Wow, baby fish living in my rocks like a worm - Aquarium Advice

grimlock3000 · 11-02-2003, 11:23 PM

I was vacuuming my 26g today and keeping a watchful eye on the cloud of waste going up the tube. All of a sudden, I see something darting around halfway up the tube. It freaked me out, because I knew all of my fish were well away from the tube. I thought I ventured across some huge water insect or parasite that found its way into my tank. I stopped the siphon, and let the waste settle a bit. In the tube I had a baby Cherry Barb, about half an inch long, complete with a full side stripe! Anyway, I thought the baby must have been trapped under a rocks and it was really freaking out, so I released the hose and sent the little fish and all the waste back into the tank (mental note to self: do not do this again in the future).

Once the fish got loose, it was trying to get down into the rocks and looking for an opening instead of swimming in the tank or looking for a place to hide in the decorations. I have medium sized gravel substrate, so the fish found a spot pretty quick between the rocks and the glass where I could see it. Once it got in there, I watched as it started poking and twisting through little opengings in the rocks. Eventually it went down below the plastic frame of my tank.

I have seen my young guppies hide in the rocks, but this was entirely different. The Barb was wiggling through the rocks like a worm, and apparently has been doing so for a while since I have never seen the fish before, and it was clearly well developed. It was actually bigger than one of the young Guppies I put in the tank that is now doing fine. My tank is heavily viewed and the last time I saw a baby Barb in there, it was one day old and my fish were picking off the eggs and babies like food at a buffet. The instincts of this fish have kept it alive this long, now I hope the little Barb comes out for a swim before it gets trapped in the gravel or anything

Allivymar · 11-03-2003, 12:18 AM

[acronym:4fd03aaa27="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:4fd03aaa27] How cool is that! Smart lil bugger...have a feeling he'll be around for a while.

Next time you vaccum him up, get us a pic

yv1 · 11-03-2003, 02:07 AM

thats so cute! some fish are just survivors

i have had another batch of guppies and only one has survived because he sleeps behind the co2 diffuser every night.

i want to see a pic of the little guy too.

grimlock3000 · 11-03-2003, 07:09 PM

When the fish went back into the gravel, my was like "Well aren't you going to save it???" For a split second, I had delusions of tearing up my entire substrate to find the fish and put it in my other tank. No pictures for a while, unless the little one decides it is not going to get eaten

Electrobes · 11-03-2003, 07:39 PM

man smart little bugger, especially for a barb... man thats definately a keeper!

myriam · 11-03-2003, 08:46 PM

Very cool, grimlock. That fish is definitely a survivor! How amazing that you didn't see it all this time--it must have been around for a few weeks already. Congrats on your Cherry Barb fry

Sati · 11-03-2003, 09:21 PM

Awww, cute! Man, I want babies too, heh.

Allivymar · 11-03-2003, 10:37 PM

[acronym:48e3fbfeed="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:48e3fbfeed] I am NOT touching that one Sati

Sati · 11-03-2003, 11:06 PM

No, no, no! I am 26 and still waaaay too young for anything other than fish babies and the kittens we had in January ;]

grimlock3000 · 11-19-2003, 10:51 AM

Just an update, the small Barb now lives in the cave with my Pleco and has been there a few times I have checked. It could be a different one, but this one seems about the same size as the one in the rocks. I have not seen Barb out of the cave yet, which is suprising. I guess it finds the Pleco less scary than the other fish in the tank.

11-02-2003, 11:23 PM	#1
grimlock3000 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: maine Posts: 1,971 Images: 1	Wow, baby fish living in my rocks like a worm I was vacuuming my 26g today and keeping a watchful eye on the cloud of waste going up the tube. All of a sudden, I see something darting around halfway up the tube. It freaked me out, because I knew all of my fish were well away from the tube. I thought I ventured across some huge water insect or parasite that found its way into my tank. I stopped the siphon, and let the waste settle a bit. In the tube I had a baby Cherry Barb, about half an inch long, complete with a full side stripe! Anyway, I thought the baby must have been trapped under a rocks and it was really freaking out, so I released the hose and sent the little fish and all the waste back into the tank (mental note to self: do not do this again in the future). Once the fish got loose, it was trying to get down into the rocks and looking for an opening instead of swimming in the tank or looking for a place to hide in the decorations. I have medium sized gravel substrate, so the fish found a spot pretty quick between the rocks and the glass where I could see it. Once it got in there, I watched as it started poking and twisting through little opengings in the rocks. Eventually it went down below the plastic frame of my tank. I have seen my young guppies hide in the rocks, but this was entirely different. The Barb was wiggling through the rocks like a worm, and apparently has been doing so for a while since I have never seen the fish before, and it was clearly well developed. It was actually bigger than one of the young Guppies I put in the tank that is now doing fine. My tank is heavily viewed and the last time I saw a baby Barb in there, it was one day old and my fish were picking off the eggs and babies like food at a buffet. The instincts of this fish have kept it alive this long, now I hope the little Barb comes out for a swim before it gets trapped in the gravel or anything __________________ 26 freshwater 2x Sunburst Platys (2M, 2F) // 3x Neon Tetras (?) // 2x Cherry Barbs (1M, 1F) // 2x YoYo Loaches (?) // 1x Bushy Nose Pleco (M) // 1x Clown Pleco (?) // 15H marine -30# Live Rock -Mixed Snails (Nassarius // Cerith // Astrea // Black Turbo // Mexican Turbo) -8x Blue Leg Hermit Crabs // 1x Banded Serpent Star // 1x Cleaner Shrimp -1x Royal Gramma // 1x Percula Clownfish -2x Mushroom Leather // Metallic Green Star Polyps // Pulsing Xenia // Striped Xenia // Blue Mushroom -Remora + Maxi-Jet 1200 // 2x Maxi-Jet 600 // Maxi-Jet 400 // Visi-Therm Deluxe 50 // Current USA Orbit 2x 40w [acronym:f2db8017b4="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:f2db8017b4]

11-03-2003, 12:18 AM	#2
Allivymar Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2003 Location: NY Posts: 4,355 Images: 15	[acronym:4fd03aaa27="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:4fd03aaa27] How cool is that! Smart lil bugger...have a feeling he'll be around for a while. Next time you vaccum him up, get us a pic __________________ aka Cycling Guru and the Ich Slayer glares at Terry and QTOFFER Card carrying member of FTAS & GCAS.

11-03-2003, 07:09 PM	#4
grimlock3000 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: maine Posts: 1,971 Images: 1	When the fish went back into the gravel, my was like "Well aren't you going to save it???" For a split second, I had delusions of tearing up my entire substrate to find the fish and put it in my other tank. No pictures for a while, unless the little one decides it is not going to get eaten __________________ 26 freshwater 2x Sunburst Platys (2M, 2F) // 3x Neon Tetras (?) // 2x Cherry Barbs (1M, 1F) // 2x YoYo Loaches (?) // 1x Bushy Nose Pleco (M) // 1x Clown Pleco (?) // 15H marine -30# Live Rock -Mixed Snails (Nassarius // Cerith // Astrea // Black Turbo // Mexican Turbo) -8x Blue Leg Hermit Crabs // 1x Banded Serpent Star // 1x Cleaner Shrimp -1x Royal Gramma // 1x Percula Clownfish -2x Mushroom Leather // Metallic Green Star Polyps // Pulsing Xenia // Striped Xenia // Blue Mushroom -Remora + Maxi-Jet 1200 // 2x Maxi-Jet 600 // Maxi-Jet 400 // Visi-Therm Deluxe 50 // Current USA Orbit 2x 40w [acronym:f2db8017b4="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:f2db8017b4]

11-03-2003, 09:21 PM	#7
Sati Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sweden Posts: 1,184 Images: 3	Awww, cute! Man, I want babies too, heh. __________________ Holly ~ I love the fishes cause they're so delicious.

11-03-2003, 10:37 PM	#8
Allivymar Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2003 Location: NY Posts: 4,355 Images: 15	[acronym:48e3fbfeed="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:48e3fbfeed] I am NOT touching that one Sati __________________ aka Cycling Guru and the Ich Slayer glares at Terry and QTOFFER Card carrying member of FTAS & GCAS.

11-03-2003, 02:07 AM	#3
yv1 Aquarium Advice Activist Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: San Francisco CA Posts: 116 Images: 20	thats so cute! some fish are just survivors i have had another batch of guppies and only one has survived because he sleeps behind the co2 diffuser every night. i want to see a pic of the little guy too.

11-03-2003, 07:39 PM	#5
Electrobes Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: May 2003 Location: Greenwood, SC Posts: 1,076 Images: 7	man smart little bugger, especially for a barb... man thats definately a keeper!

11-03-2003, 08:46 PM	#6
myriam Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 500 Images: 6	Very cool, grimlock. That fish is definitely a survivor! How amazing that you didn't see it all this time--it must have been around for a few weeks already. Congrats on your Cherry Barb fry

11-03-2003, 11:06 PM	#9
Sati Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sweden Posts: 1,184 Images: 3	No, no, no! I am 26 and still waaaay too young for anything other than fish babies and the kittens we had in January ;] __________________ Holly ~ I love the fishes cause they're so delicious.

11-19-2003, 10:51 AM	#10
grimlock3000 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: maine Posts: 1,971 Images: 1	Just an update, the small Barb now lives in the cave with my Pleco and has been there a few times I have checked. It could be a different one, but this one seems about the same size as the one in the rocks. I have not seen Barb out of the cave yet, which is suprising. I guess it finds the Pleco less scary than the other fish in the tank. __________________ 26 freshwater 2x Sunburst Platys (2M, 2F) // 3x Neon Tetras (?) // 2x Cherry Barbs (1M, 1F) // 2x YoYo Loaches (?) // 1x Bushy Nose Pleco (M) // 1x Clown Pleco (?) // 15H marine -30# Live Rock -Mixed Snails (Nassarius // Cerith // Astrea // Black Turbo // Mexican Turbo) -8x Blue Leg Hermit Crabs // 1x Banded Serpent Star // 1x Cleaner Shrimp -1x Royal Gramma // 1x Percula Clownfish -2x Mushroom Leather // Metallic Green Star Polyps // Pulsing Xenia // Striped Xenia // Blue Mushroom -Remora + Maxi-Jet 1200 // 2x Maxi-Jet 600 // Maxi-Jet 400 // Visi-Therm Deluxe 50 // Current USA Orbit 2x 40w [acronym:f2db8017b4="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:f2db8017b4]

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