Something I've never seen, any clue what this could be?

dakota9

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OK, I've seen pretty much every type of everything you'd expect to find in a tank, and many that you'd not expect. I saw something tonight after the lights went out that I'd NEVER seen before, and wondered if anyone else had seen somthing that looked like this.


I had been turkey basting the live rock to kick up debris for my chili coral, so in all likelyhood, this little creature had been crawling on the live rock rather than freeswimming in the water colum all along, but it could definately swim. I didn't have time to get my camera, but never under estimate my powers of description.

It was about one third inch long, creamy white, and well, kind of shaped like a sperm cell, complete with tale and head section except for the head section was elongated and had a curve to it. It had the ability to swim as it swam straight up by means of undilating and spiraling it's entire body, then what looked liked it just stopped all motion completely to fall back down the water colume.

It was only a few seconds in the water colum before it was sucked into my sump area, and then spit out the return pump motionless, I assume dead from the pump impellar.

I would have thought it a worm except for it's ability to swim. I'm wondering if it's some larvel stage of the berghia nudis that I put in the tank over a month ago, but it lacked the back plates you see on the berghias.

Any clues what this could be?
 
Maybe the berghia was flattened out for swimming. The speaker (Noel Curry) from scientific described them doing this at night searching and smelling for food.
 
I never knew the berghias could swim. I know when I've accidently basted the adults into the water colum that they just float around until they land and do not seem to swim at all.
 
Barbara;435080 wrote: Dak, could it have been this?

http://melevsreef.com/2004/07/ive-been-meaning-to-update-my-blog-for.html">http://melevsreef.com/2004/07/ive-been-meaning-to-update-my-blog-for.html</a>
(scroll down to Monday, July 12, 2004 and click on the video "Swimming worms").[/QUOTE]



Hey Barb, I get a "Page Not Found" message every time I click the link, but suppose if theres such a thing as swimming worms, it could have been that.

"Perhaps it will remain a true mystery of the deep" (said in thick french accent reminiscent of Jacques Cousteau).
 
I'm uncertain what the thing in the center was, but the little thing that swam to the right and back to the center looked very similar to what I had seen. I'm sure at closer magnification, you would see that it's means of locomotion is to spiral like a corkscrew.

I'm going to check out a few more of those links, as they look interesting!
 
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