Rotifers so I thought ?

juboy27 · Jan 7, 2017

Hi i had 3 tubs of rotifers about 5 months ago. I was so busy with work thay just died off.
A month ago I put phytoplankton in one of the tubs and left it to see if anything would come back. Today I looked in the tub and there are minions of what I thought was rotifers. But these are smaller and they go straight through my rotifer strainer.
They look to be a golden colour. Can anyone give me any idea as to what thay are ?

Joeganja · Jan 8, 2017

Photos would do justice.

juboy27 · Jan 8, 2017

Ok ill try can get some latter Thanks

Reef Nutrition · Jan 10, 2017

juboy27 said:
Hi i had 3 tubs of rotifers about 5 months ago. I was so busy with work thay just died off.
A month ago I put phytoplankton in one of the tubs and left it to see if anything would come back. Today I looked in the tub and there are minions of what I thought was rotifers. But these are smaller and they go straight through my rotifer strainer.
They look to be a golden colour. Can anyone give me any idea as to what thay are ?

I'm willing to bet what you are seeing is a small ciliate called Euplotes sp. They are THE most common contaminant in aquaculture. They are smaller than rotifers, so it's no surprise that they are getting through your screen. They can be a real pain, so I suggest you bleach everything and order some clean rotifers when you are ready. I will attach a picture of the organism in question so that you can confirm.