This brings a whole new meaning to "Filter Feeder"

[lmw80]

So I am at the computer yesterday, playing yahoo pool.....everything is fine and dandy...calm and quiet.....

Daniel goes to the living room to check and see if the filter cartridges from the Penguin 330 Biowheel filter on our 46 gallon tank need to be rinsed off. It seems that lately, like in the past month, they just don't seem to be picking up as much "stuff" as they used to. I hear Daniel say oh my g-d in a matter of fact type of voice...10 seconds later he says it again, but a little louder. A few seconds after that, he practically screams it! I go running over to see what's going on...the microcrab (also known as the minicrab, I think) that mysteriously disappeared around 1 month ago, is in the filter! When Daniel tries to fish him out, he moves! He's alive! No wonder the filter cartridges have been so bare!

So as he tries to grab him, the crab runs away, and practically falls to the floor....he is hanging on by like 2 legs to the side of the filter....I pick up another net and hand it to Daniel so he can get this guy in between the nets and back in the tank....well...as he is struggling with the nets, he accidently knocked over the tube for the [acronym:2c1d8d9fd9="Ultra Violet"]UV[/acronym:2c1d8d9fd9] Sterilizer (we have it unhooked for a couple of days until we get the new bulb in) that was resting near the filter. All the water that had been sitting in the tube is now pouring onto the floor behind the tank!

There's a lot of cursing going on at this point, lol. While I run to the closet, Daniel finally gets the crab, places him back in the tank and starts moving things out of the way so we can get to the water. Ok, I am at the closet....no clean towels! AH! I run to the hamper and start throwing clothes in the air, across the room, on top of furniture...I find 4 towels and run over to the tank with them....we clean up the water, replace the supplies and such back to their respective places, and sigh in relief!

Well, the previously nameless crab has now become known as Gulliver because of his travels!! Hopefully he stays put this time!

[deli_conker]

Wow! That's pretty crazy. Hopefully he stays around this time for you (although it is kind neat that the filter was cleaned for you). I know what the water-all-over-the-place-panic is all about. But I found something that works really, really well.

I think they're spelled 'chamois' but pronounced 'sham-ees'. I got a bunch of them at the fair for $20 in the 'As Seen On TV' building. I watched this guy soak up a 2 litre of pepsi from a carpet remnant. Then he squeezed it all out into a bowl, poured some water on the carpet (to remove the sugar that may have been left behind) and soaked that up too. The carpet was clean and almost completely dry in a matter of seconds.

I keep one folded under my canister in my stand and another one sitting next to it for any accidents. I usually have it out at water change time to pick up any small spills and drips.

[grimlock3000]

That filter was probably a dark version of crab heaven

[Menagerie]

Glad to hear the crab is doing well!
I had a water accident yesterday too--I was cleaning the 50 [acronym:1dfd9e42fa="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:1dfd9e42fa] and while filling it, the hose came out of the tank I was the only one home and there are still unpacked boxes in that room. I won't be doing tank changes by myself any more

[William]

My Crabs are always in my filters, atleast until I put a ultra tight fitting glass lid on the tanks.

I would have to fish them out of there on a daily basis, one even liked to ride on the biowheel.

Congrats on finding him, and stopping the flood

[Menagerie]

one even liked to ride on the biowheel

If that ever happens again, you *must* get a picture!!