Microscopy Thread

[EnterName]

This thread inspired me to buy a microscope. Just got it yesterday and here is a sample from a random spot of GHA.

It can be a very useful tool, but also simply an interesting way to observe our tanks from a different perspective. Sometimes you will see a lot of change in the microbiology while not noticing much going on on the macroscopic level in the tank, so it can help to pass some time when you have the feeling the tank is stalling a little bit

I'm seeing diatoms, a rotifer, and what I assume to be Prorocentrum sp. dinoflagellates. Do you happen to have a tank that's only a few months or so old?

 

[ScaredGoat]

I have had the tank since 1993, or so, and have always ran it FOWLR. It had a small leak that made me drain and reseal. I finally got around to doing that and got it going in mid March. Used all the old live rock that was dried out and new sand. I did a bleach soak on the old rock, etc. So to finally answer your question, yup I am smack dab in the "Ugly Phase".

 

[EnterName]

I have had the tank since 1993, or so, and have always ran it FOWLR. It had a small leak that made me drain and reseal. I finally got around to doing that and got it going in mid March. Used all the old live rock that was dried out and new sand. I did a bleach soak on the old rock, etc. So to finally answer your question, yup I am smack dab in the "Ugly Phase".

That explains what you were looking at quite well, so nothing to worry about then and no treatment required

 

[sixty_reefer]

Amoeboid
(Class: Tubulinea?)

Note: If you are using the app you might need to switch to a web browser to be able to see the video(s).​

Just recently I found a very small amoeboid organism in a sample from the back wall of my tank. Similar to the Heliozoa I posted the other day, amoeboids aren't a single taxonomic group, which makes classifying them a bit harder. This gets confusing because "Amoeba" is a general term for a group of organisms with no phylogenetic relation, but "Amoeba" is also a genus, which would already be a pretty precise classification.
Either way, I think I found a few hints to narrow it down to class level, but I haven't seen any reports of harmful amoeboids in reef tanks so far, so it probably doesn't matter too much anyway.

(Amoeboid moving on the microscope slide)​

Common Name	Amoeba
Classification	Class: Tubulinea?
Verdict	Harmless (no reported issues in reef tanks)
Size	2μm - 5mm (0.2")
Found	Detritus
Rarity	Medium (in every tank, but not abundant)

Amoebas move by extending so-called pseudopods ("false feet"), of which there are different types. In this case we have a "slug-like" movement with a smooth flow of endoplasm (the small "bubbles" inside the organism) and ectoplasm (the tiny particles at the edge of the organism). This movement, along with the fact that we don't see large branching pseudopods but rather small advancing blobs, is the first hint we need for classification. We can also see a "blob" (possibly a uroid) at the posterior end that stays fairly consistent in shape and looks like it's being dragged behind, which is another clue. From what I've read so far, these signs should put this amoeba in the Tubulinea class, but I haven't spent much time working through a taxonomic key yet, so I'm still cautious about that assessment.

Interesting. Given our recent discussion about observations versus claims, I’m curious about the evidentiary standard being applied here.

“Class: Tubulinea?” is an interpretation based on morphology and movement, which seems perfectly reasonable as a working hypothesis. But “Harmless (no reported issues in reef tanks)”, “Rarity: Medium” and particularly “in every tank” seem to go considerably further than the observation itself.

What evidence supports the claim that these organisms are present in every reef tank or that an unidentified amoeboid organism can be classified as harmless?

I’m not saying those conclusions are necessarily wrong. I’m asking what evidence supports them. Given the standards you’ve been asking me to apply to my own observations, I assume the same standard applies here.

 

[Reefering1]

Interesting. Given our recent discussion about observations versus claims, I’m curious about the evidentiary standard being applied here.

“Class: Tubulinea?” is an interpretation based on morphology and movement, which seems perfectly reasonable as a working hypothesis. But “Harmless (no reported issues in reef tanks)”, “Rarity: Medium” and particularly “in every tank” seem to go considerably further than the observation itself.

What evidence supports the claim that these organisms are present in every reef tank or that an unidentified amoeboid organism can be classified as harmless?

I’m not saying those conclusions are necessarily wrong. I’m asking what evidence supports them. Given the standards you’ve been asking me to apply to my own observations, I assume the same standard applies here.

Did you actually read the post you quoted?