Light Show at Night

[hanselldog]

Newb Question,

At night when all the lights have been out for about an hour I start seeing numerous flashes of lights.

What is this?

I'm just starting out.

I have a 150 gal glass

Currently about 100lbs of LR, some snails, crabs, and a Detritivore Kit and 3 Damsels.


Havent even seen a cycle yet! PH good, 0 Nitrate, 0 Nitrite, 0 Ammonia.

Thanks for looking


Steve

 

[whiirly]

I am not sure but I want to jump on here because I am a little curios as to what this is as well

do you have any pics?

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

They're probably bioluminescent stars. Brittlestar or serpentstar, I can't remember which. Ceoloplana have also been known to bioluminesce

 

[MadTownMax]

Where did you get your Live Rock from? - sounds like bioluminescent plankton

 

[hanselldog]

Thanks for the replies

I receieved all the live rock and Detritivore kit from Inland Aquactic in Terra Haute, IN,

And it did come with Brittlestars!
Just didnt know it came with so many.

Must say its pretty cool to watch, much like summer time with the lightning bugs !

 

[whiirly]

So is it a bad thing?If not how do I get some sounds way cool

 

[Ti]

I want some

 

[BillnJennh]

Inland Aquatics did sell bio-lemenescent stars at one time. Them may have thrown some of those in when you got the rock and detrivore kit.

 

[XeniaMania]

Some bristleworms put on a light show for mating. They swim up to the surface when the lights are out, or the actinics are on. In a way, you can call them marine fireflies.

 

[XeniaMania]

Quoted from http://siobiolum.ucsd.edu/Biolum_q&a.html

Communication.
The best known example is the bioluminescence of fireflies, where there is an exchange of flashes between males and females. Females respond to the flashes of flying males, with the eventual result that the male approaches the female for the purpose of mating. To avoid confusion between members of different types of fireflies, the signals of each species are coded in a unique temporal sequence of flashing. Some marine animals such as polychates (bristle worms) use bioluminescence during mating swarms, where the males will attract females to them. In others such as ostracods (firefleas), males flash in a sequence as they swim to attract females.