My wife and I have made some finds in our tank recently and I though I'd describe the to see if others have any ideas where I should start looking for their identities and care. No pictures because my digital camera wouldn't show anything that small as more than a blur.
Under the sand:
- First I saw one critter picking up sand grains against the glass and presumably cleaning algae/bacteria off. It had what certainly looked like crab claws a few mm long, but I got no glimpse of the body. Assuming some form of sand-dwelling crab.
- The second I was afraid was a spearer mantis at first because it has many pairs of legs and was manipulating some tiny shells with forelimbs that were three-segmented in a pattern vaguely similar to a terrestrial mantid's. However, I remembered that this would be upside down for a mantis shrimp and am now guessing maybe a sand-dwelling isopod dining on algae. I haven't seen the body, but I've seen at least 7-9 pairs of 2-3 mm legs and it doesn't have claws I've spotted so far. I'm guessing at least 1 cm long.
Under an overhang:
- This is the one I'm more concerned about, as the others seem to be scavengers. I saw what looks like 3-4 tiny bright red branches. Each one has a stouter base (2 mm) with smaller branches sticking out. The larger branches also have branches. The texture could point to a sponge, but I did not see the single larger opening that most sponges I'm familiar with have. The largest one looks like a baby coral of some sort to me, possibly a tree coral hanging upsaide down. This ledge is by where the currents of 2 powerheads hit the front of the tank and turn back, so plenty of erratic current, but I'm concerned that I've got a baby coral that may be a pure filter-feeder. I can't see it without crouching and using a flashlight (my wife spotted it), but I figured there might be some ideas of what could just spring up in that spot and match the description. No obvious tentacles spotted yet.
Any thoughts?
Under the sand:
- First I saw one critter picking up sand grains against the glass and presumably cleaning algae/bacteria off. It had what certainly looked like crab claws a few mm long, but I got no glimpse of the body. Assuming some form of sand-dwelling crab.
- The second I was afraid was a spearer mantis at first because it has many pairs of legs and was manipulating some tiny shells with forelimbs that were three-segmented in a pattern vaguely similar to a terrestrial mantid's. However, I remembered that this would be upside down for a mantis shrimp and am now guessing maybe a sand-dwelling isopod dining on algae. I haven't seen the body, but I've seen at least 7-9 pairs of 2-3 mm legs and it doesn't have claws I've spotted so far. I'm guessing at least 1 cm long.
Under an overhang:
- This is the one I'm more concerned about, as the others seem to be scavengers. I saw what looks like 3-4 tiny bright red branches. Each one has a stouter base (2 mm) with smaller branches sticking out. The larger branches also have branches. The texture could point to a sponge, but I did not see the single larger opening that most sponges I'm familiar with have. The largest one looks like a baby coral of some sort to me, possibly a tree coral hanging upsaide down. This ledge is by where the currents of 2 powerheads hit the front of the tank and turn back, so plenty of erratic current, but I'm concerned that I've got a baby coral that may be a pure filter-feeder. I can't see it without crouching and using a flashlight (my wife spotted it), but I figured there might be some ideas of what could just spring up in that spot and match the description. No obvious tentacles spotted yet.
Any thoughts?
