I was looking at my reef tank today and noticed (while viewing with a magnifier lens) some tiny (microscopic) things moving around on the glass. They looked like specs of dust on the glass, but they were moving in a way that could only suggest that they were alive. I got out my reading glasses and put a jeweler's loop on them to get a closer look. I tried to take a photo of them using the macro setting on my camera, but they are too small to photograph without a special lens. So, I drew a sketch (I am not an artist!) to see if someone could help me identify them and tell me whether or not they are harmful.
The critters are beige colored with two antennae in the front and two long tiny hair-like things coming out the back. The ball on the tail (left sketch) is white, but not all of the critters have them. (maybe an egg-sac?) They have what looks like a vein running through the middle like you would see on a shrimp.
I can only see them on the glass, but I saw one get carried away in the tank current, so I am sure they are all over the tank... probably hundreds, maybe thousands!
I looked for "tiny saltwater critters" using Google and the nearest I can come up with is that they may be some kind of pod.
Can someone help me identify these things?
The critters are beige colored with two antennae in the front and two long tiny hair-like things coming out the back. The ball on the tail (left sketch) is white, but not all of the critters have them. (maybe an egg-sac?) They have what looks like a vein running through the middle like you would see on a shrimp.
I can only see them on the glass, but I saw one get carried away in the tank current, so I am sure they are all over the tank... probably hundreds, maybe thousands!
I looked for "tiny saltwater critters" using Google and the nearest I can come up with is that they may be some kind of pod.
Can someone help me identify these things?
Healthy even.
