jaggedfire Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Hello all. I have been seeing amphipod growth in my newly setup tank recently with very little algae. I am having a hard time identifying the small (micro) "polyp" life clinging to the inside of the glass . Looks very similar to a dandelion seed stuck to a wet window fluttering in the wind. This along with all kinds of small life are why I jumped to SW! Any ideas? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hancockrich Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 How long has the tank been up and running. it could be a baby feather duster, can you see a tube of any sort before the seed looking part? does it look the the pic in this thread? http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.reefland.com/gallery/files/2/5/5/6/IMG_5006.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.reefland.com/forum/reef-aquariums/20376-baby-feather-dusters-new-live-rock.html&usg=__7aw3llw2GEhGxZoWwdXo6Ejzd5Y=&h=478&w=600&sz=32&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&tbnid=ASfk9tdYAcYyTM:&tbnh=108&tbnw=135&ei=V_jJTrj1LdG58gPcqOyAAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dbaby%2Bfeather%2Bduster%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DX%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch%26prmd%3Divnsfd&itbs=1 Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Rich, Tank is about 3 weeks with 2 small pieces of LR. The small guys don't have tubes, but what look like a pod on a string. I just went back to get a better look....and two of them "drew down", just like a large duster. Upon seeing this, there are also 1/2 mm long 'worms' in the same area. Never would have expected this much life so soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) Double Edited November 21, 2011 by jaggedfire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hancockrich Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I cant tell you how much money i have in my tank and i find myself looking at all the little stuff that comes out of nowhere. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaarrrggg Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Maybe hydroids? Do they look like these? http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Cnidarians/Hydrozoans/Hydropolyps/70677hydroid.jpg There are good and bad hydroids, but from what I've gathered these are the good ones (whew!) Their population occasionally explodes, esp in newer tanks, but they'll eventually fade away on their own. I had a phase in my nano when they were all over the place! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Here is a good site that breaks stuff down into different categories, and there are some pretty good explanations as well regarding what is "good" and "bad". http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchhikers.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Thanks for the links guys and gals! I looked through both sites, what a wealth of info. I have also tried searching extensively for something similar and wanted some other opinions. I managed to get a few shots of both what I will call for now duster and a worm; guess they would both be worms. The first and last shows one of the dusters 'drawn in' after what appears to be catching something. Scale is about 1mm for all creatures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 That "worm" sorta looks like a nudibranch to me but I'm not 100% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 (edited) Did I mention there are thousands of these in my tank? Reading up, I think these may be a type of duster worm in the Sabellidae family. If this is from a spawn, I'd love to know where they hitched from. I only have two pieces of LR with no other large life on it. All this and it has gone through cycle with this happening. I just took a few more shots of this same colony, they've doubled in size in two days. Do fd (feather duster) outbreaks happen? Edited November 23, 2011 by jaggedfire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I don't know what those are, but nice shots! I love finding neat little things going on in my tank. I hope they're something good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Thanks Kim. I really hope these aren't hydroids. From just looks alone, I would say they are. On the other hand, does anyone know if hydroids contract like tube worms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I'm kinda inclined to think they are some kind of hydroid but they could be feather dusters of some kind. At this size and the newness of the tank they could be something else entirely also (the polyp stage of jellyfish will look similar to that). I'd say wait and see. Another month and if they are some kind of feather duster or fan worm you should see the tube they live in. If they've dissappeared it'll probably be a question you'll take to your grave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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