Fascinating!!

[stanleo]

I have been having an issue in my tank with white particles making it look like a blizzard so I was trying to identify it and took a sample of the stuff that settled on a pump. I looked at it with a microscope (the kind you can get at any hobby shop for about fifty bucks). Every drop I looked at was teaming with microscopic life! The biggest thing I saw was by far an adult copepod. There were at least 2 species of microscopic worms and they were numerous. One was huge! (microscopically speaking). They both looked and moved like earthworms but the smaller ones had a hook on their tall that anchored them to algae strands. They wriggled so fast I had to watch for some time til they stood still for a second to see any details. There were also tiny things zipping through the drop of water (yes it was just a drop of water) that looked like fleas without legs. All of these were slightly transparent with little black dots. They varied in size from being able to see some detail at 600x to so tiny it was just specks darting back and forth.

I am telling you, I am fascinated!! I know it would take a lifetime to identify everything that lives at that level in a reef tank but I am wondering if anyone knows of any research or articles I can read on the topic? I want a high powered microscope now more than anything else so BAD!!

 

[NotFishyFishGuy]

I have been having an issue in my tank with white particles making it look like a blizzard so I was trying to identify it and took a sample of the stuff that settled on a pump. I looked at it with a microscope (the kind you can get at any hobby shop for about fifty bucks). Every drop I looked at was teaming with microscopic life! The biggest thing I saw was by far an adult copepod. There were at least 2 species of microscopic worms and they were numerous. One was huge! (microscopically speaking). They both looked and moved like earthworms but the smaller ones had a hook on their tall that anchored them to algae strands. They wriggled so fast I had to watch for some time til they stood still for a second to see any details. There were also tiny things zipping through the drop of water (yes it was just a drop of water) that looked like fleas without legs. All of these were slightly transparent with little black dots. They varied in size from being able to see some detail at 600x to so tiny it was just specks darting back and forth.

I am telling you, I am fascinated!! I know it would take a lifetime to identify everything that lives at that level in a reef tank but I am wondering if anyone knows of any research or articles I can read on the topic? I want a high powered microscope now more than anything else so BAD!!

Wow seems cool. Are any of them bad for your fish at all?

 

[stanleo]

Wow seems cool. Are any of them bad for your fish at all?

I don't know. None of my fish seem bothered. I have read that there is a ton of stuff living in there that I will never see. Which makes sense since it is an ecosystem we are creating (albeit an artificial one). Every ecosystem needs microscopic organisms to thrive, including our own bodies. I was just fascinated at the shear number! Every drop I examined had stuff swimming and sifting through the algae.

 

[NotFishyFishGuy]

I don't know. None of my fish seem bothered. I have read that there is a ton of stuff living in there that I will never see. Which makes sense since it is an ecosystem we are creating (albeit an artificial one). Every ecosystem needs microscopic organisms to thrive, including our own bodies. I was just fascinated at the shear number! Every drop I examined had stuff swimming and sifting through the algae.

Hmmm interesting. You also said the water seemed cloudy or something? There must be a lot of creatures in the water then lol

 

[stanleo]

Hmmm interesting. You also said the water seemed cloudy or something? There must be a lot of creatures in the water then lol

I'm pretty sure that is an algae thing going on. I tested today and phosphate was up from .03 to .1 ppm. Nitrate was the same at 2ppm. And it gets worse as the day goes on. I am taking steps to correct. I wanted to see if what was settling looked like algae or bacteria under the microscope. I think it looked like algae. Though admittedly I may not have the magnification to sea bacteria if it is that. I did more out of curiosity than anything.

 

[NotFishyFishGuy]

I'm pretty sure that is an algae thing going on. I tested today and phosphate was up from .03 to .1 ppm. Nitrate was the same at 2ppm. And it gets worse as the day goes on. I am taking steps to correct. I wanted to see if what was settling looked like algae or bacteria under the microscope. I think it looked like algae. Though admittedly I may not have the magnification to sea bacteria if it is that. I did more out of curiosity than anything.

Ohhh. Good luck getting rid of the algae

 

[stanleo]

Ohhh. Good luck getting rid of the algae

Thanks. It just started a couple days ago and that increase in phosphate was from this past Wednesday to today so hopefully tweaking a couple things will do the trick. Fortunately its not noticeable on my rocks, yet.