Suddenly there were millions!

Mshanej · Sep 17, 2018

About an hour after lights out, I went to the tank with my flashlight...like you do. There are millions of things suddenly. I do this every night, and I see the usual...worms, pods, serpents, etc. Never these. The almost look like small fish. Tear drop snapped, with eyes. They are attracted to the light. If I leave the camera light on they will swarm it. The anemone is catching and eating them. I only have two clown fish, and thought they are mated, I haven't noticed any eggs...So, I very much doubt that is what they are. I turned off the over flow...Just to get whatever it is a chance to not get thrown into the sump. It's a very dark and neglected place down there! (No judgements!) What do you guys think? Sorry about the sound int he video. Couldn't figure out how to mute it.

Sierra_Bravo · Sep 17, 2018

Are they teardrop-shapped like below? Do you have crabs in your tank? This is a pic of a crab zoea:

Mshanej · Sep 17, 2018

Sierra_Bravo said:
Are they teardrop-shapped like below? Do you have crabs in your tank? This is a pic of a crab zoea:

I think the ones in my tank are a bit bigger than that. I do have crabs however. I can't stop watching them! No sleep tonight. Thank you. Just looked at your in wall build...that's so epic and organized!

Sierra_Bravo · Sep 18, 2018

I can't begin to count the number of times I've snuck down in the middle of the night to look at the tank. Get both a red and a blue flashight to enhance the exxperience. The red doesn't scare the critters and with the blue you get great flourescence.

Mshanej · Sep 18, 2018

Sierra_Bravo said:
I can't begin to count the number of times I've snuck down in the middle of the night to look at the tank. Get both a red and a blue flashight to enhance the exxperience. The red doesn't scare the critters and with the blue you get great flourescence.

Night tank is the best! I didn’t know that about the red. I’ll have to get a red light

reef lover · Sep 18, 2018

Wow thats alot of critters!!

Breefin1220 · Sep 18, 2018

You should take some out and put into another tank just for them and see if they survive and what they turn into!

Maritimer · Sep 18, 2018

I think you may have a thriving colony of mysid shrimps in there.

They're pretty carnivorous, will help you with excess food cleanup, as well as feed on smaller 'pods (and one another...). Good snacks for whoever can catch 'em.

~Bruce

Mshanej · Sep 19, 2018

Breefin1220 said:
You should take some out and put into another tank just for them and see if they survive and what they turn into!

They were gone wine lights came up this morning. Just checked now and there they are. Maybe even more than last night. Looks like a swimming snow globe!

Mshanej · Sep 19, 2018

Maritimer said:
I think you may have a thriving colony of mysid shrimps in there.

They're pretty carnivorous, will help you with excess food cleanup, as well as feed on smaller 'pods (and one another...). Good snacks for whoever can catch 'em.

~Bruce

Okay. I looked those up. You got me convinced. I think that’s them! This tank is three years old with nothing new added. I wonder where they suddenly came from!? Thanks for the input.

Maritimer · Sep 19, 2018

Mine came from KP Aquatics' Florida liverock - but I've seen them in LFS as well.

~Bruce

Philt56 · Sep 19, 2018

Maritimer said:
I think you may have a thriving colony of mysid shrimps in there.

They're pretty carnivorous, will help you with excess food cleanup, as well as feed on smaller 'pods (and one another...). Good snacks for whoever can catch 'em.

~Bruce

I thought mysis were freshwater? Or is there a marine version too?

Mshanej · Sep 19, 2018

Also I just started feeding frozen mysis. Surely they didn’t come from that...right lol

BootyPup · Sep 19, 2018

Mshanej said:
Also I just started feeding frozen mysis. Surely they didn’t come from that...right lol

It is funny, those coincidences.. I could have sworn after I started feeding frozen mysis and stuff, I also got outbreaks of what I now realize to be mysis shrimp....