"WTH is in my tank?!" moment

[c333davis]

My GSP and I experienced a surprise yesterday, one that had me thinking "WTH just happened, and what's in my tank?"

I crushed a small snail and dropped it into his tank, and it fell next to a large piece of LR. I watched Puff cruise over to pounce on it, and just as he was "winding up" into his typical helicoptering motion, Puff and I saw an antennae'd critter pop out from under the rock and grab the snail! Puff backpedaled pretty quickly, and I just sat there, jaw-dropped. I grabbed for the nearby flashlight and saw a bug-ish creature recoil backward under the LR.

Wanting to recreate the experience, I dropped another crushed snail near the same rock. A smaller of the critters popped out and tried to move the snail under the rock. Failing that, the bug gnawed on it in place for a bit, then scurried back into the darkness.

Got a better look at the bug this time. I found pictures online that confirm it's an amphipod. Glad to see from the research that it's a beneficial scavenger in my tank... kinda freaked out me & Puff, though.

Anyone know of their GSP eating amphipods, assuming they can catch them?

[xrayjeeper83]

haha, ya that would scare the hell out of me.

[Pufferpunk]

I'm sure it would make a nice snack, if he could catch it.

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

Welcome to LR valley...lol. They are like a mystery box, you never know what will come out next..lol I had tons of these little crustaceans in my past reef tanks.