Some fish babies suddenly under my zoanthids!

[BlenniesAndTangs]

This morning I found fish babies living under a rock, where the zoas live in my tank, and they are not eggs! They seemed to have hatched a couple of days ago, smalls and bigs.
Any idea whos they are? I used to have a sleeper goby pair, And suddenly them two went hiding in their rock burrow together, still sand sifting inside of it. The female seemed pregnant, and she was found as a corpse under the burrow days later. Than the male died, so we were not sure if they actually had babies, but when we moved the rock burrow somewhere else; thats when the babies appeared, under a nearby rock of where the burrow used to be. So did the female die from pregnancy? If they werent her babies, than who is their babies, nobodies protecting the babies! The fish are a long tail, and they have the same swimming style as the sleeper gobies. Like, not actually swimming. Really just walking on fins. Which would be the exact appearance as them. Here is who it also might be of. But keep in mind, Barely anyof them are the same breed of fish!
[2] Dwarf Angelfish
[2] Blennies
[6] Tangs
[1] Male flamehawk. Female died of jumping out.
[0] Sleeper gobies.
Cannot send any photos, You wont be able to see them even if you really wanted the photos, Their too small!

 

[WheatToast]

I do not have an answer, though I have heard of many instances where fish have hitchhiked on live rock and macroalgae (Tigrigobius macrodon and Lucania parva respectively)...

 

[Isopod80]

Are you sure what you're seeing aren't tiny mysis shrimps. I have loads of them in my tank. They move quickly and could easily be mistaken for fish fry at a distance. They love hiding under things.

 

[BlenniesAndTangs]

Are you sure what you're seeing aren't tiny mysis shrimps. I have loads of them in my tank. They move quickly and could easily be mistaken for fish fry at a distance. They love hiding under things.

Nope! Baby peppermint shrimp. I was mistaken because I realised I had ordered 10 peppermints and there were 4 adults, and I realised there were 6 babies.

 

[Isopod80]

How long have you had the peppermints? Peppermint larvae remain in the water column for about 2 months before they settle. They are rather unlikely to survive this long in most reef tanks. You still could be seeing mysis shrimp.

 

[BlenniesAndTangs]

How long have you had the peppermints? Peppermint larvae remain in the water column for about 2 months before they settle. They are rather unlikely to survive this long in most reef tanks. You still could be seeing mysis shrimp.

Less than a week.

 

[Isopod80]

Were you saying that the supplier sent you 6 of the 10 shrimp the size of fish fry? If so, I wouldn't buy from them again. You're lucky the 6 didn't get eaten immediately.

 

[BlenniesAndTangs]

Were you saying that the supplier sent you 6 of the 10 shrimp the size of fish fry? If so, I wouldn't buy from them again. You're lucky the 6 didn't get eaten immediately.

The mother pepper is protecting the babies, infact. They won't get eaten because no fish are able to eat them, and my red spot blenny like to hang around with them, since he likes the rock, and cover the crack with his tail. The red spot is basically the high school bully in the tank although.

 

[Carolyn's Corals]

The mother pepper is protecting the babies, infact. They won't get eaten because no fish are able to eat them, and my red spot blenny like to hang around with them, since he likes the rock, and cover the crack with his tail. The red spot is basically the high school bully in the tank although.

I highly doubt that from my experience.

I have peppermint babies. I am trying to raise them and even with taking them out in another tank with hatching bbs/gut loading them with food the survival rate is still low. I can't imagine they would survive those fish in the tank. The peppermint shrimp can't swim to the bottom for months. They stay in the water column and usually go into the sump. I also noticed my peppermint and other shrimp trying to eat their babies.

 

[Isopod80]

I'm still thinking they're actually mysis shrimp.

 

[Cell]

Suck one out with a pipette and get a pic.

 

[Carolyn's Corals]

Suck one out with a pipette and get a pic.

Awesome! I would love to see a picture!

 

[BlenniesAndTangs]

Suck one out with a pipette and get a pic.

The red spot blenny died alone when i wasnt at home, and the pepper babies are under a rock at the bottom of the tank, and their under 3 other rocks ((more of them))