Unknown Creature Hitchhiker Identification Help

blakeinsb · 02/17/2018, 09:57 AM

Hey all! I woke up this morning only to find a mysterious and long eel like creature swimming in my upper water column in one spot. After no avail searching for what it might be online, I have decided to ask the RC community. I managed to capture this creature as it tried hiding in a small piece of live rock that I was able to remove. Now it is in my quarantine until I can decide if its reef safe and its fate. Any and all help in identifying this creature would be greatly appreciated. I believe it to be some sort of fish larvae, but it is long so I am not sure if it is a type of eel. I am sorry if this is the wrong spot to post this, as i could not locate the correct thread.
https://imgur.com/WAbuuA5
https://imgur.com/REQgUpl

Misled · 02/17/2018, 01:42 PM

Do you have a cucumber? It looks like a pearlfish.

Misled · 02/17/2018, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misled

homer1475 · 02/17/2018, 02:09 PM

That is absolutely disturbing, but cool!

Brings a new meaning to the phrase:

What crawled up your but and died?

Misled · 02/17/2018, 02:12 PM

Who needs to wipe!!!!

blakeinsb · 02/17/2018, 03:44 PM

Haha wow that is awesome, thanks for the fast reply. It is definitely a pearlfish, as I just added a few inverts yesterday, including a 4 inch sea cucumber. Based on what I've researched, I don't see any reason to not deem him reef safe. Because they are nocturnal, ill let him back into the main display tonight after lights out and hopefully he can locate his anal abode! Here's another funny little video I found incase anyone's interested https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=220s&v=dOoZ6wHiSnI

Misled · 02/17/2018, 05:36 PM

He will be fine "in the reef".

Drix · 02/17/2018, 06:27 PM

Wikipedia states some of the sea-cuc pearlfish can be parasitic and eat parts of the cucumber. I'm not 100% sure I'd be putting him back.

blakeinsb · 02/18/2018, 12:42 AM

Thank you, yeah I stumbled upon this as well and initially was concerned. However, from the little info I was able to find, it doesn't actually harm the cucumber. This is because it can regrow many internal organs and will even expel their respiratory tree as a defense mechanism, which then regrows. The pinhead Pearl fish(Carapus boraborensis), which is the parasitic variety, does look awfully close to the Silver Pearl fish(Encheliophis homei) so I can't be sure on the species. However, since this little guy was likely removed from its natural habitat due to human intervention, I can't bring myself to get rid of him and am willing to take the risk. It seems to be a really slow and fragile fish. Once I can locate my cucumber, I will put it in the quarantine tank and then hopefully back into the main display with the fish inside it.

gogo7 · 02/18/2018, 11:29 AM

wow, this could be a symbiotic species only tank that i've never considered...
i'd really like to know more.

02/17/2018, 09:57 AM	#1
blakeinsb Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Santa Barbara, California Posts: 8	Unknown Creature Hitchhiker Identification Help Hey all! I woke up this morning only to find a mysterious and long eel like creature swimming in my upper water column in one spot. After no avail searching for what it might be online, I have decided to ask the RC community. I managed to capture this creature as it tried hiding in a small piece of live rock that I was able to remove. Now it is in my quarantine until I can decide if its reef safe and its fate. Any and all help in identifying this creature would be greatly appreciated. I believe it to be some sort of fish larvae, but it is long so I am not sure if it is a type of eel. I am sorry if this is the wrong spot to post this, as i could not locate the correct thread. https://imgur.com/WAbuuA5 https://imgur.com/REQgUpl

02/17/2018, 01:42 PM	#2
Misled RC Mod Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 11,440 Blog Entries: 11	Do you have a cucumber? It looks like a pearlfish. __________________ Jesse I'm not saying I'm Batman. I'm just saying nobody has ever seen me and Batman in a room together.

02/17/2018, 02:09 PM	#4
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	That is absolutely disturbing, but cool! Brings a new meaning to the phrase: What crawled up your but and died? __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

02/17/2018, 02:12 PM	#5
Misled RC Mod Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 11,440 Blog Entries: 11	Who needs to wipe!!!! __________________ Jesse I'm not saying I'm Batman. I'm just saying nobody has ever seen me and Batman in a room together.

02/17/2018, 05:36 PM	#7
Misled RC Mod Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 11,440 Blog Entries: 11	He will be fine "in the reef". __________________ Jesse I'm not saying I'm Batman. I'm just saying nobody has ever seen me and Batman in a room together.

02/17/2018, 03:44 PM	#6
blakeinsb Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Santa Barbara, California Posts: 8	Haha wow that is awesome, thanks for the fast reply. It is definitely a pearlfish, as I just added a few inverts yesterday, including a 4 inch sea cucumber. Based on what I've researched, I don't see any reason to not deem him reef safe. Because they are nocturnal, ill let him back into the main display tonight after lights out and hopefully he can locate his anal abode! Here's another funny little video I found incase anyone's interested https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=220s&v=dOoZ6wHiSnI

02/17/2018, 06:27 PM	#8
Drix Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 590	Wikipedia states some of the sea-cuc pearlfish can be parasitic and eat parts of the cucumber. I'm not 100% sure I'd be putting him back.

02/18/2018, 12:42 AM	#9
blakeinsb Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Santa Barbara, California Posts: 8	Thank you, yeah I stumbled upon this as well and initially was concerned. However, from the little info I was able to find, it doesn't actually harm the cucumber. This is because it can regrow many internal organs and will even expel their respiratory tree as a defense mechanism, which then regrows. The pinhead Pearl fish(Carapus boraborensis), which is the parasitic variety, does look awfully close to the Silver Pearl fish(Encheliophis homei) so I can't be sure on the species. However, since this little guy was likely removed from its natural habitat due to human intervention, I can't bring myself to get rid of him and am willing to take the risk. It seems to be a really slow and fragile fish. Once I can locate my cucumber, I will put it in the quarantine tank and then hopefully back into the main display with the fish inside it.

02/18/2018, 11:29 AM	#10
gogo7 pico reefer Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: ontario canada Posts: 435	wow, this could be a symbiotic species only tank that i've never considered... i'd really like to know more.