I'm doing some exploration and tests on the local water source, so I took a sample from a local pond. I've identified some water fleas, hydra, and various insect larvae, but I can't find anything relevant on this one creature. Or creatureS. I checked the Hitchhiker thread too, and didn't see it.
I have tried to take pics of this thing, but it isn't working out. So I'll have to explain it.
It's a small clear gelatinous mass, just a bit smaller than Lincoln's head on the American Penny. It actually reminds me of the egg sac of a Ram's Horn Snail. But what's INSIDE the sac is what I don't get.
It looks like the sac is housing a few dozen very tiny worms. They look about the size of vinegar eels, but shorter. And they don't constantly wiggle - although they DO move. Movement is slow, as though the clear goo was slowing them down.
They look dark brown, but they are so small, the white background I was using could have skewed the color. And while they seemed to be all over the clear mass yesterday, today they seem to have settled at a low point - but not the very bottom. There still seems to be a cushion between them and the substrate. There are still small dark marks higher up in the mass, which makes me wonder if those are still some type of egg that hasn't yet hatched. Or poop from the worms.
Internet searches just pull up snail egg sacs, or worms that infect snails, or snails that eat worms. The terms gelatinous mass just add frog eggs into the massive search results. But these are almost microscopic worms. They're none of the above from what I can tell.
Does anyone have an idea what they are? Are they a parasite that has invaded and eaten snail eggs? Are they some other type of larvae? Are they harmful to tropical fish?
Unfortunately, a microscope is one of the things I do NOT have on hand. So I can only go by what my naked eyes can see - which isn't much in this case. If they aren't harmful, I may try to isolate them and raise it as fry food, since they are certainly small enough!
I have tried to take pics of this thing, but it isn't working out. So I'll have to explain it.
It's a small clear gelatinous mass, just a bit smaller than Lincoln's head on the American Penny. It actually reminds me of the egg sac of a Ram's Horn Snail. But what's INSIDE the sac is what I don't get.
It looks like the sac is housing a few dozen very tiny worms. They look about the size of vinegar eels, but shorter. And they don't constantly wiggle - although they DO move. Movement is slow, as though the clear goo was slowing them down.
They look dark brown, but they are so small, the white background I was using could have skewed the color. And while they seemed to be all over the clear mass yesterday, today they seem to have settled at a low point - but not the very bottom. There still seems to be a cushion between them and the substrate. There are still small dark marks higher up in the mass, which makes me wonder if those are still some type of egg that hasn't yet hatched. Or poop from the worms.
Internet searches just pull up snail egg sacs, or worms that infect snails, or snails that eat worms. The terms gelatinous mass just add frog eggs into the massive search results. But these are almost microscopic worms. They're none of the above from what I can tell.
Does anyone have an idea what they are? Are they a parasite that has invaded and eaten snail eggs? Are they some other type of larvae? Are they harmful to tropical fish?
Unfortunately, a microscope is one of the things I do NOT have on hand. So I can only go by what my naked eyes can see - which isn't much in this case. If they aren't harmful, I may try to isolate them and raise it as fry food, since they are certainly small enough!
