Tiny bugs swimming for the light.

[3S1K]

While feeding my corals I had all the pumps shut off and stuck my flash ligh to the side of the tank and noticed a bunch off really tiny bugs swimming for the light.They didn't look like copepods and were much smaller than what I have seen.Can they be some sort of plankton?

I also put the light pointing down into the tank and seen a worm swimming up to it in a drilling moition.He would stop swimming when I moved the light and started up towards it again when I shinned it on him.It was very cool to see him swim,in a twisting motion like a drill bit,I wish I a goot macro lense to take photos.

Any idea on what than can be?I have one year in this hobby and I still find new stuff that needs answers

 

[bertoni]

Sigh, without a picture, that's going to be tough. Perhaps mysid shrimp for the swimming creatures. The other animal is a complete mystery to me.

 

[Paintbug]

the "bugs" are probably mysis shrimps, or some type of baby shrimp if you have a pair of shrimp in your tank.

the second sounds like a epitoke. they are a part of certain bristleworms reproduction.

 

[3S1K]

Thanks,I'm gonna see if I can get some videos of these creatures.I do have 2 peppermint shrimp that hide in a rock all day long but I'm not sure if there is 2 anymore since I only see one at a time.

EDIT:I Googled Epitoke and got this link.Not sure if its the same worm since my worm was about 1/4" long.It sound similar since it became a free swimming animal.Also what are "gametes"?

Epitoke

 

[Paintbug]

Male gametes are sperm and female gametes are eggs, or whatever holds the chromosomes of the parent.

epitokes come in all kinds of sizes. it depends on the size of the bristleworm it came from. i have seen one in my tank. it may have been 1" long. i did alot of reading about them when someone posted a pic here on RC and told me that was an epitoke and it was exactly what mine looked like. i wish i could find that pic.

 

[mdisalvo55]

I know when you hatch brine shrimp and put a flashlight up to them they all come towards it...so it could be some kind of shrimp.

 

[Pandora]

Almost all planktonic invertebrates (incl brine shrimp) have a photophilic response & swim towards the light. Description's not specific enough, sorry.