Sea Snake?

[joeyb]

I got 75lbs of TBS live rock four weeks ago and it is increadible! Ive noticed that something has been burrowing the sand out from under on of the rocks ... a lot of sand. It looked simialr to the burrow my snowflake eel made in my other tank. Ive got two quick looks at this critter and he is all brown, about 4 1/2 inches long and his body looks perfeclty round unlike an eel. A friend of mine said it looked like a sea snake. Has anyone ever had one hitch hike in live rock before?

thanks
joey

 

[Jocko]

Have you seen it's head? It there any chance its a serpent star tentacle sticking out or something like that? Or maybe its a big worm? What kind of diameter are we talking about? Is it hariy or smooth?

 

[joeyb]

No i saw it at night out from the rocks .. its smooth - diameter about 2/3" or so ... about the size of a highlighter pen.

 

[docklink]

Did it look a bit like an elongated shrimp? And how fast does it move (sudden really quick "dash" or slower more diliberate movements?) Does the body appear hard (shell like) or soft. Was there any texture to the body (bumps, spikes, scaley, antenna, etc.)?
I suspect from your penlight description that you have a mantis shrimp.

 

[joeyb]

No it looked like a brown eel (the tail was flattened), but the body was perfectly round and i didnt get a great look at the head

 

[docklink]

Tail flattened. Verticle like a fish or horizontal? You may have gotten a Tiger Goby or similar fish in the rock.

 

[joeyb]

The tail was flattened on the end - verticle like an eels tale but long (4-5") and round.

 

[rhoodhouse]

did you figure out what it was??

 

[joeyb]

No, I havent seen him again; except for quick glimses under the rocks