Microscopy Thread

[Hans-Werner]

Another unidentified one. I will have to keep searching a bit before I can identify it.

Quite sure it is a larva, something like a veliger.

Found this thing in the water column, collected with a 25 micron sieve. What do you suppose it is?

Obviously it is covered with cilia. My first thought was something like a tentacle head of a worm or a cluster of small worms, maybe polychaet larvae. It is not polychaet larvae since they have less bristles. Tentacles of a spaghetti worm? I am a bit clueless due to the dense cover of cilia. Which "worm" (just means "animal much longer than thick without legs") has such cilia?

 

[EnterName]

I think those things that I saw back in post #281 were some sort of gastropod veliger larvae, and I think that you were right about me unfortunately crushing their shells with the cover slip. I have never seen them before or since so I think I must have collected a water sample during a spawning event by chance. I think the black dots might be eye spots. If I ever see them again I will try not to crush their shells!

I'm sure you will find them again in time.

Quite sure it is a larva, something like a veliger.

I will take a closer look, but there is such a large variety of veliger. Will be difficult to find the right one.

 

[Hans-Werner]

I will take a closer look, but there is such a large variety of veliger. Will be difficult to find the right one

Maybe it is not exactly a veliger but a trochophore, but most likely some kind of larva. However, I can't exclude a ciliate either. Maybe we have most options with cilia together now.

 

[Hans-Werner]

Unknown Specimen
(Unknown spp.)

Just scanned through the thread. Did you get out what "Specimen 1", the bigger one, is?

Quite sure it is a planula larva, maybe from your hydroid medusae. Unfortunately planulae have not many characteristics for determination.

 

[Hans-Werner]

For me this book on "Marine Interstitial Ciliates" was very helpful. Maybe you can find a used one at a good price. I did a short search and found the price is quite high.

 

[EnterName]

Just scanned through the thread. Did you get out what "Specimen 1", the bigger one, is?

Quite sure it is a planula larva, maybe from your hydroid medusae. Unfortunately planulae have not many characteristics for determination.

Unfortunately I haven't found a match yet. Those are still not identified
I also haven't seen a similar specimen again either. Maybe I should take a few samples again...

I still have some digitate hydroids in my sump, but no medusa. Maybe the unwanted Convolutriloba flatworms (and ID progress here) eating them

Let's hope my new sixline wrasse gets rid of them, I can't keep up with the manual removal and treating the tank would be dangerous. So far the wrasse has not shown interest unfortunately .

For me this book on "Marine Interstitial Ciliates" was very helpful. Maybe you can find a used one.

Thanks! I will see if I can find a used one somewhere. $290 for a new one is quite expensive

 

[Hans-Werner]

Thanks! I will see if I can find a used one somewhere. $290 for a new one is quite expensive

Several years ago I bought some books from "Better World Books" through used books platforms (mainly Abebooks). Better World Books usually had very, very good prices.

 

[EnterName]

Several years ago I bought some books from "Better World Books" through used books platforms (mainly Abebooks). Better World Books usually had very, very good prices.

Unfortunately not for that book (£279.77). I'm sure I will find it somewhere in time. At the moment Dinoflagellates and Diatoms have all my attention, so ciliates can wait I'm just missing Coolia spp. (or lookalikes), then the collection is "complete".

 

[Hans-Werner]

Me and my microscope

(c) Nickelodeon

Condylostoma reminds me to a whale too

Gastrotrich and dinoflagellate

 

[EnterName]

Me and my microscope

Condylostoma reminds me to a whale too

Gastrotrich and dinoflagellate

Is that freshwater or actual samples from the ocean? If that's from a reef tank I would be surprised, that doesn't look like the type of dinoflagellate to expect

 

[Hans-Werner]

Is that freshwater or actual samples from the ocean? If that's from a reef tank I would be surprised, that doesn't look like the type of dinoflagellate to expect

Quite sure it is from a reef tank, since it is an older image not 100 % sure.

 

[Hans-Werner]

Some more ...

Ameba, phase contrast

I think this is a dinoflagellate cyst

Dinoflagellate

I did file this under foraminifer, so likely I have determined it some time ago

 

[Hans-Werner]

... and some last ones I have in store ...

Vorticellid, possibly freshwater

... and Pleuronema, you see ciliates are amongst my favourites

 

[EnterName]

I did file this under foraminifer, so likely I have determined it some time ago

That comes relatively close to post #94 and #98. I never saw any ectoplasm or reticulopodia, so I'm not sure about it being a Foraminifera, but I will check if I can find one with this sort of shape online.

The thread initially thought about fungi:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.5598/imafungus.2018.09.02.03
https://www.nrz-myk.de/files/content/invasive Mykosen/Lichtheimia_ramosa-kombi.jpg
https://www.researchgate.net/figure...of-the-subphyla-Mucoromycotina_fig1_233615969

But we didn't find a 100% match yet.

... and Pleuronema, you see ciliates are amongst my favourites

Well, now you have to elaborate why they are amongst your favorites

 

[Hans-Werner]

Well, now you have to elaborate why they are amongst your favorites

Diversity, interesting look and behavior, and they are quite common, easy to find and watch. They really are small "animalculi", like a miniature zoo.

 

[Hans-Werner]

That comes relatively close to post #94 and #98. I never saw any ectoplasm or reticulopodia, so I'm not sure about it being a Foraminifera, but I will check if I can find one with this sort of shape online.

Maybe this direction --> Tubinella

Please not the porous "tube". Foraminifera = "hole bearers"

 

[EnterName]

Maybe this direction --> Tubinella

Please not the porous "tube". Foraminifera = "hole bearers"

You might be on the right track here...
Tubinella funalis looks quite similar as well.

 

[ScaredGoat]

Just some videos of a sample I took from the edge of where the GHA is slowly disappearing in my tank that is 8 months old.

 

[EnterName]

Just some videos of a sample I took from the edge of where the GHA is slowly disappearing in my tank that is 8 months old.

Thank you for sharing! Lots of copepods and presumably Coolia as I can see
I'm still trying to get my hands on Coolia myself. Did you start the tank with dry rock/substrate or live rock/substrate? Anything notable about the nutrient levels?

 

[ScaredGoat]

I restarted the tank using the old live rock that had dried out. Have had this tank since 1993-ish. Had a small leak, I got frustrated and drained it. Let it sit till I finally had the motivation to empty, clean, and reseal. All new sand. Nitrate has been 0 for months. Phosphate is .05. Alk 8.4. I test weekly. GHA was covering every rock you see and has been slowly disappearing from the bottom up.