Finding Hitch-hikers

[sianeds]

This morning I found an Emerald Mythrax crab peeping out from between 2 rocks. I had no idea it was in there. I moved all my rockwork just a week ago and never saw it. My current tank has been running for 8mths and my last addition was a smallish Sun Coral about a month ago. The crab definately didn't come in on the sun coral as there is nowhere for it to hide on it. The last additions to the tank were well before christmas, so the crab has been in there for quite a while before I saw it.

I'm just wondering what hitch-hikers have you guys found and how long you think they were in the tank before you found them.

 

[@ombomb]

How big was it? I see my Emerald all the time!

I do have another, similar mythrax in there though, more brown than green, which has been sighted twice in 12 months...

Brittlestars only appeared after 6 months.

 

[sianeds]

it was about 2cm across maybe..I only saw it briefly. I'm still finding new things all the time which is why I wondered if people with more mature reefs still find good stuff.

 

[Lynden]

I have a very large (3'') Red Claw Crab that is curently a criptic occupant of my tank. I see him every two months or so. The reason this critter is in my tank is because, thinking he was dying, I decided to try to tie him to a string and feed him to my then-starving Pinktail Trigger. He then escaped the string, scuttled onto a rock, and sat there for three days. Then he dissapeared and began his cryptic lifestyle. So much for being a freshwater crab.

-Lynden

 

[jen20147]

Ours has been up and running about a year now...about 3 months ago we found an urchin. Also we have a mithrax crab that is purple in color and very hairy that must have been a hitchiker...then a couple weeks ago I saw a malt of another purplish mithrax but this one was teeeeny tiny, like a half inch...havnt bought any coral lately either.