Hitchhiker's Guide to Survival

[CrabKeeper]

After a 20 year hiatus, I set up a reef tank about two years ago. Excited by the new things available when I set the tank up, I just couldn't resist live rock. I bought 40 pounds of it from Florida and it's been an interesting journey to say the least. Now two years later that original tank has morphed into several - of course, tanks are like potato chips, what good is one?

One of them I set up just for this critter, she's become a great pal to have on the desk next to me. Yesterday I had to upsize her aquarium. She started out around 1/4" and now her body is over 1". At first I though she may be a spineback hairy crab but now I'm thinking gorilla crab.

I also kept a wennerae mantis shrimp. He has maxed out at about 3" and has been fine in the reef tank. Lately I think the file fish keep him in check. Did you keep any hitchhikers?

 

[Rtaylor]

After a 20 year hiatus, I set up a reef tank about two years ago. Excited by the new things available when I set the tank up, I just couldn't resist live rock. I bought 40 pounds of it from Florida and it's been an interesting journey to say the least. Now two years later that original tank has morphed into several - of course, tanks are like potato chips, what good is one?

One of them I set up just for this critter, she's become a great pal to have on the desk next to me. Yesterday I had to upsize her aquarium. She started out around 1/4" and now her body is over 1". At first I though she may be a spineback hairy crab but now I'm thinking gorilla crab.

I also kept a wennerae mantis shrimp. He has maxed out at about 3" and has been fine in the reef tank. Lately I think the file fish keep him in check. Did you keep any hitchhikers?

Very cool. Gorilla crabs (common name for crabs in the family xanthidae)….and the spineback hairy crab (Pilumnus sayi) is also in the family xanthidae…..so it’s almost certainly a gorilla crab…..but I do think you may have been correct with your initial id.
Great pic btw

I love hitchhikers….I’ve never gotten anything too unusual. I did get 5 baby rock urchins once which was cool (and too many, had to give some away.). I cringe when people freak out and immediately kill anything they can’t immediately identify. A few hitchhikers from my rock.

 

[Rtaylor]

What’s this?

 

[CrabKeeper]

Very cool. Gorilla crabs (common name for crabs in the family xanthidae)….and the spineback hairy crab (Pilumnus sayi) is also in the family xanthidae…..so it’s almost certainly a gorilla crab…..but I do think you may have been correct with your initial id.
Great pic btw

I love hitchhikers….I’ve never gotten anything too unusual. I did get 5 baby rock urchins once which was cool (and too many, had to give some away.). I cringe when people freak out and immediately kill anything they can’t immediately identify. A few hitchhikers from my rock.

Nice urchins! What's the coral in the bottom pic? My rock has some of that but I never did ID it.

 

[CrabKeeper]

What’s this?

I'm not sure. I don't think it's an aptasia. But I do feed it just to see how big it will get!

 

[Rtaylor]

I'm not sure. I don't think it's an aptasia. But I do feed it just to see how big it will get!

Agree definitely not aptasia. So it’s some type of anemone? Can you get a better pic of it?

 

[jabberwock]

I keep a junk tank AKA the "sin bin". We'll see who goes in next!

 

[Rtaylor]

Nice urchins! What's the coral in the bottom pic? My rock has some of that but I never did ID it.

Oculina robusta I believe

 

[CrabKeeper]

What’s this?

Here's a better picture of the pink thing. It sure looks like an anemone!

 

[OldRed1]

I keep a junk tank AKA the "sin bin". We'll see who goes in next!

My favorite is seeing various crabs ID’d as “sump crabs.”

 

[Rtaylor]

Here's a better picture of the pink thing. It sure looks like an anemone!

Interesting…

@Eagle_Steve any ideas?

 

[Rtaylor]

Here's a better picture of the pink thing. It sure looks like an anemone!

Can you see the column? Maybe a warty anemone? If so it would have lots of bumps on the column.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Interesting…

@Eagle_Steve any ideas?

Looks like a "warty" nem.

Issue with that is, there are a ton of NPS nems that fall into that grouping. Most are unclassified, for now. I have quite a few of them I collected and some have the "warts" and some do not. Still all lumped under Bunodosoma cavernata. That may change at some point, as some studies are being completed looking at the many different types of NPS nems on the gulf and Atlantic coasts.

Here are some of my babies.

 

[CrabKeeper]

Can you see the column? Maybe a warty anemone? If so it would have lots of bumps on the column.

Here's a picture of it closed. The column looks smooth to me.

 

[CrabKeeper]

Looks like a "warty" nem.

Issue with that is, there are a ton of NPS nems that fall into that grouping. Most are unclassified, for now. I have quite a few of them I collected and some have the "warts" and some do not. Still all lumped under Bunodosoma cavernata. That may change at some point, as some studies are being completed looking at the many different types of NPS nems on the gulf and Atlantic coasts.

Here are some of my babies.

Wow! Those babies are lovely. I hope mine multiply.

 

[CrabKeeper]

I keep a junk tank AKA the "sin bin". We'll see who goes in next!

I love it, sin bin. Some of my nano tanks fall into that classification for sure.

 

[Rtaylor]

Here's a picture of it closed. The column looks smooth to me.

@Eagle_Steve is the expert on Caribbean anemones. Likely it’s what he said. Very cool!