I wouldn’t want to meet this critter in a dark alley, so I met it under a well-lit microscope. Critter ID?

[mandyvan]

ID on this guy?

 

[WheatToast]

It's a bit hard to tell from the pictures, but it almost looks like an Idoteid isopod. These are very rare in the trade and appear to be herbivores, however, I had (and probably still have) some that nibbled at my manatee grass. These isopods are also common on floating seaweed here on the California coast, usually referred to as kelp isopods (shake some Sargassum in a water-filled container to release the isopod storm).

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I remember discovering my first Isopod... I was hoping I had a planktonic baby lobster... lol
I get pull Kelp samples every week for my temperate tanks, keeps me in critters for sure!