistake of turning off my cannister filter before fully confirming a cycle had been completed. I had read cannisters = nitrate builders so I thought to remove it completely from the loop (rather than slowly remove the media). Anyway - ammonia spike = death. At least, this is my theory on the serpent star. All of my fish were still alive but I assume the serpent was more sensitive. RIP Serpent Star.

Things are fine now - parameters have been 0,0,0.2 on the ammonia/nitrites/nitrates and hopefully i'll be back in ny for the second-half of the package next week!

 

[docklink]

I might as well chip in. The hitch hiker of note in my shipment was this cucumber. Initially it was identified as a donkey dung, but I don't think it is. The skin, feeding apparatus and behavior are all very different from the donkey dung that came with the clean-up crew. This guy has never been on the sand, initially staying on the rocks and then finally parking itself on the glass in the path of one of my return outlets. It feeds by extending its feeding appendages into the water stream, unlike the donkey dung that mops the gravel and travels all over the substrate.

 

[patsan]

OMG I can't believe all the names of these things! I have to learn them all. There is more to learning all these things than there was learning my 3 R's in school many years ago!!

 

[Sierra]

any good books ya'll recommend with picture and info on variety of common critters?

Sorta like a encyclopedia of hitchhikers.

 

[patsan]

Here's Mine so far!!~

 

[Mike4284m]

For TBS rock I think Humann's books would be excellant.

 

[liverock]

I might as well chip in. The hitch hiker of note in my shipment was this cucumber. Initially it was identified as a donkey dung, but I don't think it is. The skin, feeding apparatus and behavior are all very different from the donkey dung that came with the clean-up crew. This guy has never been on the sand, initially staying on the rocks and then finally parking itself on the glass in the path of one of my return outlets. It feeds by extending its feeding appendages into the water stream, unlike the donkey dung that mops the gravel and travels all over the substrate.

It is a donkey dung.....never goes in the sand, as is not his behavior....the ones that came with your critter package are tiger tails and other similar types that will eventually get into the sand to eat......

TBS

 

[patsan]

Here are a few of mine

and now a pretty one:

 

[phil519]

I wonder if the first guy would get along with the blue crabs that are native to the L.I. sound? J/k. Joking aside - that is a great picture of the gorrilla crab. Maybe TBS will keep it for their website and list it as "bad" crab.

Pat - I'm betting late at night or early in the morning you'd be able to spot the tiny brittle stars that always come along in the tbs rocks. Mine are all striped tan/black. Unfortunately all I usually see are the arms coming out from the sand so I can't get a good pic. Well, hopefully all is well with the tank - just a few more days of being on vacation before I return!

 

[phil519]

okay - i'm just joking - these guys didn't hitch - they were in a tank awaiting my dinner choice when i was in seattle on vacation!

 

[cgh38]

here's my "family's favorite" but to me he's my "most wanted dead or alive"