I can SEE free swimming Ich! I'm serious!

[crabbychris]

OK my fish have been in QT for almost 3 weeks now. Well tonight I fell asleep on the couch and somehow forgot to cut of the lights until 3 am (timer is broke). I walk over to the tank cursing about to cut the lights out and I see literally thousands of larvae swimming around in the water column OMG! At first I thought they were tiny tiny shrimp or copepods of some sort. They are about 1/10th the size of small mysis shrimp. I stood and watched these things getting ate by my corals for a half an hour before I did anything. I then squirted some "STOP parasite" in the tank and those things went nuts swimming all over the place. I waited about 10 more minutes and then put some food in the tank and they didn't even notice.
OK I know it's not ICH! They are NOT copepods!

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by CRABBYCHRIS
http:///forum/post/2894389
OK my fish have been in QT for almost 3 weeks now. Well tonight I fell asleep on the couch and somehow forgot to cut of the lights until 3 am (timer is broke). I walk over to the tank cursing about to cut the lights out and I see literally thousands of parasites swimming around in the water column OMG! I didn't even know it was possible. At first I thought they were tiny tiny shrimp or copepods of some sort. They are about 1/10th the size of small mysis shrimp. I stood and watched these things getting ate by my corals for a half an hour before I did anything. I then squirted some "STOP parasite" in the tank and those things went nuts swimming all over the place. I waited about 10 more minutes and then put some food in the tank and they didn't even notice! I am still in disbelief but I swear these got to be parasites.
Just tell me if I am losing it!
You cannot see ich with the bare eye unless it is attatched to a fish. You are seeing copepods which are beneficial inverts. Don't kill them. They are a beneficial part of marine aquaria.

 

[crabbychris]

I know what copepods look like and this isn't copepds! I have thousands of copepods too.
Is it possible that these are baby peppermint shrimp? Are they livebearers?

 

[crabbychris]

I have like 8 peppermint shrimp....it's the only thing that they could be unless they are in fact some type of parasite.

 

[-tara33-]

i dont have any whitespot in my tank but if you shine a torch on the tank at night there is thousands of free swimming bugs and inverts really tiny ones, its normal in a marine tank, watch a video on youtube of divers diving at night, its like its snowing underwater

 

[crabbychris]

I am trying to ID these things since I haven't added anything to the tank in months and I have never seen these before.

 

[crabbychris]

Can anyone show me a link to see shrimp in larval stages? I have been searching and I cant find anything. I am sure that they are shrimp larvae but they don't look like peppermints unless this first stage is different. Maybe I seen them right after hatching. What is the chances these will survive in the tank with no fish?

 

[spanko]

Pic of 2 week old peppermint larvae

And another, not sure of the age here.