Have you ever had a cool coral, fish, invert or other critter hitchhike in?

[i cant think]

Not sure what it is but I like it.

It looks like a pink tunicate. That’s beautiful if you’ve grown it out, it also shows a great and well matured tank IME.

 

[HankstankXXL750]

Okay, I got home and looked at my nano tank. I have now seen a couple hitchhikers that I’ve not seen in the past or had forgotten about. First up is this intriguing bivalve which is living!

Next up, these strange polyps (if I remember correctly it’s something like with Colonial in it).

And finally, all of this! Especially the strange stringy looking microfauna seen in the centre.

I believe you polyps are asptasia

 

[Sharkbait19]

I believe you polyps are asptasia

Or colonial hydroids maybe.
If that’s a snail or hermit next to it, then it seems pretty small for aptasia.

 

[MysticBlue]

Omg I’ve had so many things hitchhiked in when I first kept corals. I had a blue ribbon eel sneak in on one of my live rock pieces, a flat back mud crab, grey sea star on live rock, Xenia coral, I actually once got a clown fish with a anemone I ordered which was weird. I also had several sea urchins, barnacles, scallops, my favorite was probably a torch coral colony that was attached to some live rock that was the best!! Oh and I’m one shipment of live rock there was a octopus that I still have to this day and it’s only escaped 7 times……….. this month lol

 

[Sharkbait19]

Omg I’ve had so many things hitchhiked in when I first kept corals. I had a blue ribbon eel sneak in on one of my live rock pieces, a flat back mud crab, grey sea star on live rock, Xenia coral, I actually once got a clown fish with a anemone I ordered which was weird. I also had several sea urchins, barnacles, scallops, my favorite was probably a torch coral colony that was attached to some live rock that was the best!! Oh and I’m one shipment of live rock there was a octopus that I still have to this day and it’s only escaped 7 times……….. this month lol

Easily some of the best hitchhiker stories I’ve heard. I wish I could get some of that stuff for free lol

 

[i cant think]

I believe you polyps are asptasia

The thing is they’re way too small, next to it is my Mexican Turbo Snail.

Or colonial hydroids maybe.
If that’s a snail or hermit next to it, then it seems pretty small for aptasia.

I was told Colonial Hydroids but I’m not 100% sure on that either.
Maybe they are and I’m wrong though. Here’s two other clumps of them.

 

[Sharkbait19]

The thing is they’re way too small, next to it is my Mexican Turbo Snail.

I was told Colonial Hydroids but I’m not 100% sure on that either.
Maybe they are and I’m wrong though. Here’s two other clumps of them.

Yellow or brown palys?

 

[MysticBlue]

Easily some of the best hitchhiker stories I’ve heard. I wish I could get some of that stuff for free lol

Well to be honest I gave away most of it except the octopus because believe it or not I was actually setting up a tank for one!! I gave away the eel the clownfish the starfish the sea urchins all of that because at the time I didn’t have any room for them and I wasn’t set up for it

 

[Karen00]

It’s the same over here, last time I saw micro brittles was on a leather from an LFS 4 hours away and that was 4 years ago now. Dang how I wish I could find some nearby, I may ask on my next trip to the LFS I get acros from if they have any.

I feel your pain!! It's funny when you see people practically giving them away because they have so many (most of these lucky folks being in the US) and folks like you/me can't find them anywhere. One thing that shocked me about these guys is how fast they can move. I thought all stars were kind of clumsy and slow moving like sloths. Holy cow these little guys can probably outrun me! Haha.

 

[i cant think]

I feel your pain!! It's funny when you see people practically giving them away because they have so many (most of these lucky folks being in the US) and folks like you/me can't find them anywhere. One thing that shocked me about these guys is how fast they can move. I thought all stars were kind of clumsy and slow moving like sloths. Holy cow these little guys can probably outrun me! Haha.

I know right!
Theyre like urchins where you think they move slowly, look away and they’re on the opposite side of the tank!

I’m hoping to just randomly come across a couple in the future but oh man it’s proving to be harder than finding a flashing tilefish! Wonder if anyone would ship a couple out from America over to the UK… hmm.

 

[907_Reefer]

In our 1 month-old tank with 90 lbs live rock, we have a handful of feather dusters and just found this guy last night!

 

[Karen00]

I know right!
Theyre like urchins where you think they move slowly, look away and they’re on the opposite side of the tank!

I’m hoping to just randomly come across a couple in the future but oh man it’s proving to be harder than finding a flashing tilefish! Wonder if anyone would ship a couple out from America over to the UK… hmm.

I think someone asked about that to Canada. I don't think it can be done here :-( but maybe you will have better luck. Actually I should recheck that about Canada because maybe it can be done.

 

[Wasabiroot]

I got a green lettuce slug (probably Derbesia sp.) as well as an atlantic berghia sp when I placed an order with Gulf Coast ecosystems. Which reminds me...time to place another order - my chaeto is a nuisance to deal with compared to gracilaria in my refugium

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

The fact that some people are getting fish on their rock is blowing my mind.

 

[MoshJosh]

Micro brittle star and a micro feather duster with a bright red crown

 

[vlangel]

A local reefer gave me a rock/shell with xenia on it. It also had a scallop hitchhiker on it which was a pleasant surprise.

 

[i cant think]

The fact that some people are getting fish on their rock is blowing my mind.

I know right!
I still have yet to find any fish let alone my dream fish (I have to find them as hitchhikers as nobody over here gets them as singular fish) of a Bryaninops species.

 

[MnFish1]

That is terrifying, did you see it swimming?

YES - IT WAS TOTALLY NUTS

 

[MnFish1]

Not sure what it is but I like it.

That's a deadly poisonous (JUST KIDDING).

A local reefer gave me a rock/shell with xenia on it. It also had a scallop hitchhiker on it which was a pleasant surprise.

Did the scallop live long?

 

[Isolatedreefer]

This week we're going to be talking about reef tank hitchhikers! They are normally thought of in a negative sense, bad critters, but they can also be very cool, and good! I thought today we could start with the "good" ones!

What's the best hitchhiker you've ever had and how did it hitchhike in? Could be coral, fish, inverts or anything you like!

image via @LgTas

The coolest hitchhiker I've found is a comb jelly. It came on the underside of a plate coral and would stretch out a long tentacle at night.

I've also had a couple different stylophora corals hitch hike in.

I also really like some small nassarius snails that came in from somewhere and multiply like crazy. They biggest are a little under 1cm long and most are closer to 0.5cm long. They do a great job of keeping my gravel clean.