# Creatures within the water features



## Tennill (Jan 4, 2008)

Not sure if this will work but I found something completely by accident and its something I've never seen before. And even more interesting I can't find anything about it on Google...how bout them apples?

It's some kind of white worm that has created a cocoon like structure that it is dragging around. And this isn't the only one. I have found around 15 of these little guys just chilling out and making houses.

If you watch the video you can even see in the background these things pulling on debris moving things around. Its just amazing how alive these ecosystems can grow to be. 

Has anyone else seen this before?

And I apologize in advance for the background music and games, my boys just got new toys for Christmas. 😝


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

The video does not work for me. Your description sounds like caddisfly larve. I don't know how caddisflies could ever get into a viv(?).


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## Tennill (Jan 4, 2008)

There we go it should work now


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## Tennill (Jan 4, 2008)

No they aren't cadifly larvae, they are much too small. These things are practically microscopic.


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## Tennill (Jan 4, 2008)

I'm still searching google, and I'm still not able to pinpoint this thing


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## Tennill (Jan 4, 2008)

No body here has experienced these things?


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

I'm having a hard time seeing it in the video


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## Tennill (Jan 4, 2008)

I tried my best to get some pictures of these things. I still haven't identified them. 










this is a closeup, the very tip is the worm and it can extend its body really far out away from the cocoon and pull it along without issue.








Here is the full picture, as you can see the tip of my figure at the top of the picture for size comparison.


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## PumilioTurkey (Feb 25, 2010)

I always have either little fly larva or other very tiny bluish larva swimming in my waters.


so far nothing has ever happened.

you think the water in Costa Rica, Panama etc is safe?

it is probably swarming with life. Same goes for water that accumulates inside bromeliads.


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## jrodkinsey (May 27, 2013)

I second the Caddisfly larva. Do they have legs or is it more worm like?


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## Tennill (Jan 4, 2008)

They aren't caddisfly larvae, these are only 4 to 5 mm long. Extremely small, caddisfly larvae range between 1/4 to 1/2 inch much larger. They are a type of tube worm, just don't know What they are. If you look you'll notice when you zoom in on the full picture.


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## chuckpowell (May 12, 2004)

They are ostracodes (Ostracod - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) also know as bivalve shrimp. They are microscopic arthropods that live in marine, brackish, freshwater, and wet environments. They came in as eggs with the substrate or on plant medium and have grown up and started breeding in your tank. Don't worry about them - their harmless. 

Best,

Chuck


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## edwardsatc (Feb 17, 2004)

Tennill said:


> They aren't caddisfly larvae, these are only 4 to 5 mm long. Extremely small, caddisfly larvae range between 1/4 to 1/2 inch much larger. They are a type of tube worm, just don't know What they are. If you look you'll notice when you zoom in on the full picture.


If the last picture you attached is of the actual organism in question then it is in the family Hydridae.

BTW - there are many genera of trichoptera (caddisflies) that are very small. For example, see the genera in the family Hydroptilidae.


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## Tennill (Jan 4, 2008)

That was my bad, I was supposed to say that if you look real close you can see the hydridea right next to it. It looks like a stick or debris but it's not actually has a little worm that comes out of the top. I've been trying to get a picture of the actual worm like grabbing at the top but my camera doesn't want to focus that close


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