Babies

[Ang&Pat]

Well for the second time (that we have noticed), during the middle of the night there is an explosion of babies in the tank.

 

They are maybe a millimeter in length with the general body shape of a helicopter. Big front with slender angled tail. The rear fin is horizontal, they have a slight pink color and two beady black eyes. We segregated one to a shot glass in it swims very sporadically. Like if you took a tennis ball and threw it hard against the wall in a small room.

 

Now the only pairs in the tank are yellowtail damsels and hermits.

 

I don't believe it's the damsels since the tail is horizontal and not vertical.

 

Other occupants include: coral banded shrimp, emerald crab.

 

They look somewhat like the coral banded shrimp, can they reproduce asexually?

 

Or are the some small critter along the line of pods or something?

 

Thank you for your thoughts,

Patrick

[Caesar777]

Does the coral banded shrimp have any blue on its abdomen? That would be the ovaries... Not sure if they can reproduce asexually--doubt it, though--but who knows. Could be the hermits. I was thinking mysis, but they're clear with barely-visible eyes.

[reef hugger]

To me it sounds like you have some kind of crustacean larvea swimming around. Here are some pics of different larvea. http://www.imagequest3d.com/cgi-bin/ImageF...rthropod_larvae I would say that they are hermit crab larvea. They are definately not fish larvea and since you only have one CBS their not those.

[USFnano]

Sounds like mysis/mysid shrimp

[Six]

sounds like copepods. fish breeding is highly unlikely. they go through a pelagic phase where they drift in plankton rafts in the photic zone of the ocean. very difficult to recreate in captivity.

 

GL

[genuck]

so which of the pictures was closest? i just had my second swarm of unidentified larvae. still not sure if they are mysis or hermit. i've NEVER seen mysis in my tank, and i saw a hermit w/eggs or parasites... same thing anyways curios as to what you think yours are.

[bluebastion]

This might actually confuse you, however it also might be helpful. I have a freshwater blue crayfish (crustacean), which I got Nov. '04... anyways, come April of this past spring she had over 150 babies. Did she produce asexually? Yes and No.... apparently blue crayfish females have the ability to store sperm (a sperm bank if you will) and use it up to a year later to fertilize the eggs she produces each year(which she will produce whether holding sperm or not).... So I'm not sure if this carries over to saltwater crustaceans, but I'm sure crayfish aren't the only ones who can do this. I'll reference: www.bluecrayfish.com forum section.

[Ang&Pat]

THe mysis shrimp looks most similar.

 

But the red tint wasn't that bright yet. It just had a slight pink tint to it. Maybe the difference between being hours old and days old???

 

Do you think they hid or were they all a great late night snack? I'm sure some are still hiding out.

 

I feel its a good thing for the tank right?

 

Thanks,

Patrick