Would anyone know what these might be?

[Fishfur]

I might be able to get higher resolution pics but these are the best the phone can manage tonight.

Just noticed the glass in the new tank that is intended for the Armoured Stickleback pipefish is covered in these little white whatever-they-are things and I am unsure what they may be.

They brush off with ease and tiny bubbles rose when I wiped a bunch off but the sizes are variable and the largest of them look something like a snowflake to me.

I believe they’re some sort of wee beastie. But I haven’t seen anything quite like them before.

Almost certainly came with a plant and they have spread very quickly because I gaze at this tank every night just before I hit the sack as the tank is on the dresser.

And there’s a big difference between last night and tonight. Last night I thought the outside glass had water spots on it. I tried rubbing them off tonight only to find they aren’t water spots or on the outside glass.

Do they ring a bell for anyone?

 

[Lucifer]

Not sure. Maybe planaria, or copepods which can come with plants or maybe even detritus worms?!

 

[Fishfur]

Not sure. Maybe planaria, or copepods which can come with plants or maybe even detritus worms?!

If they were worms, copepods or planaria I would know - I’m familiar with all of those.

If they were worms or copepods I’d be thrilled - both are something I would love to try and culture.

I can zoom in on the pics I posted and they vaguely remind me of something like a bryozoan - they have projections and look oddly like crowns. None are moving so far as I can see.

But I appreciate the response.

 

[Cherryshrimp420]

My guess is some kind of filter feeder as well. If you touch it, does it retract?

 

[Fishfur]

My guess is some kind of filter feeder as well. If you touch it, does it retract?

I can’t see them well enough to tell, I know they aren’t stuck very tightly - just a light brush swipes them right off the glass.

I’d need major magnification to see if they can move or react to touch and I don’t have that handy. It is no help that I desperately need new specs but my 70 year old eyes just aren’t what they used to be,

 

[Redshark1]

Usually these are stalked ciliates, filter feeders often living in an ecosystem with other lifeforms and forming a biofilm.

In my experience they go away once the nutrient level in the water drops, causing their bacteria food to dissipate.

The stalked ciliate of most interest to aquarists is Epistylis which can damage the skin of any fish it attaches to leading to the invasion of bacteria and ultimately death of the fish.

 

[GouramiGirl100]

It could be vorticella or stentor but I cannot say for certain from the photos

 

[Fishfur]

It could be vorticella or stentor but I cannot say for certain from the photos

Appreciate the responses, everyone.

I hope it isn’t epistylis though most of the time they are not a problem - if I can get higher resolution images it might show enough detail to be useful. So far I see no evidence that the fish are eating them. I should skip feeding for a bit to encourage them to nibble on them.

I’ve seen a few copepods and worms so small they are just barely visible along with one threadlike worm that I think was a Dero worm.

I have long wished to have a Dero culture but while I was trying to get a net organized to catch it, it kept thrashing along the way they do when swimming and one of the fish got to it first. Grrr. I can only hope that worm brought some friends along.

Clearly one or more plants I recently got was well populated with assorted micro fauna!

I really don’t mind, most are harmless and I’ll take a shot at culturing almost anything but I’ve never seen so many different species appear in such a short time in any tank let alone one that’s not yet a month old.

 

[StarGirl]

looks like Stentor colonies.

 

[Fishfur]

looks like Stentor colonies.

Interesting. I freely admit having more or less insatiable curiosity when it comes to things like this. I would not be thrilled if they turn out to be vorticella - they can become a serious pain.

If the fish were to spawn, which I don’t expect just yet but hope to see, stentor colonies would be a food resource for them, wouldn’t they?

 

[StarGirl]

I freely admit having more or less insatiable curiosity when it comes to things like this

Same.....lol

IDK if fish would eat them. I would say they are kinda along the lines of Zoothamnium or Vorticella. Harmless though.

These are the reading pages on the side of my computer.....lol