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wavy thing ID assistance

Started by Guest_BenCantrell_* , Oct 26 2013 03:48 PM

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14 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_BenCantrell_*

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Posted 26 October 2013 - 03:48 PM

I noticed this in my freshwater aquarium today. Any ideas what it could be? It's attached to the rock and waves around in the current.

Posted Image

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#2 Guest_Kanus_*

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Posted 26 October 2013 - 03:57 PM

Looks like a hydra. Hope you aren't planning on breeding any of your fish.

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#3 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 26 October 2013 - 04:00 PM

Hydra for sure. They love fry. Otherwise they are no problem.

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#4 Guest_BenCantrell_*

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Posted 26 October 2013 - 04:12 PM

Haha, it's in my mosquitofish / plant tank so it's probably getting well fed. Thanks guys.

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#5 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 26 October 2013 - 04:28 PM

Try to capture a photo or video of it with a Gambusia fry. Stage it even, by feeding it. Would be pretty cool.

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#6 Guest_EricaLyons_*

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Posted 26 October 2013 - 05:31 PM

I captured a video of hydra being fed, to help people identify them in the future.

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#7 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 26 October 2013 - 05:53 PM

Oh heck,
I forgot about that Erica.

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#8 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 26 October 2013 - 11:00 PM

Old-time aquarists are very familiar with this beastie. Back in the day, it was common to collect live daphnia, tubifex, etc., with the concomitant assortment of bycatch.

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#9 Guest_Orangespotted_*

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Posted 26 October 2013 - 11:39 PM

They're kinda cool if you aren't raising fry. I think the green ones with the symbiotic algae would be pretty sweet too, though I've never had them myself. It's fun to watch them do that "roll" of theirs too.

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#10 Guest_Usil_*

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Posted 27 October 2013 - 11:11 AM

I had green ones some 40 years ago and did a study of a small squat organism that lived by crawling around on the hydra. Under a microscope, It looked and acted like a canister vacuum cleaner. When the hydra contracted they all rushed to the mouth end and appeared to be busy harvesting anything that came out of the hydra. This was the only time I ever saw this organism that seemed to be adapted specifically to the hydra. Anyone else ever observe this?

Usil

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#11 Guest_Kanus_*

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Posted 28 October 2013 - 06:31 PM

Whoa, Usil, that is pretty awesome. Some sort of rotifer perhaps? I've never heard of that.

Hydra are pretty cool little critters by themselves, and again, don't hurt anything unless you're breeding stuff. I had them cropping up in a tank I was breeding cherry shrimp in and decided to use Panacur to get rid of them. Worked beautifully and didn't harm anything else in the tank. Took a few days though.

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#12 Guest_Auban_*

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Posted 05 November 2013 - 11:37 PM

I had green ones some 40 years ago and did a study of a small squat organism that lived by crawling around on the hydra. Under a microscope, It looked and acted like a canister vacuum cleaner. When the hydra contracted they all rushed to the mouth end and appeared to be busy harvesting anything that came out of the hydra. This was the only time I ever saw this organism that seemed to be adapted specifically to the hydra. Anyone else ever observe this?

Usil

i have seen rotifers that look like they are carrying little shields on them. they pretty much moved non stop.

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#13 Guest_Auban_*

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Posted 05 November 2013 - 11:37 PM

https://www.ebiomedi...very-small.html

apparently, there are several critters that can live on hydra.

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#14 Guest_Usil_*

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Posted 06 November 2013 - 10:49 AM

Trichdina - that's it. They seemed to stick to the hydra but also move along the body and tentacles freely like it was gliding. Very adapted to the hydra. The cilia at the top waved in the food particles like a vacuum cleaner and they seemed to know to rush to the head when it contracted.

Usil