Identify Me - Not Sure What These Are...

PokeSephiroth

PokeSephiroth

Member
Just noticed these black "dots" swimming around in one of the bins I had sitting outside in my backyard, and figured I'd "harvest" them and feed them to my fish, but before I do, I want to see if anyone can identify what these things are...they sure don't swim around like Daphnia, because they seem to "zoom" around as they swim. Does anyone have an idea what these things might be, just from their swimming pattern? I don't have a macro lens, and only have an iphone4s camera to use (unless I think of something else).

[flash=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/v/CN6BUbshiII[/flash]



UPDATE
I lied, here's a better close up video (thanks to my webcam. lol)
[flash=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/v/NpGcLd8fr7E" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true[/flash]
 
Kaosu

Kaosu

New Member
That definitely looks like daphnia we have...are they shaped like little seeds and have fan like structures they use to move around with?...

the also could be a type of aquatic beetle..hard to tell with the video can you get closer?

Edit: just watched the other video..definitely look like a little beetle type bug.
 
PokeSephiroth

PokeSephiroth

Member
Kaosu: Yeah it's weird... I mean, I've seen daphnia come in at the shop (Aquarium Co-Op) an they're relatively bigger, about the size of celery seeds... and they have a kind of "vibrating/wafting" motion when they swim, due to their fan-like appendages.

These, however are about the size of ground up black pepper grains, and they seem to "zip" or "zoom" through the water... I haven't introduced them into the tanks yet until I can get some kind of answer as to what these might be. If anything, I can just dump them back out if they turn up as a threat to my fishies lol!!
 
PokeSephiroth

PokeSephiroth

Member
Kaosu: Hmmm... yeah, unfortunately I don't have a better camera that does macro shots. lol... Blerg. I think these things are more rounder in shape, but yeah, it really is hard to tell. =P
 
Kaosu

Kaosu

New Member
yeah not saying thats what it is but something similar. I have seen them in ponds around here..the bugs you have just cant find a site that says what they are.
 
PokeSephiroth

PokeSephiroth

Member
Right, and I think it's safe to say that these little things don't have any kind of visible legs... Ugh I wish I had a microscope with me! =P
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
I have seem more 'what am I?' posts lately. :scratch:  Are there just more hitchhikers or are more people getting involved in the box?
 
PokeSephiroth

PokeSephiroth

Member
Well, I've had a bin full of water, and I just noticed them today lol so.. yeah. Anywho, I have footage of them under a microscope (thank goodness) they do look like little daphnia because they DO have little swimming appendages. Kinda look like pistachios with little swimmer arms coming out of the front. lol!

So, with the help of my partner's son's toy microscope, I managed to get this footage. I placed the iphone4s's camera right into the microscopes eye piece thing...neato!

[flash=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/v/8nY40pvXICU" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true[/flash]
 
pbmax

pbmax

Active Member
Ostracods? That's what they look like to me. They're the right size - fantastic fish food.
 
PokeSephiroth

PokeSephiroth

Member
upon furthing inspection... they do kinda look like these... so maybe they're tiny baby forms of daphnia? :D omg. I WOULD LOVE IT IF IT WAS!

[flash=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/v/P2j3I65852Q" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true[/flash]
 
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