Tiny creatures coming out at night

[bct15]

I was looking into my tank at night the led on my cellphone and noticed some tiny animals in my tank. First I noticed dozens of tiny white snails, all over the lower end of my rock stack. Below is a picture of them

They are about a mm and I assume they come out of the sand since they are at the lower portion of my rock stack. I've seen a couple near some zoas on a rock but they mainly are spread out all over my rocks, so I don't think they eat coral.

Also at the opposite end of my tank, the direction most of the current is going at this time I noticed some very tiny critters that look like shrimp. They are attracted to light and can not swim very well, but migrate towards the led and seem to get stuck to the glass. They flip their tale like shrimp, but really seem to just get blown around but manage to stay near the led. There is at least 40 of them, they are white and less then a mm long and very thin. Their tale is much thinner then their head and their eyes glow blue in the led. They are to small to get a pic with my phone but I'll try to get a pic with my camera tonight. Any thoughts on what they may be?

Thanks,
Brandon

 

[Troylee]

snails are harmless and the others are pods... amphipods and copepods... good food for your fish..;)

 

[Speg]

Unless they're sundial snails or one of the many different predator type snails.

 

[MoneyPit]

Snails are great, I had hunderds now they are gone. :sad: Short life span I guess. Sounds like amphipods to me.

 

[Rotknee]

I have the same exact thing (or things) in my tank! I don't have a camera worthy of a pic to use to ID these critters. Like yours, they only come out at night. I have yet to see them on my clams or Acros yet so I'm assuming they are safe?

I sometimes see them on the glass and thought they were baby Astrea snails? My sixline and yellow tail tamarin wrasses don't seem to eat the ones that do hang out during the day light hours. My tank has been up for 10 months now and they just appeared about two months ago.

 

[Stray32]

Collonista Snails, harmless grazers.

 

[NanoNano]

They might be Stomatellas but that picture doesn't really look like them. I have hundreds in my tank, all different sizes and they are incredible grazers.

 

[Wy Renegade]

pods and most likely a type of gastropod mollusk called a stomatella or a limpet. Here's a good guide;

Indo Pacific Snails

 

[Troylee]

Collonista Snails, harmless grazers.

that would be my guess... i have had thousands of them for years and no problems.... i have plenty stometellas also they spread like wild fire!!!!!lol

 

[NanoNano]

that would be my guess... i have had thousands of them for years and no problems.... i have plenty stometellas also they spread like wild fire!!!!!lol

I'm amazed at how fast Stomatellas reproduce. I love it!

 

[bct15]

After looking at some pictures, the snails most resemble collonista snails...

 

[Stray32]

Told ya :wink:

 

[Wy Renegade]

Nice call Stray32! Good eye.