Microscopic Dino Eater?

[Rwade]

I have a Dino problem in my tank and have been dosing silicates for Diatom competition, I took a look today and found a really strange critter. It’s much bigger than the Dinos and I believe it is eating the smaller Dinos based on the brown shapes inside of it. It is covered in fine hairs and has slightly longer hairs out of it tube or mouth. Can anyone put a name on this thing?

 

[taricha]

Maybe a type of rotifer? Ciliate?
Can you post the other pics? Video would be even better.

 

[Miller535]

interesting looking. I have not seen anything like this before.

 

[Rwade]

Maybe a type of rotifer? Ciliate?
Can you post the other pics? Video would be even better.

I’ll try a video, I’ve not had any luck posting those before. If the video doesn’t load, PM me a cell # and I’ll send it by message.

 

[Rwade]

Maybe a type of rotifer? Ciliate?
Can you post the other pics? Video would be even better.

I’ll try a video, I’ve not had any luck posting those before. If the video doesn’t load, PM me a cell # and I’ll send it by message.

I’ll try a video, I’ve not had any luck posting those before. If the video doesn’t load, PM me a cell # and I’ll send it by message.

i uploaded video to YouTube, try this link:

 

[Rwade]

Here’s another look:

 

[mtfish]

It is a ciliate similar to Aegyriana oliva . I am not too familiar with keying these guys out. Here is a link that shows some of them.

Marine Species Identification Portal

Marine Species Identification Portal: information on thousands of different species in the world's oceans and seas.

species-identification.org

 

[Rwade]

Thanks for the ID, evidently ciliates eat smaller Dinos.

 

[Rwade]

You guys are good, what about this guy? It doesn’t appear to move.

 

[mtfish]

That looks like an ostracod. Sort of a micro-bivalve-looking (not a real bivalve) with a chitinous shell. Common name is a seed shrimp.

 

[Rwade]

That looks like an ostracod. Sort of a micro-bivalve-looking (not a real bivalve) with a chitinous shell. Common name is a seed shrimp.

Thank you, I believe you are right again.