Checking the tank at night.

[paul b]

I am not much of a sleeper so last night about 3:00am I decided to look at the tank with a flashlight. Of course the fish were all sleepping and the corals were all retracted except for their sweeper tantacles but I noticed all of these white things on the glass about as large as this " o", They are of course tiny snails, hundreds of them and I never see them in the daytime. I see them all the time just before the lights come on but I never saw so many of them, but I don't usually look at the tank at that time.

As I was checking out the snails I noticed things swimming through my flashlight beam. There are (I don't want to call them swarms) but "many" creatures swimming all over the place. I was trying to get a close look but they are fairly fast and definately not any of the numerous amphipods that are in there. Amphipods swim kind of slower and on their backs, these looked more like they knew where they were going. Well, they were swimming in a straight line anyway.

I am not sure if they are a spawn of some kind or just some plankton type of creature.

Again, I don't usually peer at the tank at 3:00am.

These things keep me from sleeping and I wish I could have captured one to put under my microscope. I see a tiny trap in my future.

These things, and things like this have facinated me since I started my first tank. Angelfish, tangs and butterflies don't do it for me. They are too common and just get in the way of the more interesting creatures. Imagine how facinating a copepod would be if it was 2" long

[wogga]

http://www.wamas.org/forums/topic/50709-sponge-id-please/

 

i posted a video in the first post of that thread. What i assumed were pods turned out to be mysid. Watch the swimming behavior. Does it seem similar to what you're seeing?

[paul b]

They are similar but the ones in my tank go more in a straight line before turning like mysid. If I decide to get up in the middle of the night again, I will look closer.

I doubt I will be able to get a video of them in the dark but I may try.