What is this

[Fumanchu]

It looks like a baby shrimp or something. It's about the size of a pod they were flowing in the water column at 3 am there was at least a 100 or more of them .

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I’d like to be the first to say , those are some of the best hitchhiker pictures I’ve seen on Reef2reef.
@KJ
#reefsquad.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It’s a juvenile so prob kinda hard (for me anyway), but look at 1:22 here. Pretty close.

 

[KJ]

Shrimp larvae.

 

[reef lover]

Cool pics!

 

[tupes]

I have got to get on the microscope bandwagon

Cool photo @Fumanchu

 

[Fumanchu]

Thanks gentlemen ,do you think any will survive to maturity

 

[tupes]

Depends on predators in the tank. But there is always a chance.

 

[tripdad]

@Sallstrom just had some shrimp larvae posted in his thread. Maybe he can chime in as they were trying to rear them to maturity. Very neat!

 

[Sallstrom]

Thanks gentlemen ,do you think any will survive to maturity

Depend on what type of shrimp it is. If it's a some kind of mysid, yes I've seen mysids thrive and reproduce in reef tanks and refugiums.

If it's cleaner shrimp larvae, you'll need to remove them and rear the larvae in a larvae tank for about one to two months before they settle and then they might survive in a reef tank. The larvae stages differ amongst the species. Peppermint shrimps have a shorter time, they can start settle after 3-4 weeks as larvae.

I did a search but couldn't ID the larvae on the picture, sorry :)

Good luck!

 

[Fumanchu]

I only have peppermint shrimps one maybe two

 

[Softhammer]

It’s a peppermint shrimp larvae. I have had them spawn dozens of times. Unfortunately the odds of raising them are almost zero unless you have a dedicated huge system exclusively for them. I have researched it extensively and it seems their larval stage is typically 150 days long. No way they won’t get eaten or skimmed up in that long of a time period. Not to mention providing suitable food for a half a year. It’s sucks they die but it is nature’s best coral food!