any idea what these codium sucking critters are?

[fareforce]

Well, at least you know your tank is happy!

[icyuod2]

Originally posted by kmk2307
Hitchiker-finder of the year! Awesome pictures! Are the slugs really hurting your Codium? Could you post some shots of the pistol shrimp? I would be very excited to see some high-res and up close shots of them.

Fun fact: aside from ants, bees, etc (homoptera) and termintes (isoptera), some species of pistol shrimp are the only eusocial invertebrates and the only ones that live in water. Do you see many little ones or just a few big ones?

Thanks for sharing!
Kevin

i have a small 2.5 connected to my 50g planted set up. i originally set it up for my hitchhiker mantis. he's been relocated to the sump.



with all my grape caulerpa taking over, i moved a couple small pieces of kelp and algaes to the 2.5 (a nursery of sorts)

i set up the nusery 2 weeks back.


emptied the tank, and washed out all the sand 1/4 cup at a time (rinsed under hot tap water, approx 2-5 min's per cup)
now the set up is a little wierd. the 2.5 is only connected to the 50g system by a 1/8" id airline and the 1/2" drain on the right.



its basicly a self supportive 2.5 that slowly changes out the water over the course of the day. (just a 1/8 tube syphening water straight out of my display) if theres a power break, the display level drops and breaks the syphen. the syphen hose wont start back up when the power comes on, but the filter will start circulating the water in the 2.5 (this was a short term fix for the mantis, but it worked so well i kept it going)

so heres the mystery and the pic. the tanks had nothing but algae in it for 2 weeks. (and not much) today theres a pistol shrimp inside the 2.5 (with no place to hide)

now i've been real lucky when it comes to hitchiking pistols. my reef (set up 18months back) had a family of 30ish living inside 1 large rock. (my eel made a tastey meal out of most of them) in 18months i've never got a good pic, because they are so bashful) my planted aquarium also has a family of them living inside a large rock (they seem to live in colonies) exactly the same pistols.

unless these guys can jump, 2" above the water, theres no way this guy crawled up my drain, and theres no way he slid down the 1/8" id tubing, hes way too big.

with how well i washed out the sand, i cant see overlooking this little guy, but here he is in the 2.5 none the less. i'm stumped, i have no idea how, but after 18months, i finally got the pic i was looking for. poor guys got no place to hide (i just gave him a conche shell after the pic was taken)

so here it is. largest i've seen in my system is 1.5", they do breed in the aquarium.
i'm assuming thier a tiger pistol shrimp but i'd love a positive id.
anyway, for those of you i promised pic's to, here it is. i finally got a good one.

[melev]

Nice shot.

You discount the theory that your tanks have transporter stations?

[icyuod2]

transporter stations?

[melev]

To beam livestock from one tank to another, ala Star Trek.

[icyuod2]

lmao!

[wmfsoll2]

Cool thread.

I have been reading a lot about Saltwater planted tanks.

And am now convinced that I should set one up.

Bill.

[mastou]

Originally posted by icyuod2
man what an exciting month. either my lobster,mantis or pistol shrimp have given birth.
i have tonnes of mysis, ampi/iso and copepods in the system, and these stick out like a sore thumb.

they move very differently to the critters listed above. what the pictures dont show well, are the pistol shrimp like claws these guys snap open and closed, and the shrimp/lobster type swim fins on the underside of the belly.

this picture resembles the posture of a mantis.

Are you sure it is a mantis, looks more like an amphipod to me:

pic from http://www.melevsreef.com/id/pods.html

/Magnus