Paul B
Premium Member
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
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
