Really small “insects” inside recently dead snail shell?

[TonyCash]

One of my snails died (or was killed by hermit) hermit ate him. Now there are small specs around and inside the shell moving around.

What could they be?

 

[TonyCash]

Video in link. https://www.reddit.com/r/ReefTank/c...=ios_share_flow_optimization&utm_term=enabled

 

[road_runner]

One of my snails died (or was killed by hermit) hermit ate him. Now there are small specs around and inside the shell moving around.

What could they be?

Without pic hard to say

 

[JoshH]

They almost look like copepods but hard to tell, need a better video or picture

 

[road_runner]

They almost look like copepods but hard to tell, need a better video or picture

Still hard to blindly id. Otherwise you will get speculations...maybe its copepods

 

[road_runner]

Just saw the video. They look smaller than copepods but cannot tell for sure

 

[JoshH]

Just saw the video. They look smaller than copepods but cannot tell for sure

Copepods still have my vote, and they look like regular sized copepods to me, tiny for amphipods sure, not copepods.

And I do agree a better pic or video would help, but they are also moving similar to the way copepods do.

 

[TonyCash]

Best Video I can get, They are super small. Looks like at least 50+ of them.

 

[TonyCash]

Only reason I thought they might not be copepods, is I assumed they were eating anything left behind by the hermits. Copepods aren’t carnivorous are they? Or at least most that we would see aren’t according to google lol.

 

[road_runner]

Best Video I can get, They are super small. Looks like at least 50+ of them.

I think they are copedos. If you have mandarin it would be so happy ha ha.
Wrasses and some other fish will feast on them as well.
Nothing to worry about

 

[road_runner]

Only reason I thought they might not be copepods, is I assumed they were eating anything left behind by the hermits. Copepods aren’t carnivorous are they? Or at least most that we would see aren’t according to google lol.

I do not think they were eating it rather using the shell. If you have healthy ammount of them, they get everywhere. You can see them active at night if you use flash light or better yet blue light, if you look carefully you will see them on sand and rocks.

 

[TonyCash]

I do not think they were eating it rather using the shell. If you have healthy ammount of them, they get everywhere. You can see them active at night if you use flash light or better yet blue light, if you look carefully you will see them on sand and rocks.

Yea I was using the flash on my phone to see them lol. Shortly after one of the hermits flipped the shell over, probably had a midnight snack too!

Thanks everyone. I’m going to go with copepods too.