Yet more "white dots"

[c est ma]

These...things...have appeared in my tank. They are white, ovate, about 1.2mm in the long dimension, and don't move. The surface appressed to the glass shows a white outer rim and an interior a little more than half filled with yellow that appears to be made out of tinier particles but it is a little hard to tell. The ones in the picture (taken through a 12X loupe) are below the surface of the substrate, but most of them are on the silicone seams of the tank corners. On the chance that they're snail eggs, I have nerites, ceriths, an Astraea, and a Nassarius in my tank.

 

 

--Diane

[SaltwaterGoldfish?]

those are really small to be snail eggs... not Nassarius... not Astrea... I've seen both of those before... I believe Nerites lay their eggs above water... so that would leave Ceriths... If you have the really tiny Ceriths it might be... but I'm inclined to think it would be something else, but I can't think of anything else that would be laying eggs...

 

cheers,

joe

[pheallox]

I dont know about only above water but the same things showed up in both of my tanks with in days of me adding Nerites and i added them weaks apart.

[c est ma]

Bingo! And now that I remember it, I did have two nerites consorting with each other at the very spot in the picture.

 

Interesting article in Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine, by Julian Sprung, with pictures:

 

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/invert.htm

 

Excerpt:

 

"Unlike many snails that spawn by releasing gametes into the water, Nerites reproduce by having sex! The male has a penis and the female has an organ to store sperm. The eggs are laid in small white capsules. see: [broken link].

The white egg capsules look like sesame seeds and are commonly seen on the glass or live rock in aquariums with nerites. They often generate "what is that?" remarks from observers. Just say they're sesame seeds and watch how the subject gets changed. Though these egg capsules are laid prolifically, I have so far not seen an example where new nerites appeared. Apparently the larval period and requirement for planktonic food limits the successful recruitment of nerite larvae. There may also be a special requirement that the egg capsules be exposed with the change of the tides, or rainfall and salinity change may be necessary for some species."

 

(Wonder if all that will make it through the filter? )

 

--Diane