Free floating, fluorescent life

maxtek · Apr 14, 2018

Could this be an egg of some kind? There were several of these when I first spotted them. I managed to lose one, popped another on the microscope slide (after the picture was taken), and I’ve left the rest alone. What could they be? Highly fluorescent greenish yellow.

SmokeyGnar · Apr 14, 2018

Dinoflagellate?

cristata.reef · Apr 14, 2018

It could be many things and unless you catch it theres no way to be 100% certain. I'm going to vouch on it being a bioluminescent copepod which emit that distinctive blue-green light. Try turning all the lights on the tank/room off late at night and see what happens.

maxtek · Apr 14, 2018

I caught one; here it is under a microscope:

Kengar · Apr 14, 2018

You, sir, have my total admiration for your science geek skills! We're not worthy! Re the item, UFO........ unidentified floating object. Now back to taxes.......

domination2580 · Apr 14, 2018

I would have to say that it would be part of a coral. Many times I have either moved or had to much flow on a coral such as a frogspawn or hammer, or even an sps and part of the flesh is blown off... say for instance the luminescent flesh of a hammer falls off and gets blown around the tank.... it still glows because it is flesh of the coral.... but it has either been blown, or fallen off

cristata.reef · Apr 15, 2018

Alright I'm not an algae expert but it looks like a pelagic diatom which are pretty cool. Not like the dreaded diatoms that we experience during cycles and nutrient spikes. Could be a foraminiferan but I'm not sure if they bioluminsece. What power is that microscope btw?

maxtek · Apr 15, 2018

Sonofives said:
Alright I'm not an algae expert but it looks like a pelagic diatom which are pretty cool. Not like the dreaded diatoms that we experience during cycles and nutrient spikes. Could be a foraminiferan but I'm not sure if they bioluminsece. What power is that microscope btw?

X100

maxtek · Apr 15, 2018

domination2580 said:
I would have to say that it would be part of a coral. Many times I have either moved or had to much flow on a coral such as a frogspawn or hammer, or even an sps and part of the flesh is blown off... say for instance the luminescent flesh of a hammer falls off and gets blown around the tank.... it still glows because it is flesh of the coral.... but it has either been blown, or fallen off

A bigger piece broke off and revealed that indeed these are tiny polyps from a hammer sprouting out of the trunk of a large mother colony. Mystery solved! Thanks all!