nature seems to find a way

[Aescleah]

a few months ago NC had a very bad ice storm the power was out for like 5 days . I managed to get most of my fish out of my 105 gal and bered at the LFS near me. well all but 3 2 damsels and my orcid dottyback despite the fact the water was like under 35 degrees for 5 days .even though the damsels died and i never saw my dotty back but 3 days after the power came on it was back lookin for food. I thought all the little fan worms star fish and other inverts would be dead, But after some time its starting to look like the life is slowly coming back. the starfish are on the walls agian and i see even cooler stuff making its home on the rock then before the storm. thats why i love this hobby it amazes me every day. Does anyone else have any cool come back stories?

Ashley

[Corax]

I gotcha beat!

3 years ago, I went out to lunch with a friend of mine. We were out and about and he says to me "Hey, I need to run by my house and feed my fish". Now being an avid keeper at the time, I was happy to go with him to see what all he kept. He had just gotten a Maroon clownfish and a long tentacle anemone. I fell in love right then and there, and within a month after watching his clown interact with the anemone, I was salting down my first tank =)

Ok, fast forward 2 years... The maroon clown vanishes from his tank, presumed dead and eaten by the cleanup crew...

Then about 4 months later, my freind was going through a divorce. He asked me what all I could take from his tank (ended up with about 60lbs of LR and a yellow tang)... Well, about a week later he calls and asks if I can make room for a maroon clown! Apparently, when he was breaking down the tank, he found this maroon clown living in the 5 gallon sump! It must have jumped out of the tank, bounced off the wall and hit a 12x8 opening... Then survived in the dark, with no direct feedings for 4 long months!

Yeah, I'd call that a comeback =)

[kreblak]

This isn't a comeback story, but instead one of survival like none I have ever seen. I had a friend purchase a 90 gallon tank. He began cycling it too early after set up with 15 damsels. All died within a week except for one 2" long blue devil. He then decided to fishless cycle the tank (with the damsel still in it) with 5 cocktail shrimp. The damsel just hunkered down below some decorations, and rode out the highest ammonia levels I have ever seen on a water test for 3 weeks! It then endured another 2 weeks of nitrite readings that were off the charts. It should also be noted that he stopped feeding the damsel as well, because no one had seen it for weeks, and it was presumed dead. When, at last, the cycle was finished and the tank was ready, he purchased a Unicorn Tang and two Percula Clownfishes. Guess who emerged from the depths to begin defending his territory? He was pale, and still has respiratory problems to this day, but he is alive and he is mean!

[votek]

Damsels have got to be some of the toughest fish out there. Especially when they are able to live through situations like that.

Good stories though. :)