More surprise refugium inhabitants - and apparently a loss

[Scoot]

I haven't added anything to my tank for probably almost 6 months (except PWC's of course!) But today I see what I believe are a whole herd of astrea snail babies. Dozens of them, all over my fuge. I'm pretty sure they're astreas, they have the ridges and everything else looks the same. I didn't think snails reproduced very well...

Plus - I noticed, what I swear are brine shrimp. Lots of them. I've never added live brine shrimp, and I even completely drained the fuge about 3 months ago. They're smaller than what you'd get frozen, but from what I can tell that's what they are.

I also managed to spot one of my very first tank inhabitants - a good-sized turbo snail. He comes out every ones inawhile, otherwise he hides during the day. He's almost 2" across now.

Sadly, I think I've lost my clown goby. The little guy has been with us for about 6 or 7 months - and I haven't been able to find him for two days.

 

[newfound77951]

I bet the "brine shrimp" are copepods.....

 

[melosu58]

I bet the "brine shrimp" are copepods.....

My guess too.

 

[Scoot]

They don't look like the copepods I've had in the fuge in the past... those spent most of their time crawling on the substrate - these are swimming around. I'm sure there are lots of different species though. I'm not going to bother trying to get a photo - they're too small, and keep darting in and out of my caulerpa forest.

 

[melosu58]

and keep darting in and out of my caulerpa forest.

This is what they are doing in my tank also but they are pods. Pods will also be in LR.

 

[seaham358]

Mysis shrimp?

 

[melosu58]

See if he is on here

http://www.xtalworld.com/Aquarium/hitchfaq.htm

 

[Scoot]

Aren't mysis and brine shrimp basically the same thing? Or family? Sea-Monkey family, that is


(checked article) yeah, they look just like the mysid shrimp (everybody calls them mysis I think). The tails are much longer than what you see on cope- and amphipods. I've had plenty of those in the past.

According to that link, mysids and artemia are very similar, hence my sea-monkey guess

It would also make sense that I have them, since I have a huge number of bristle worms in the fuge, and they thrive on the larvae.

My dragonet has to be loving them, as probably are most of the other fish.

 

[GuOD]

Likely mysis shrimp.

I've never added live shrimp to my tank but I've seen mysis swimming around on multiple occassions.

 

[Scoot]

It's my understanding that their eggs can be dried out, and when re-hydrated, they'll hatch. When I moved my sump, there could have been some eggs that dried out enough to cycle into hatching. Who knows.