Hitchhiking to the Newest Rock Formation

There is something magical and exciting about throwing out your thumb, getting picked up by a stranger,  and getting to your destination. To me, the magic is the experience. And as long as the person is not a serial killer, it is one of those moments that helps you grow. If you have never hitchhiked - I don't recommend it, it could be dangerous - but at least watch a movie where someone gives it a go.

In the aquarium world, we get hitchhikers. Either innocent bystanders that are a pleasant surprise, or beast of destruction that could wreck havoc over everything you created.

This is one of those stories where the names have been omitted, not because I want to protect the innocent, but because we don't exactly know what it is.... but we will get to that shortly.

It all started on an afternoon about two weeks ago. Most of the tank equipment arrived. The rock was curing nicely in the RubberMaid, and I attached the equipment to the plumbing. It was time to move the rock into the display to finish the curing process. Luckily enough for me, my old roommate from college happened to be in from Philly. Somehow I convinced him to lend a hand.

Once they were in the Display Tank (DT) curing - there was no stopping me. I had to fill the whole tank and get it running. There was also a need to get 40 lbs LS and ~30 lbs more LR from a LFS.

So I filled it about 3/4 full, added the new rock and sand, topped off the water, and then watched the sand settle (like watching paint dry to the aquarium enthusiast.)

Two days later the sand was all settled. My girlfriend was getting interested and wanted to help aquascape (landscaping underwater). Needless to say, I was super excited to come home and get started. 

We kept a couple of rules in mind: fish need swim-throughs and areas to hide, water flow needs to be maintained, and everything needs to be stable to support coral and fish. We tackled the task, and are now happy with our results.

But what does this have to do with hitchhiking? Well like any good movie, the best action always comes at the end of the story.

And then there it was. Early one morning I did the dramatic movie-zoom-in....

What the hell hitchhiked into my tank on that LR from the LFS? Is it good or bad?

So I posted the images to 4 forums and got a variety of responses (everyone is an expert when it comes to reefing)....

Majano - a pest anemone that will over take your tank - Kill it immediately

Zoanthid - coral-like colonizing animal that can release palyotoxin that can destroy the tank - You may want to kill it

Button Polyp - A coral that colonizes - can look bland or pretty - Keep it and see what you think

This is what one commenter posted of what his turned into (Thanks to Freak1456 on www.aquariumadvice.com):

I decided to keep it for now. So here is to hoping that it turns into the pictures above and not some B-rated horror flick. 

Also co-staring in the film as hitchhikers that make it Hitchhiker #1 - Spionid Worms and Hitchhiker #2  - Bristle Worms (both also playing the role of a beneficial scavenger role):

Things are happening! Water levels are getting to the right chemistry! And soon - very soon - we'll have some exciting new members of the aquarium! 

Stick with me folks - this is going to get very interesting.