Another planted tank invader

[Dr.Danio]

ok, so if you missed the initial description in the post (http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=9330) then heres my updated plight.

35 gallon planted tank with what appears to be small (about 1-2mm) clear mushrooms groing along the stalk and most recently the leaves of my plants. From afar they appear to be like opaque gel on the stalk and small white blotches on the leaves.
I've considered the following: Fungus- I feed the plants quite well so fungus growing on them wouldn't suprise me.
Hydra- they are only attached to the plants, and could be hydra, but they really don't look like hydra... and 4 days after their birth, I still have all my guppy fry.
Snail larvae- I do have 2 snails that were for my puffer, but he died, and they're still there. may have mated.. but again only show up on leaves. and don't look like larvae.
Nematodes- I'm very well aquianted with nematodes as Caeorhabtinus elegans is an excellent model organism in molecular genetic studies (as is the Danio ) and they aren't nematodes.
Planarians- again, i'm very familiar with planarians as I study regeneration and most regenerative studies originated in planarians.

So there you have it. I really don't think its one of those. Since their appearance, My plants are startign to turn yellow, and i'm really not happy. The only plant not affected is Mr. Banana plant, who floats around the tank.... The moneywort, hairgrass, Rotala, everything else is slowly being covered. and its not site specific, its all over...

If anyone has any ideas, let me know. I'll try to get some pictures up tonight.[/url]

 

[Allivymar]

Can you get us a pic DrDanio? That may help with the ID.

My other thought is not fully formed, but I find the one plant which floats and isn't in contact with the substrate is also icky free...hrmmm....I'm guessing whatever it is, is not in the water column but moves on/infests surfaces only.

 

[Dr.Danio]

ok, here goes... I hope this picture helps. An affected plant in the foreground with the unnaffected banana plant floating by behind it. (don't mind the spots on it, thats the original leaf it had when i got it, free cuz it looked like crap and was tiny...) Just notice the small things on the leaves and stems. what you can't see, and I really can't get a good picture of is the fine detail of them. seriously just think little clear toadstool.

ok, so i added it twice... sorry.

 

[Allivymar]

Hrmmm. Only thing I know of which has a stalk like that is hydra. I wouldn't say since the babies are ok thats its not hydra: if it is, the hydra may simply be too small atm to grab hold of em/poison em.

Does your camera have a macro function? Or can you take the pic at the highest quality and see if cutting and pasting just the plant thingies gives us a better view? Thats how I got the pics of my plant thingies; I took the pic at highest quality and since the pic was so large, I was able to cut out and paste a coupla of em without losing too much quality. Macro is also good for closeups, although I find its hard to use in fishtanks as the camera doesn't know what to focus on (I still haven't figured out manual focusing yet LOL).

 

[Dr.Danio]

alright, now i'm serious. I'm taking some agar plates home to see if i can't culture this thing. I'm just going to rip off a leaf and stick it under the microscope. I'll get you a dang good picture. And yes I was using macro and the best settings and thats about 1/3 of the picture size initially. My digicam just sucks and i'm no good at getting film developed at a reasonable speed (christmas has yet to be developed)

I'll post some ~10x magnification pics if I can find anything and if its bacterial or fungal, i'll be able to culture it and get a good ID. Sometimes having a lab at your disposal has its perqs.

 

[Allivymar]

LOL Can I send you a couple of my mysterious invaders to ID

 

[Dr.Danio]

ok, so my tank is alot healither than i thought. I'm just glad i don't feed them any live brine in that tank. lets just say I was wrong on a few counts and let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

[Allivymar]

Feh, the pic won't come up DrD. I'm guessing from the pic name they are hydra? I *think* its cause its a tif that it won't show...can you convert it to a jpg and try again? I wanna see!

 

[Dr.Danio]

yeah, i posted it and went home to see what i could do about de-worming my tank... and i'm wondering where you got your Panacur from. I might stop by my vet today and ask for a sample or something... any advice would help.

anyway, heres a few pictures.

 

[Dr.Danio]

ok, i did some SERIOUS research this time. I went to a professor in the earth science dept... and showed him my pictures...

3 things:
1. Nematodes
2. Hydra
3. <u>ROTIFERS!</u>

so the bad news is that I have all kinds of critters and stuff growing on my plants and in my water.

the great news is that hydra and rotifers are some of the heardest to culture in an aquarium if you try, as they require very clean water of pristine quality. so i have about as clean a tank as i'll ever get! so while they are a pest, they are a big complement to my tank... hehe, well now we know.

so if anyone really wants to know what that little thing in your tank is, just toss it under your microscope and go ask the prof down the hall what he thinks, that easy!

 

[Allivymar]

Oh wow. Didn't realise you had nematodes too. Heh, you have had just about every invader I have; I expect my mystery guys to be showing up in your tank any day *ducks n runs* LOL

I know the nematodes are harmless, and usually they show up when there are extra nutrients available in the tank for them to eat. Lots of gravel vacs and a reduction in feedings can help bring the amount of nematodes down. Also, I found clown loaches find nematodes delicious, and thats how my tank became nematode free *grin*

As for panacur, I picked it up online from a goat supply place LOL here's the link: http://www.springcreekgoatsupplies.com/Pharmacy.htm Worked great on getting rid of the hydra in my tank. You need VERY little; I actually used about a pinky nails worth, or about a 1/4 tsp for my 55g. You'll find it doesn't dissolve well, although do try to get it to dissolve in some water before adding. Its safe for the fish; because it doesn't dissolve well some chunks will get into the tank. My angels thought they were food and inhaled them LOL

And a favor to ask if I may. Would it be possible to send you a couple of my mystery invaders and have pics taken so your prof can take a look? No one seems to know what they are and its driving me nuts. Plus, I work with elementary school teachers LOL its just not their area of specialty