What is the Most Interesting Thing You Have Seen in Your Aquarium

[toadstool_paradise]

A random TINY squat lobster back in 2018 in my peninsula tank. So cute!

 

[paragrouper]

I was gonna say that!

It’s certainly entertaining and more than a bit exciting.

 

[i cant think]

WHAT?! I am so jealous! My pink streaks are my favorite little duo, and I’d love to see little babies.

What kind of behaviors do they start showing when breeding? I’ve never heard of anyone breeding them and am beyond curious.

I didn’t intentionally get them to breed and have success (I didn’t rear the young as it’s too much work for me at the moment).
However the behaviour I saw was one would go up (the male) and have a mini ‘staring contest’. They also go up and the male gains white striping that goes down the body. I wish I got a photo when i saw it but they spawn incredibly late into the night.

 

[Al.B]

I still find watching fish letting a cleaner shrimp clean them off very odd considering how defensive fish generally are. Only my largest fish, the Midas Blenny, feels comfortable with the process and he does it all the time.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

 

[EricR]

Tiny chitons

Interesting (to me) because I have no idea where they came from.
Hadn't added a coral in over 6 months when I first spotted a tiny one on front glass.
Now, I have a handful frequently visible and getting obviously bigger (still small).
*maybe they've been in my rock for two years without me ever seeing one but seems weird

 

[Amber.]

I recently added some ocean direct live rock to my tank and I'm seeing all kinds of crazy things coming out of it. Things I have never seen before in my 25+ years of being in this hobby. That's what I love about saltwater so much...when you think you've seen it all...something new will pop up. It never gets boring to me.

When you stated you added some ocean direct live rock, may I ask where you got it from? I’m trying to inoculate all of my tanks with a diversity of good and bad critters and any leads would be fantastic.

 

[Wasabiroot]

I forgot about that episode. Horrifying

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Watching a hermit crab find a new shell, park next to it, roll it around to clean the sand out. Then climb on top and switch shells without showing his body and walk off with his new house

 

[j.falk]

When you stated you added some ocean direct live rock, may I ask where you got it from? I’m trying to inoculate all of my tanks with a diversity of good and bad critters and any leads would be fantastic.

KP Aquatics - I bought the starter rock and it was FULL of hitchhikers. It's been over a week and I'm still finding new things crawling out of the rock work on a daily basis.

And in fairness, I've bought their premium rock before and it didn't have nearly as many hitchhikers in/on it as the starter did.

 

[Eric Cohen]

It’s certainly entertaining and more than a bit exciting.

Makes me remember a book I distributed way back called "A Practical Guide to Corals"...the last page was a photo of a hand inside the tank.......one of the most common items found in your reef tank.

 

[sunken3]

This red knobby starfish always seems to steal the show!

Sorry to go off topic, but are those starfish reef safe (in the pic it’s in with coral)? I’ve heard they are not.

 

[PeterC99]

Sorry to go off topic, but are those starfish reef safe (in the pic it’s in with coral)? I’ve heard they are not.

No - they are not supposed to be reef safe. But sometimes us reefers need to live dangerously. Any issues with the red star will be relegated to the sump.

 

[sunken3]

No - they are not supposed to be reef safe. But sometimes us reefers need to live dangerously. Any issues with the red star will be relegated to the sump.

thanks... i have 2 in a anemone tank.. but would love to put them in the main reef tank...

they are also the weirdest starfish i have ever handled... they look firm, but they are NOT.. they feel like loose skin. lol

 

[Gumbies R Us]

This gave me a good laugh

 

[nuxx]

Achilles and Achilles Hybrid being best buds and not destroying each other...