Wierd Occurance

[Paul B]

I don't have a sump but I do have an in the tank overflow that feeds the skimmer. There is a strainer in it so anything large does not get in it and go through the pump. Anyway a little while ago I noticed something in the strainer which is not really under water. It looked like a long skinny fish.
I removed it and noticed it was a small fish, probably a gobi since I have a bunch of them but hanging on it was a mantis shrimp as long as the fish. Both were dead as it may have been in there for a week.
I don't know if the fish got caught in the overflow and the mantis went in after it or if the mantis killed the fish and they floated in or whatever.
I have not put rock in the tank in many years and never put any store bought rock in. It was all collected by me in the seventees.
The mantis may have come in with the seaweed and amphipods I collect locally as a baby. I would have noticed an inch long shrimp.
I once caught a 6" worm under my gravel. God knows what is living under there. The Loch Ness monster hasen't been seen in a while.

 

[SU#!]

Are you saying your live rock has been in your tank for 35+ years???

 

[Curtswearing]

Are you saying your live rock has been in your tank for 35+ years???

Yes

Here's my guess.....

Paul's got a pearlfish, Paul's got a pearlfish, Paul's got a pearlfish. Or more correctly, had a pearlfish.

Lose any cucumbers recently?

I'm allowed to tease....I had one once too

 

[burning2nd]

eggs in the stuff u collected paul? i know u do quite, a bunch of Nsw and harvests of goodies....

maybe something hitched its way in a few months ago?


sounds cool.....

 

[Paul B]

Yes almost all of my rock I collected in the Caribbean and Hawaii in the seventees. That was during the Civil War.
None of it was ever bought.
The mantis could have come in with one of my amphipod collections. This was from this year. You think I could find a baby mantis in there?

 

[morgan]

bout time for an update photo aye??

 

[Paul B]

I guess I need to take some pictures one of these days. I only have some closer pictures. These guys are breeding. I wonder if they eat baby mantis.

I don't think it was this guy with the mantis, I will have to look for him when the lights come on.

 

[burning2nd]

you know theres so meny possabilitys so ...

 

[snobanker]

Pauls rock is almost as old as my last water change. lol It never ceases to amaze me what suddenly "appears" in a tank when other that water and fish food nothing has been added. The other day I found a little feather duster worm(or whatever they are called" in my tank on a little piece of rock that has been in there for years. I have never seen one in there before ????. If only some rock, water, corals, new hood, and halides would appear on my empty 180

 

[mcvicker]

What strikes me as really weird is during the 2 and a half years my tank was up and running stuff would just show up, even if I hadn't added anything in 6+ months. Little starfish, different types of worms and snails, even som weird coral growth things. I had to break down the tank recently to sell my house and expected to find all kinds of weird stuff under the rock and in the sand. I found one spaghetti worm and a clump of baby mussels, that is it. I was baffeled and could not understand it at all. I expected to find 100's of creepy crawlies based on the random things that would show up. It is amazing really.
-chris

 

[Paul B]

The other day I found a little feather duster worm(or whatever they are called" in my tank on a little piece of rock that has been in there for years

The last time I looked under my UG filter I thought the gravel was red but on closer inspection it turned out that the gravel was so loaded with those little red tube worms that there were more tube worms than gravel. I also have dozens of those tiny star fish along with brittle stars. I don't know where the brittle stars come from since they don't come from NY so I know I diden't bring them in with sea water and I never bought rock.
I guess they came in on corals. I find them all over the place along with large worms, crabs, and an occasional fish. I have enough spaghetti worms to make a nice meal. :

 

[krisfal]

If only some rock, water, corals, new hood, and halides would appear on my empty 180

:lol::lol:I would like to see a BK300 appear in my sump:lol::lol: