Some sort of eel?

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pipip

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Apr 12, 2010
Messages
3
One of my cucumbers was attacked by a mantis shrimp - he didn't die immediately, so I left him in the tank to see if he would recover. This morning, sadly, he died. And this fish was picking at it:

longskinnyfish.jpg


Any idea what it is? It's about 3 inches long, and I've never seen it in the tank before.

Thanks!
 
I can't tell from that picture. But I'll tag along to see if someone else can ID it.
 
owww, did a little research and here is what i found

"Some sea cucumbers have a commensal fish known as the pearl fish (Carpus sp.) which lives inside their anus during the day and emerges at night to feed. When morning comes, it simply waits for the anus to open as the sea cucumber breathes, and swims back inside.

Pearlfish are highly modified eel-like fishes which lack scales and pelvic fins. Most live in the body cavities of sea cucumbers, giant clams and pearl oysters during the day, leaving at night to feed on small fishes and shrimp. Pearlfish enter the body cavities of sea cucumbers through their anus. When it tries to enter the body cavities of the sea cucumber it closes its anus, but as sea cucumbers breathe through their anus it must eventually open and in swims the pearlfish. Juvenile pearlfish are parasitic, feeding upon the gonads of sea cucumbers."

Hope you have none of these critters. Kinda cool though all at the same time. They say it is a symbiotic relationship but i dont see what the sea cucumber gets out of it or how it could enjoy it, any thoughts?
 
They say it is commensal, so the pearl fish benefits, and so long as it is an adult the cucumber is neither benefitted nor harmed.
 
It seems that while it is a juvenile it would harm it while feeding on its gonads, also when the pearlfish comes it says that the the cucumber closes its anus but it eventually needs to breath and thats when it enters.
 
That's a really nasty little fish. It lives inside of a cucumber.. and goes in through it's butt. So not cool.
 
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