| Unfortunately, not all the fish partake in his
services. But the ones that do, more than make up for
the lack of business. Beauty and Lenny are always
taking advantage of his cleaning habits.
(right) Sometimes, Sabastian gets a little overzealous and, while he starts out gentle, he starts getting WAY into his job, and can forget about the soft-touch approach. But while his little-too-rough picking can trigger a fish to take off, that fish comes back in very little time. He's so obsessive about his need for cleanliness, if you stick your arm in the tank, he will even climb over and begin cleaning your hand! |
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Sabatian, like most crustacians (including our
hermit crabs, has to molt
to grow, because they have a hard outer shell,
instead of skin. Molting is the process of shedding
their skin/shells so they can grow. When they shed their old skin, their new skin isn't so much a shell anymore. It is very soft for a while. And for this reason, after a molt, Sabastian is pretty well hidden for a day or two, until his skin hardens. To the left is a picture of his molt. You'll notice that it looks almost exacly like he does normally. Which is why a LOT of people who find molts in their tanks, assume the creature has died. And end up quite suprised in a few days, when they see the critter again. |
Last updated 10/13/05