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FAQs about Non-Vertebrate Animal Identification 12
Related Articles: Marine Invertebrates,
Quarantine of Corals and Invertebrates,
Feeding Reef Invertebrates,
Lighting Marine Invertebrates,
Water Flow, How Much is Enough,
Related FAQs: Non-Vert IDs 1,
Non-Vert IDs 2, Non-Vert IDs 3,
Non-Vert IDs 4, Non-Vert IDs 5,
Non-Vert IDs 6,
Non-Vert IDs 7, Non-Vert
IDs 8,
Non-Vert IDs 9,
Non-Vert IDs 10, Non-Vert IDs 11,
Non-Vert IDs 13, Non-Vert IDs 14,
Non-Vert IDs 15, Non-Vert IDs 16,
Non-Vert IDs 17, Non-Vert IDs 18,
Non-Vert. ID 19, Non-Vert. ID 20,
Non-Vert. ID 21, Non-Vert. ID 22,
Non-Vert. ID 23, Non-Vert. ID 24,
Non-Vert. ID 25, Non-Vert ID 26,
Non-Vert ID 27, Non-Vert ID 28,
Non-Vert ID 29, Non-Vert ID 30
Non-Vert ID 31, Non-Vert ID 32,
Non-Vert 33, Non-Vert ID 34
Non-Vert ID 39, Non-Vert ID 40,
Non-Vert ID 41, Non-Vert ID 42, &
Marine Invertebrates,
Marine Invert.s 2, Marine Invert.s 3,
& FAQs about: Marine Invertebrate
Behavior, Marine Invertebrate
Compatibility, Marine Invertebrate
Selection, Marine Invertebrate
Systems, Feeding Reef Invertebrates,
Marine Invertebrate Disease,
Marine Invertebrate Reproduction, &
LR Life Identification, LR
Hitchhiker ID 1, Anemone
Identification,
Aiptasia Identification, Aiptasia ID
2, Worm Identification,
Tubeworm ID, Polychaete
Identification, Snail Identification,
Marine Crab Identification, Marine
Invert.s 1, Marine Invert.s 2,
Marine Plankton, | 
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Ant-Like Bugs In My Tank! - 01/11/06 First
I would like to say Thank You for all the help and knowledge from all
you experienced aquarist! <<Glad you find it of use.>> This
hobby has made me read like never before! <<Me too!>> A month
ago I purchased a giant feather duster. I noticed in the adjacent tank
there was a sea urchin crawling with bugs “Problem should have been a
sign to not buy anything from this place!” <<Not necessarily so.>>
But to my mistake I did, since then the feather duster has died due to a
wrasse ripping his head off. <<This can be hard on feather
dusters...>> Now I have noticed the same bugs crawling everywhere in
the shadows of light, under rocks, crevices etc, also on the flesh of a
sea apple <<YIKES!!! Not reacting to the presence of the "bugs",
but rather to the fact you have a "sea apple." Please do some (more)
reading/research re these creatures.>> and elsewhere! I’ve done
much research and can find nothing on these critters, they run around
like ants is my best description! Any info on what I should do would be
greatly appreciated! Thank you! Info on my setup and livestock please
look here for details
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/friendEmail.php/imID1728 <<Sounds
like you have noticed the amphipods growing/multiplying in your
system...can be a beneficial natural food source for fishes and
more. Have a read here and among the indices in blue at the top of the
page: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/amphipodfaqs.htm
Thank you again! Mike <<Regards, EricR>>
White Critters -
01/10/2006 In the sump only I find these things that are flat
and about 3/16's in diameter with a tube sticking out about a quarter of
an inch long. They are white in color and do not seem to move about at
all. They are in a high water flow area. Some others are more like a
cylinder and attached at one end. Can you please help since I have never
seen these prior to this. <Without a pic. it's hard to say with
certainty. Most likely they are simply a Polychaete of some sort.>
Thanks <Welcome. - Josh>
Mystery Hitchhiker - 01/05/06 Hi, This critter came to
my 6 gallon tank on a small piece of live rock. He's less than an
inch long, has a hard shell, and seems to be stationery. He does
lift slightly up off the rock and open up that v-shape (as in this
pic), but then sinks back against the rock and closes it up. I've
done tons of searching on line, but can't seem to find anything
similar, and it's driving me nuts!!! Any thoughts on identifying
him would be greatly appreciated! <Mmm, my best guess is a type
of ark shell/bivalve (Arca species). Bob Fenner> | 
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Livestock Abuse, On Purpose!?, Josh with Foot In Mouth - 1/05/2006
<<Ok. I'm sorry. I completely missed the accidental, while adding LR to
tank intro. here. I feel like a big IDIOT!>> Hello, I have a black
knobby starfish, I brought it home on some LR and I had no water from
it's previous tank so I dumped it in my tank, (during a cycle).
<Why?> Over the past few weeks, I haven't seen him, then all of a
sudden last week he came out. Every day he is out, scouring the sand
bed, munching on it looking for food. The cucumber <What!? Have you
at least established what this creature is!?> stood up to nitrite
levels. of 10 ppm, <When life hands you lemons...> nitrates of
40ppm +, and not to mention that 10 minute drive home out of the water.
Now my question is, how did this creature live and how do I properly
care, for it, and feeding is my main problem, as I think my sandbed is
too small for the cucumber which is 12 cm long, and about 1 inch thick.
<You nearly sound like you were HOPING for the worst! Feeding is not
your main problem here. I would say it is lack of consideration. It
seems like you actually knew better than this already.> Also, you
ever come across such behaviour, and a creature as delicate as a
cucumber live through those parameters and the stress of not being
properly introduced into the aquarium. <Unfortunately YES! This is a
sad situation for many uninformed beginners, however I've never heard of
such a nonchalant attitude toward it. Please inform yourself about
desired specimens before acquiring them, and avoid abusing them. - Josh>
<<Whew! I'm an ass! I apologize, I only slept 2 hours last night and I'm
clearly not in good shape to be on today. You've gotten lucky on the
incidental critter/its survival. Bonus! First you'll have to establish
whether it be star, cucumber or Chiton. The care for these from here out
you can find in the appropriate FAQs. For the sand bed thing, you can
always direct feed instead of leaving it to forage naturally. Alright,
you can punch me in the face if ever we meet. Now, I'm out for the day.
I'm really, REALLY sorry friend. If anyone needs me, I'm on a long walk
off a short pier. - Josh>
Non-Inverts ID-8 - 01/03/2006 Hi there Bob, I saw the
following post on your Non-Inverts ID-8 FAQ on wet web media and
would like to add to it but couldn't figure how to do that :
<You're doing it> Sponge? Greetings: Have searched your
archives and forum, but haven't seen these, and I'd like to know
if they're "bad" or "good". They resemble small (.5 to 1 cm)
pineapples, but appear to be sponges. They prefer lower light in my
125 reef tank and my 44 FOWLR, judging by placement. I've attached a
small photo. One or two reside on live rock, but most are on
"reef bones" or other dead / ornamental rock. Bob's book
discusses sponges that can harm other invertebrates, and I have
various corals / anemones. Any worries? <Don't think so... do
they move about? Looks like a small sea cucumber to me...
oriented as it is on its apparent side... with processes/tentacles
grouped on one end> Also, I have very small (1mm) hard, white
objects on plumbing and glass. They're semi-circular, looking
like miniscule gnocchi (sans alfredo or marinara sauce). Any
concerns there? <Nope... these are very likely tubiculous
tubeworms... large ones are often called featherdusters...>
Indispensable web site and archives! Have found answers to every
question (few hundred or so!) since starting a year ago. Someone
needs to collate your archives into a curriculum. <Yikes...
you're frightening me...> My fish and invertebrates most
sincerely THANK YOU for putting in all the hours answering these
questions. Jon in da Nort'woods <Bob Fenner in strangely
rainy Southern Cal.> | 
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My addition: Horror Movie Spawn? Dear Bob, I have a
55 gallon Reef tank with fire and cleaner shrimps, hard and soft
corals, turbo snails, hermit crabs and a variety of fish (Tang, fire
goby, Heniochus, clown fish). Everything grows phenomenally well
(perhaps because I have all your books or I have been lucky!. I
do a 20% water change each week, have carbon and phosphate
filtration and feed fish on frozen veggies and shrimp twice a
day. Strong fluorescent icecap lighting. Anyway, I have the
exact same two types of unidentified critters (and only these)
mentioned by this poster, both occurred at the same time as well. I
added 6 Trochus snails to the tank to snack on a bit of green algae
and low and behold the tank suddenly filled with the little
white dots (spiral Spirorbidae copepods I believe based on your
other postings). <Spirorbids are polychaetes... one of a few
families of tube-dwelling segmented worms> Likewise at the same
time I noticed one larger white "pineapple" growing under a rock.
It got to about 1/3-1/2 of an inch and almost spherical over a
period of 2-3weeks and then overnight all my plumbing and pumps
were nearly clogged with smaller versions (about 2mm long).
Nasty! Hundreds of them, stuck on the glass etc - but
interestingly not many in the main tank. It was almost like the
bigger one suddenly spawned all the smaller ones which got sucked
into the sump and then grew. So my questions are: 1. Can it
really be a coincidence or are the White dots related to Trochus
snails (I saw a similar situation posted on another FAQ) - e.g. are
they juvenile snails that one day will turn into 5000 Trochus snails
munching on the tank in some kind of horror movie spawn?!? <I do
think they're unrelated... but time will tell> 2. What can I add
to the tank that will snack on the white dots and control them -
it's looking like the north pole in some areas!? Invert, fish,
napalm, whatever. <You might try a small wrasse species...
perhaps a yellow "Coris"> 3. Could the "pineapples" be related
to the white dots in any way, given timing? <Yes, but unlikely>
(aside from both being passengers on the snails at the same time)
4. Presuming the pineapples are harmless, what can I add to my
system to either eat them or get them out of the plumbing? <Will
very likely cycle out on their own... wait a few weeks> 5. Will
the new generation of pineapples each spawn and force me to run from
another horror movie situation? Many thanks Tim in New York
<Likely not... often something, enough missing in the environment to
allow, sustain such spawnings/animals. I would be patient here. Bob
Fenner> |
Critters 12/26/05
Hello, I was watching a recent addition to my aquarium, a
long-tentacled anemone, which has an anemone crab living with
it. Within a few of the tentacles of the anemone were small white
particles which, much to my surprise, would occasionally appear to
scurry back and forth within the tentacle--clearly they are alive. I
asked my wife to confirm, and unless this is a shared delusion, they are
really there, and look somewhat like a 1-2mm horseshoe crab, though it's
hard to get a detailed look at them. Has anyone heard of this? Could
this be a parasite or a larval form of something? Thanks for
reading...<I'd believe a larval form of some critter. I wouldn't be
alarmed, sit back and enjoy. James (Salty Dog)> Todd
More Mystery Critters in the Reef Tank 12/13/05 Hello all,
<Hi.> I have a question, i recently found a medium sized
spiral shell on one of my live rocks, and it seems to have a
resident living in it. I don't know what it is, but it looks like a
snail. it doesn't move, as it part of the rock, and when it eats it
sends out "webs" and then reels them in when its loaded up with all
kinds of particles. the shell is a cream color and the resident is
a mustard earthy brown. anyone have any clue as what it could be? any
info would be great. <Hard to say without a picture, but I would
guess a tube worm or feather duster from your description, search WWM or
Google with these phrases, compare pictures and see if this is what you
have.> Thanks again, Heidi <Welcome, Adam J.>
White Spot on Rock..? Tiny Tubes, Maybe 12/4/05 Hello, I
have had my saltwater tank set up now for about 8 months. All has
been going well up to now. About a month ago I noticed a couple of
white spots on once of my rocks. I tried scratching it off with my
fingernail, but it was hard and did not come off. I didn't think
much of it at the time. Now, every piece of rock in my tank has
these white spots on them. <<Yes, they appear to be a type of
tube worm, but honestly the type/name completely escapes me now.>>
I can't seem to find what they are. I don't know if they are harmful
or what will get rid of them or if I should just leave them alone.
<<Oh! They're thriving, and completely not harmful (unless you break
a nail or scratch yourself on them). Leave them be.>> My tank is
a 46 gal bow front. It has about 35 lbs of lace rock, and 10-15 lbs
of Tonga and Fiji live rock. I want to get more live rock but if
these spots are harmful I don't want to risk it. <<No worries
here, my friend.>> I hope the pictures I attach are helpful with
the identification. <<They would be if I weren't having such a
big brain fart right now. I was hoping one of the other, more
knowledgeable crewmembers might have a go, but there seems to be
some confusion on what to do with emails with images, and someone
keeps putting your message into my inbox. So, while I can't tell you
exactly what they are, I *can* tell you they're quite common, not a
bad sign at all (like finding your tank full of "pods"), and are
likely either teeny tiny little filter feeders, or detritivores who
may be sending out little mucous-y fishing lines across the rock for
feeding. In the meantime, try one of the reefing bulletin boards,
WetWebFotos, reefs.org, Reefland or the like. Marina>> Thank you
very much for your help. James | 
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Questions On Lighting and Invert. ID - 12/06/2005 Hi Crew,
<Hello.> I seem to have a mental block about lighting. So, if I have
a 10 gallon with mushrooms and candy cane and some fish. Am I better off
with 96W quad 10,000k or with a 96w quad 50/50 act/10k? Right now I have
the 50/50 and it seems ok except for a couple mushrooms that prefer less
light. <That's really up to you/aesthetic preference. Either will be
fine, so if you've already got it just use it. When it's time to replace
bulbs you can try a different combo. and see how it suits you, just
remember to acclimate your livestock properly.> I have the candy cane
for about a year. It came with various tube worms on it. <Rather
common.> Recently I noticed something poking out of the base. It
looks like a light brown snowflake about 1/16 of an inch across. It
looks just like a magnified picture of a snowflake. There are two of
them and I can not see any tube. They seem to be coming out of a space
in the base. Where should I look to ID these? <Try searching the net
for images of the Serpulid fan worms. That's most likely what you're
seeing and they are commonly found in live corals as well as live rock.
If this turns out to be the case, then don't worry about them possibly
harming your coral. - Josh> Octopus, or What?
Probably a Brittle or Serpent Star 12/7/05 Hi Guys, <And
girls right? Oh, and Hi Oleksandr> I hope my question won't look
strange but I really need an answer from Pros. <Oh...Hope I'll do
instead!> I have quite a new tank, a bit more than a month old. I
added a few inverts. during the last two weeks; 15 hermits, 15 different
snails and an Emerald Crab, to get rid of hair algae that have grown
quite large during cycling. So, put to now the LR and the tank is
crystal clear. But what I saw today kicked me out of my chair. <If
you don't stand up for yourself now they'll walk all over ya'.> I was
adding small pieces of shrimp meat in order to see whether I can get a
good enough amount of copepods/amphipods <Not really going to help so
much as degrade your water quality.> because I want to have a
Mandarin in my 30g and before I buy one I want to make sure that they
will have enough food. <Sorry friend, but this beautiful fish is not
suited for your tank. You'd need a large, very mature system with a
refugium to have a chance at keeping the Mandarin well fed and healthy.
Very wise to have thought ahead though.> Anyhow, I put a few pieces
inside one of my LR, sit in front of the tank and start looking who will
take first bite. To my great surprise, a small creature came out from
between the rocks. A really tiny guy with a tablet-like body ~2mm in
diameter and ~5 tentacles of approx. 1 cm long. On its dark back there
was something like a cross. This creature took the meat with himself and
moved to a small cave. Apparently he does not like a light. It reminds
me of an octopus, besides its "legs" looked like an octopus tentacles.
<More likely to be a Brittlestar of some sort.> But is that possible?
<Yes, but not probable.> How this guy survived cycling, and if it is
not an octopus, who could it be? <My money's on a harmless
Brittlestar (LR hitchhiker), useful detritivore> And do I need to get
rid of it? <At this point no. Just observe, innocent until proven
guilty.> I already have a crab that came with my LR that I plan to
get rid of and I don't want another guest. Thank you in advance!!!
Oleksandr <You're welcome. - Josh> Re: An Octopus or What
Is This? 12/7/05 Hi Josh, <Hi Oleksandr!> Thanks a
lot for the answer. <No sweat.> That was indeed the Brittlestar,
when I got your reply I searched the net for a picture and found one
similar to what I saw. <Oh, good!> Honestly I was a bit upset
about your comment on the Mandarins but I guess you are right, besides
upgrading a tank to a larger one sounds like a good project for the
future! <Careful, this gets quite addictive;) As for the Mandarins I
can understand your disappointment, they're some of my favorites as
well. Don't just take my word for it though, check out this link
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm and follow the blue links
above. This will give you a good idea of what you're up against. It's
always good to have goals right!> Thanks once again! Oleksandr
<Glad to help friend. - Josh> Stow-aways of Live Rock
11/28/05 Good Evening, <Morning! John here answering your
query from Shanghai> I have been searching your site for a few hours
now, and I have yet to come across an article that resembles the problem
I am about to explain to you. I have a 20L with good H20 quality, a nice
assortment of fish, and as I recently discovered something new. I first
noticed something was up when I turned on the lights in my marine tank
to find what appeared to be 1/4" long mini "centipedes". I use
centipedes loosely because I can not come up with a better description,
they are 1/4" inches long (for now) they are white/pinkish, have what
appears to be a segmented exoskeleton/body, and from what I could see,
appendages on their front and rear. This alarmed me, but I hoped that
some of my Blue Leg Hermits would make short order of them. Apparently
not because tonight I saw what looks like a "nest" made of what looks
like spider webbing on my live rock, its size was comparable to a cone
snail. My question for you has a few parts, 1) what the heck are
these creatures? 2) are they dangerous to anything in my tank?
3) If they are dangerous what can I do about them? Any help you could
provide would be much appreciated. Chuck from Boston. <(1) They
sound like bristle worms. Generally (yes, there are rare exceptions to
the rule) beneficial detritivores that keep your sand bed turned over
and add to the bio-diversity in your tank. The "webbing" you refer to
sounds like something else. Much more information can be found on our
Bristle Worm FAQs pages. (2) Likely not. Enjoy the diversity of
interesting life in your tank! Best regards, John>
Aquasaurs? 11/15/05 Hey WWC! <Howdy> I was
flipping through a magazine and found a little 3/4 gallon tank that
they sold with two to three Aquasaurs. Supposedly these little guys
have stayed the same for about 25 million years. The 'tank' was a
little more than a clear plastic tub. I tried to look up any more
information on them, but all that came up was more advertising for
the same thing. What truly are Aquasaurs? <Likely the
modern-day spin of "Sea-Monkey"... Artemia salina, Brine Shrimp. Bob
Fenner> <<Do they look anything like this? Marina>> |
Can
you ID this? 11/12/2005 It's not a very good photo but it's
the best we got. What you see is about 1/2 inch long. Thank you
<... looks "worm-like"... Many such possibilities. Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/wormidfaqs.htm. Bob Fenner> | 
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Mystery growth and Putting the Cart Before the Horse - 11/12/2005
Hi WWM, <Hello Teddy. I'm very sorry for the delay on your response.
It seems for the time being I'll be without home net access.> I have
a question for you guys and gals. <Shoot.> Lately I have
discovered little white creatures on my glass. They were first in the
refugium now they are spreading pretty quickly. <This is likely from
excess nutrients, will probably "run out of gas".> I don't know what
they are but if you look really close to them they seem like white balls
with arms or hair sticking out of them. <Sound like Syconoid
sponges.> About 8 arms or hair around the body. They look like
snowflakes. <Or...?> Just wanted to know what they are if you
guys knew what they are. BTW I have a 55g saltwater tank. The test kits
show everything is in the norm. If you need more info let me know.
<If you could take a pic. that would be most helpful.> Thanks for
taking the time. Teddy <Sorry I've taken so long. - Josh>
Sand question 11/9/05 I have a 10 gallon SW with 1.5" sand,
fish and mushrooms. It is now about 30 months old. I noticed a patch of
sand (about 4x4 inches) that looks like a mound. First I thought it was
my Gramma excavating which he does every once and a while but I ruled
that out. The mound started coming to a point. I decided to explore it
and I dug into it. The sand seems to stick together as if it were
magnets and it feels clumpy to the touch. <Good description> Water
parameters are stable; ammonia 0, nitrate 0 and even nitrites 0 (since I
added some Chaeto). I do not clean the sand since I do not see a need
for it. I never see any debris on it so I assume my critters and worms
are taking care of everything. Is this anything to be concerned about?
<Mmm, not much... likely this is some species of worm or mollusk at
work/living... with such small systems aging, it is a good idea to
"shake up" the chemical/physical make-up periodically... add, replace a
good part (a few tens of percent) of rock, substrate... Bob Fenner>
Identification ?
11/4/05 I relocated some zoos a few weeks ago and notice this
thing starting to grow out of the side of the frag. It looks like a
strawberry. <Yes> The bright red spots on it appear to
fluoresce. The structure is significantly different than bubble
algae. There is a central stem that the nodules are growing
from...sort of like a tree. There are two other strawberry looking
buds developing symmetrically under the original bud on the same
stalk. It's also odd that it is coming from a frag that has been
in my tank for 8 months. But growth rate is somewhat alarming since
it was nonexistent a couple weeks ago to now having 3 "buds". I
don't want it to get to a certain size and go sexual and have these
all over...even though by itself it looks pretty cool. Any ideas as
to what it is? <Looks like either a sponge or more likely an
Ascidian (Sea Squirt) colony to me. Bob Fenner> Here's the photo:
http://www.jimsflies.com/reeftank/mystery_growth.jpg - Thanks,
Jim | 
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what is it? Poor English and not using WWM 11/3/05 hello I just
looked at my yellow polyps and some live rock and saw these little sea
monkey things crawling on them are they harmful to the coral if so how
do i get rid of them there is lots of them. thanks for the help.
<Please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/crustidfaqs.htm Bob Fenner>
Little Off White Balls 10/26/05 OK this is a weird one. I got
home today and saw 4 little off white balls floating around my reef, at
first I thought to myself " this is not good" then I noticed that my
Spaghetti Finger Leather was closed up on just one of the branch's on
the end. These little balls looked just like little pieces of the Coral.
Do they breed like this or is there something else I should look further
into. <<Hmm...what you describe sounds like "budding." I've known LPS
species to do this but not Leather corals, though that's not to say they
couldn't. Some keyword searches on the Net (coral budding, leather coral
reproduction, etc.) might turn up something.>> V/R Matt
<<Regards, EricR>> White cysts <likely encrusting, tubiculous
worms> - 10/23/2005 I noticed a number of hard white things
(cysts?) <I doubt it.> about the size of a large sand grain
attached to the black plastic part of the built-in overflow in the tank.
There were about 20 of them and I scraped them off. They didn't come off
easily. Now I'm thinking they may have been Ich cysts. <Let's not get
hasty!> All fish are fine in my FOWLR tank. What do you think
they were and is there anything I need to do? <Personally, I'm
inclined to believe they would be Polychaetes (likely Spirorbids). Many
on my overflow as well. I think you are safe.> Mitch Wohl <Josh>
Bright Orange Stuff Growing on the Substrate - What Could it Be?
10/17/05 Hi Crew! <Steven> Basics: 220 gal. FOWLR, 0
ammonia, 0 nitrite, 15 nitrates, SG 1.023, temp 80 F. Three month
old aquarium with cured Tonga live rock, aragonite substrate (5") lots
of coralline showing up. We have a large wet/dry, protein skimmer
(working very well), trickle filter, PolyFilter, and a refugium with
crushed live rock/Caulerpa. Livestock: 5" Fiji Bicolor Rabbitfish,
2" volitans, 1.5" Chevron, 30" Zebra Moray eel. Questions: I have
bright orange/red stuff forming on the substrate - algae? If so
what kind? <Maybe... perhaps a sponge... no way to tell from here>
Also my Rabbitfish since week 1 (had him 5 weeks now) he has shed his
slime (I think its slime), but he otherwise is active, good color, hogs
down on Nori, and eats pellet food, shrimp pieces, and flake food. He
eats very well and active swimmer. He sheds big sheets of what appears
to be slime, is this normal or should I be worried? <Likely normal>
Also is it normal for the eel to lay in the rocks with his head sideways
or upside down the day after he eats? <Mmm, no> Doesn't move
around much in the last two days since he ate Tiger shrimp (one piece
cut into several pieces that was frozen and soaked in Zoe as it thawed
out). Your comments and help are greatly appreciated. You guys are
dedicated and your help is bar none the best out there! Steven
<... welcome. Bob Fenner>
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