Pondering...where do the critters come from?

[BonnieC]

Probably a silly question, lol, but where do these random critters come from? I just found an Asterina Star on my glass that appeared out of no where (I assume they are ok?). The tank and LR are 6 weeks old.

It seems like suddenly random things just happen to grow in there, which is cool, but I wonder where they come from. I know from the LR and all, but are they once dead things that magically come back?

 

[austinsdad]

No magic. They lived thru the cyling or curing of the rock. Or, adding a coral here and there attached to rocks brings in more critters.

P.S.- do I need to take you to the woodshed!?!?
There is no such thing as a silly question around here!!

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

My nano had been running for probably about 8 months and a baby black urchin showed up! I did have an adult in my tank but moved it to my brothers once it got too big. If it was a baby from him/her then its a miracle it survived as long as it did... he was in there for about a month then disappeared.. i later found his skeleton circle thing he only got to be about the size of a pea

 

[Mitchell0605]

It comes from the magic rock!

 

[melosu58]

As mentioned already it comes from your LR and attached to different corals. I even got a fish from one of my corals.

 

[BonnieC]

It's pretty wild how things just randomly pop up. That's what makes SW so danged cool.

Got another asterina star in there today. Ill probably be moaning about them soon.

 

[Mitchell0605]

What fish was it Mike?