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FAQs about Marine Protozoans Related Articles: Marine Protozoans, Marine Microbes, Marine Virology, Marine Mycology, Marine Bacteria, Phytoplanktonic Marine Algae, Invertebrates, Marine Plankton, Taxonomy & Biological Classification Related FAQs: Marine Microbes, Marine Virus, Marine Bacteria, Marine Funguses, Marine Plankton, Phytoplankton, Live Rock, |
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Is this Velvet or Crypt, and what are these white things 1/4/08
Hello.
<Greetings Joe>
Thanks for all the helpful information that you provide. I have spent dozens of hours reading on your site, and yet I know that I have so much left to discover and learn.
<As do we all>
I have a 120 G saltwater Fish only tank in which there was a massive die off all within a week period from first signs (cloudy eyes, breathing difficulty, death). I attributed the deaths to /Amyloodinium ocellatum / due to the rapid onset and a few white "dots" that appeared on the fish/. / The first picture (100 X mag) is from gill scrapes
taken and are representative of what was found. Can you confirm these as either /Cryptocaryon irritans or //Amyloodinium ocellatum?
<They do very much look like trophonts of Amyloodinium... do you have Iodine that you might test them for staining?>
/All but the initial fish that helped cycle the tank were aggressively quarantined with Chloroquine and rotated with QT tank change every 3 days for four changes, but as I have sadly learned, any fish can introduce disease into the tank.
<Yes, actually, anything wet> |  Amyloodinium trophonts | The Main tank was left without fish for 11 weeks. 4 weeks into the fallow period, I began seeing small white dots, about 1/10 mm in size forming on the green algae on the glass, and where they would appear, the algae would disappear in an expanding circle of small white dots.
<Yes... I see... what appear to be a small snail, but could be a Foraminiferan... or...>
The second picture is an microscopic picture of one of these. These are not moving on the glass, and much smaller than copepods which are moving on the glass. |  Foram most likely | In the midst of the smaller dots, there are also larger, about 1 mm in size cream/white/tan colored dots that as can be seen in the final picture taken of the glass sides of the tank. These are slowly moving on the glass and removing/eating the algae as they pass as demonstrated on the picture. Under the microscope, the larger dots appear to be larger versions of the smaller ones, too dense and dark to photograph well.
Is there any chance that these are the developing tomonts of /Cryptocaryon irritans or //Amyloodinium ocellatum/ left from when the outbreak occurred?
<Mmm, not on the glass, moving, no... Is some other form of life.>
Are these something I need to be concerned about?
<Not the stuff other than the Amyloodinium, no>
Thank you for your help as I work thought the process of getting my tank healthy again.
Joe
<Nice pix Joe. Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner> |  Got me... |
Foraminiferans Irritating Corals? 11/21/2008
Hello to whomever is answering emails today :D
<Hi Miguel, Mich here.>
I've been having an issue with what I think are Marginopora vertebralis, which I just Id'd thanks to the handy search function on your site.
<Looks to be so.>
For a back story, I've had issues in the last few months with LPS peeling slowly, and every time on the peeling flesh I find these Foraminiferans.
It seems like they're slowly irritating the corals to death as they feed on whatever it is that they're feeding on the live rock.
<Mmm, does not necessarily make it causational.>
I've included a picture of what I think is them irritating a coral.
<In researching I have not found information to support this, but that does not mean it is not possible.>
This is how all of the peeling LPS tissue in my tank looks like, you can see that at 12 and 6 o'clock they are digging into the flesh of the coral, and especially at 5 o'clock you can see a smaller one digging into the coral with a distinct peeling flesh next to it.
<This is unusual.>
At the very bottom right of the image you can see them working into the flesh as well, and in the top left there is a white spot on the coral that's actually another one that has just attached.
<I see.>
I'm not sure if these are the cause of the problem or just bystanders in another tank issue that may be going on, but it's a bit coincidental that they're always right at the edges of the peeling sides of the corals.
<Some types of Foraminiferans feed on bacteria, perhaps the Foraminiferans are feeding on areas of decay.>
One of my friends had a microscope, so I'm attaching several highly magnified images in order of magnification.
<Cool!>
They average about 1mm across, and in picture 4 there is a blob of green.
<I see.>
I'm not sure what that is but it's the only block in the Foraminiferan that had one in there, possibly it's feeding on it?
<Is a possibility.>
Thanks very much for your time, and I hope things are well!
<Thank you Miguel.>
Miguel
<Cheers,
Mich> | 
 Nice pix! RMF
| Looks like a UFO, but it’s a Foraminiferan! – 1/23/08
Hi Guys!
<Hi there, Terje!>
Can you help me identify this brown thing? The picture should be approximately 1:1 (on a 15-19" monitor :) ) = 3mm. <<ufo.jpg>>
<Wow! Looks like a very pretty little Foraminiferan test. Forams are harmless, single celled organisms (“Protists”) that are shelled and supposedly feed on bacteria and organic matter. Please see these links for photos and more information re:
http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/hitchodds.html
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/rs/index.php >
Regards
Terje Midtb?
<Take care -Lynn> | 
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