What have you 'found' in your aquarium??

lol You just pointed out what got me into the reef hobby. Sure the fish and corals are pretty, but the idea of getting a large range of critters just by buying rock? Thats amazing.

The most amazing thing I have found was my Hi-fin goby. An actual fish. He was very tiny and came with a large piece of new coral that I got on live rock.

As for common and regular hitchhikers that I have got:
Mini brittle stars (cute and adorable!), brittle worms, two types of snails, an evil crab, a mushroom, random types of worms that creep me out, pods, two types of chiton (cool critters), and ugly aiptasia.

i saw a crazy looking spider thing in my tank the other night - never seen anything like it! i have all the typical buggies, worms and stars but never seen this crazy spider thing before....

Pretty much anything you can think of coming as a hitchhiker I have seen at some point, except for a FISH.. how the heck can you get a goby as a hitchhiker? LOL. That has to be the best one yet!

I got lots of snails and a really cool mithrax crab that thinks that the whole tank belongs to him. Feather dusters, a ton of different types of sponges, some sort of coral that I'm unsure the type of yet...it's brown with separate polyps that are in the shape of mushroom polyps but mini. Lots of different types of worms. Feather dusters, barnacles...who knows what else will turn up...it's only been a few days.

eroomlorac said:

I have been very intrigued and a little creeped out by the surprises you SW and reef keepers find in your tanks. I would like to open a thread to see what all you have found unexpectedly in your tanks. One thread I read had a 7 foot worm in it. One person posting recently has something knocking on his tank at night, something he has never seen yet. I would love to hear stories and see pictures of unexpected critters you have found in your tanks that have hitchhiked in. I find this totally fascinating and a little scary. Thanks.

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Great thread by the way! I had a "knock, knock" on my tank but discovered it was my equipment clicking. Last night I had another noise...like a soft rattle snack shake. Discovered that, too, was my equipment acting stupid. Taken care of. I didn't think I would like the hitchhiker that made that noise. And this morning I found eggs on my glass!

I've found all sorts of things:
peanut worms, bristleworms, tunicates, hydroids, stomatellas, sponge, orange ball anemones, etc.

salty420 said:

i saw a crazy looking spider thing in my tank the other night - never seen anything like it! i have all the typical buggies, worms and stars but never seen this crazy spider thing before....

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Do you know where it is now? Maybe there is a good sea spider but I've not read about one yet. Instead I see things about different kinds eating zoas, etc.

I noticed only a couple of weeks ago what looks to be a golden barrel sea squirt on a rock that I've had for nearly 4 years. He's slightly bigger than a pencil eraser. I've also got loads of yellow sponge growing on the rocks, in the sump and even in the filters.

I have these tiny cup-like (sort of like a barrel without a lid on it) clear things on some of my rocks...they swell up when it seems they are filter feeding.

hey salty420, I think you might have an arrow crab!! that would be awesome!!! i always wanted one. and journey0820, you have some turnicates. And some things i have gotten were copepods, amphipods, bristle worms, a zooanthid, mini brittle stars, and turnicates.