Remember Nemo, trying to escape the dentist’s aquarium to find his father?

If you are a successful aquarium owner, that can feel more like reality than a Hollywood production. Species that fit well in a nano aquarium have miniscule babies, which makes regular water changes and maintenance a challenge.

This time it was newly hatched Dream Blue Velvet shrimplets on the run, either hitching a ride on overgrown plants I removed or taking an exciting trip out through the gravel vacuum. Whoosh! That had to have been a rush.

Before I toss the old water onto my veggie plants and compost the green stuff I let it settle and watch for movement. Yep, there were tiny dark blue flea-looking things motoring around in the bucket. One. Two. Three!

Thank goodness one of my nets has a very tight weave, and these guys actually look for something to grab onto. Scoop ’em up, put ’em in a plastic holding container while I continue cleaning, and pour ’em back in when maintenance is done.

The car key is there for scale. So tiny!

Other than danger during water changes, I try to keep all new aquarium dwellers safe by installing a stainless steel mesh covering over the filtration intake tube.

Watching them settle back in, I realized why they were probably looking for a way out…this Red Neon Blue Eye Rainbowfish looks a little hungry.

Good thing there are lots of places to hide!