The best and worst of hitchhikers.

Discussion in 'Live Rock' started by reefnJeff, Mar 10, 2012.

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  1. reefnJeff

    reefnJeff Pajama Cardinal

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    For fun I would like to hear about things that people have found on their rock later after being placed in their tanks.

    For me the worst was a mantis shrimp, for months I would hear that thing click at night and I had coral banded shrimp and other animals dying ( disappearing ), I finally caught the thing after I seen in go in to a rock and he got a fresh water dip.

    The best hitchhikers I had was a rock with a mess of these red and yellow tube or rock worms, they were small, but very beautiful. ohhh! and a small some kind of gorgonian.
     
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  3. PghSteeler

    PghSteeler Tassled File Fish

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    Just bought liverock for the first time today to add to a 2week old tank that was set up with all dry reef rock. Hopefully wont find anything bad but found a small white bristleworm, a small reef hermit crab, and a small patch of yellow that the guy said is some type of sponge.
     
  4. pgoodsell

    pgoodsell Horrid Stonefish

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    I went with all dry rock. And so far its the best thing I have done in one of my tanks. IMO there are more bad hitchhikers than good. If I want it in my tank Ill add it myself. Not taking the risk anymore.
     
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  5. ingtar_shinowa

    ingtar_shinowa Giant Squid

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    Im pretty lucky, out of 200+ lbs the only hitchhikers i got that are bad are hydroids, which I can live with. From frags I got aptasia and bubblealgae and bryopsis.
     
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  6. SushiGirl

    SushiGirl Barracuda

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    Yeah, I've gotten more bad hitchhikers from frags than from my 85 lbs of live rock. Worst I ever got from live rock was also hydroids, both times that I bought live rock.
     
  7. PghSteeler

    PghSteeler Tassled File Fish

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    How do you prevent the bad hitchhikers on frags? Is dipping them effective in killing bad stuff but keeping the coral alive?
     
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  9. Jake

    Jake Sea Dragon

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    I bought a fairly large 5" diameter P. damicornis colony the other day, it came with one crab, one brittle star, and two unknown snails. You should definitely be careful when buying corals... they are treated with more care during the shipping/introduction process and therefore end up with just as many or more hitchhikers as live rock.
     
  10. jonjonwells

    jonjonwells Great Blue Whale

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    Best and Worst hitchhiker I had was the same thing. A 3 stripe damsel.
     
  11. mikejrice

    mikejrice 3reef Affiliate

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    For me aptasia has no match. I didn't know that it was bad when I started my first tank and it's been a problem ever since.
     
  12. Cjiggajess

    Cjiggajess Bristle Worm

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    I agree my mom got a 6+ inch pangoda cup coral, turns out in the cave underneath the coral there was a huuuuge gorilla crab that bad boy was 2+ inches. The best was Scutus snail. Its so cool looks like a slug