The indestructable Yellow Watchman

Andrew225

A little bit of everything
Jun 26, 2007
166
0
0
Colorado
So, something happened today. However, in order to have anyone appreciate it, you have to go back two months.

I had (And still have) a 12 gallon nano-deluxe (Lighting at 48watts, extra current, etc.) as my sole Saltie tank. In it? A Hector's Gobie, a Yellow watchman (The new addition of three weeks or so), a pistol shrimp, snails, coralts, etc. One day, i wake up...yellow's gone. I go about my day, check in from time to time. Nothing.
I figure, hey, he's probably made a new home somewhere, don't worry about it. Another day passes, and one after that. Finally, in what can only be described as a novincial (SP?...That, or i just made a sweet new word) mistake, I checked around the tank. You know, lift a few rocks, rearrange some stuff...Rearrange alot of stuff...Rearrange even more. Nothing.

About six months ago, i had a firefish disappear on me, so i really wasn't all that shocked.

Fast forward to today.
I have -long- given up on the little guy. I was working o nthe tank (Graduation's in a week, figured people might want to see it.) A little Aiptasia-x there, a pick of some cualerpa here. As i go to lower the lid, who should i see staring up at me from the -back- compartment but the yellow watchman? I blink my eyes, and he's gone...However, i come back a few minutes later, open it again...And sure enough, he's staring right up at me!

So, i finish my work, grab my extra saltwater, and slowly but surely start pulling everything out of the back three compartments. Heater, filter, live rock, ceramic disks. You know, the usual stuff. I'm slow and gentle with the entire thing, noticing a plop or two here and there. Nothing of note.

Once the entire back compartemnt is clear? I wait for water to clear, slowly run my hand around...The little guy has completely disappeared.

Now, that's not what shocks me. Truth be told, I think he jumped into my tank when i wasn't looking too closely, and he's (understandably) hiding right now.

However, even so...The little guy survived for -two- months in a back compartment, and i wasn't even feeding! My Hector's goby jsut goes for the sand and all the goodies in it, so I didn't even bother. Amazing, eh?
 
That is incredible! Funny, but the poor guy must be wondering what happened to the sun LOL

I had a Jewel Cichlid survive a solid 2 hours pinned behind a dresser, covered in lint & dust. 3 years later it's still alive!
 
That is incredible! Funny, but the poor guy must be wondering what happened to the sun LOL

I had a Jewel Cichlid survive a solid 2 hours pinned behind a dresser, covered in lint & dust. 3 years later it's still alive!

you mean the tank he was in was pinned behind a dresser....?
 
No, it was a darwin cichlid, one that could breath out of water for hours. ;) Really though, is that possible for a cichlid? I know there are certain fish that can live out of water for some time, even days, but I didn't think a cichlid was one of them. I am a FW noob though so I don't know.
 
Fishieness, yes the whole tank fell! No...haha he jumped out. I heard this giant splash around 6am and thought nothing of it. I finally got up around 7:30, hopped in the shower...and while I was getting dressed, I kept hearing this thudthudthudflopflopflop noise, so I flipped the lights on, realized a fish was missing and looked around. Couldn't find him, there is no way to move the dresser with such a heavy tank on it, so I said oh well... I'll just use a shop vac and get it in a little bit. Sure enough the fish kept flopping. I couldn't live with myself if I just left it there (although I did try..sorry!). I managed to get a yard stick behind the dresser and flip him out the other side. He was COMPLETELY covered in dust/lint, and he was still wet! I think if it weren't for that, he would have dried out and suffocated even faster?

I have taken fish home from fishing, they've been out of water for a couple hours, sitting on a filet board, stick a knife in them and they suddenly come back to life and flop all around. Creepy.
 
AquariaCentral.com