What on planet Earth is this?

[seaweed]

Okay, last night I took a flashlight to my tank around midnight to see how some of my shrimp and other inverts were doing and I got totally blown away by what I saw. I grabbed my digital camera and snapped this creepy alien fish:

Does anyone know what this is? Could it have come piggy backed on something I bought? Like my flame scalop?

 

[chevron tang]

Wow freaky looking. Does look kinda like an alien. I dont know what it is either but I would really like to know. It probably did come piggy back on something.

 

[fshhub]

i like it, cooooool, and that is abig fish to be in there and not notice it, must be one heck of a hider during the day(duh, i guess it is mostly transparent)

 

[chevron tang]

Ok now its starting to bug me. Nobody knows what that fish is. Im extremely curious.

 

[kris walker]

Have you seen the movie "Sphere"?
sam

 

[broomer5]

What a wild creature to find in your tank.
Very cool indeed !
Just a guess - it might be an American Eel (Anguilla rostrata)
copied from webpage:
The eel begins and ends its life in the waters of the Sargasso Sea, an area north of the Bahamas.
The leptocephalus, a pelagic larvae of less than two inches in length, drifts with the ocean currents for 9 to12 months before entering coastal waters.
When it reaches approximately 2.4 inches in length, the leptocephalus metamorphoses into a transparent, "glass" eel.
In autumn the glass eels migrate into estuaries along the Atlantic coast, including Chesapeake Bay, where they become pigmented. These eels are known as elvers
<a href="http://www.chesapeakebay.net/info/american_eel.cfm" target="_blank">http://www.chesapeakebay.net/info/american_eel.cfm</a>
<a href="http://www.ecoscope.com/eelscope.htm" target="_blank">http://www.ecoscope.com/eelscope.htm</a>
<a href="http://www.ecoscope.com/eelbase.htm#american" target="_blank">http://www.ecoscope.com/eelbase.htm#american</a>

 

[daluminum]

I cant see the pic..

 

[fishfood]

Boomer - if thats just a guess its a damn good one. It looks very similar to the one pic. If it is the American eel do you think it would cause any problems in the tank?

 

[seaweed]

Thanks for the info Broomer. It sure does look like an American eel. It's got these wierd gold looking eyes and a body that is transparent. I just hope that it is not dangerous to any of the other critters in my tank. It looks harmless enough, but it sure does give me the creeps. lol

 

[broomer5]

Not sure - don't know anything about eels - but it sounds like this one migrates from ocean to freshwater rivers.
Me <

[hr]
zero eel knowledge - sorry

 

[adrian]

That is too cool, I have no idea what it is, but its really cool

 

[seaweed]

I'm kind of curious as to how he got in my tank. In the live rock I ordered a couple months back or somewhere else.

 

[broomer5]

Seaweed,
I'd have to guess it HAD to come in on some live rock, maybe as a baby or larva or whatever, and has been hiding all this time. Have you added anything else to your tank besides the live rock lately ?
I think that is so wild - this one has to take the award for the "WILDEST HITCHHIKER AWARD"
congratulations

 

[seaweed]

Broomer,
I've bought a few critters from this site including a variety of different crabs, shrimp, starfish and one flame scallop. If it is an American eel, I'm thinking that it might of been a larva that was in the live sand I bought. When I switched my 55 gallon for my 90 gallon back in October, I bought some live rock and added the sand. Now, if the lr comes from Fiji, it's doubtful that the American eel was with it. That's why I'm guessing it was a larva in the live sand. I purchased the Nature's Ocean stuff and I think most of that comes from Florida. That would make a lot of sense that the larva was in there.

 

[broomer5]

Interesting - and that makes sense I guess.
You may want to do some more research on this guy, and get a positive ID on it - if indeed it is an American eel.
It may have some unique requirements - ya know - as it grows - food - water parameters - may be different as it matures ??? Dunno
Would be neat to keep it - maybe in a species tank if possible. Seems to be a ton of information on the www - so that's good.
Keep everyone posted on this slippery stealth addition to your tank

 

[seaweed]

Thanks! I will, hopefully I won't find any more freaky looking fish like this guy. He dissapeared by morning. He seems to be pretty peaceful I didn't see him picking on the corls or inverts. Hopefully he will stay that way.

 

[josh]

HI,
Thanks for the pic, that is the wildest thing by FAR I have even seen. I would send the pic and an email to Bob Fenner over at <a href="http://www.wetwebmedia.com" target="_blank">http://www.wetwebmedia.com</a> He is very fast at responding and as you know, very knowledgable. Gotta, ask... are you freaked to put your arm in the tank?????
Josh

 

[keitho]

check out this site...it's the eelscope. i think it looks a LOT like your pic and it seems that the initial diagnosis was correct...American eel. hope this puts your mind to rest
<a href="http://www.ecoscope.com/eelscope.htm" target="_blank">http://www.ecoscope.com/eelscope.htm</a>
watch the video, if you can...it's pretty cool

 

[seaweed]

Thanks Josh. Hell yeah. I was totally freaked out when I first saw it. Like Surfing Sam said, it looks like the alien from the movie Sphere. I'd say he's about six inches in length. He just gracefully floats, swimming around real slowly.

 

[stupid_naso]

After briefly reading the website, I have noticed something. Is this species somewhat endangered? If it is, that'll be so cool to have one in your tank.