I expected to find one little snail baby inside each egg, but noooooo......
At 2x...
4x...
10x...
10x...
20x...
Well, They're Not Snail Eggs, Oh Yes They Are-
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Well, They're Not Snail Eggs, Oh Yes They Are-
Fooled again. I was pretty excited at what I thought were snail eggs inside my aquarium, right on the surface, clinging to some of the water plants. They looked like little white dots inside a soft gelatinous mass. Not like the snail eggs from fish aquariums which were glued to the glass and not white, but what else could they be?
I expected to find one little snail baby inside each egg, but noooooo......
At 2x...
4x...
10x...
10x...
20x...
I expected to find one little snail baby inside each egg, but noooooo......
At 2x...
4x...
10x...
10x...
20x...
Last edited by Mitch640 on Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Charles Krebs
- Posts: 5865
- Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:02 pm
- Location: Issaquah, WA USA
- Contact:
Thanks Charles. Not sure if I am happy about that or not. If each small ball inside the big ball is a snail, then I will be over run with snails. I guess I will know soon enough though, and, I see there are at lest three clusters in the tank with about 15-20 of the larger egg sacs in each one.
I also found some sort of animal, inside the gelatinous mass that I thought was a snail, but has no shell. Does it look familiar?
I also found some sort of animal, inside the gelatinous mass that I thought was a snail, but has no shell. Does it look familiar?
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Charles Krebs
- Posts: 5865
- Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:02 pm
- Location: Issaquah, WA USA
- Contact:
I will stick my neck out and vote with Mitch on these.
Higher organism, I include snails here, go through a very similar embryology.
Essentially, one fertilized egg divides into 2 cells, then 4 cells, then 8 cells,
etc. etc. You soon get a ball of cells (the blastula)which then differentiates into the parts of the body.
The cells in this blastula are all connected (looks a bit like a Volvox without the daughter colonies). Mitch's specimen shows many separated balls (cells??) within each big ball which does not suggest any type of embryology I am familiar with (not many!).
The only possibility that I can see is that each little ball is a single egg and there are hundreds in each big ball - but I doubt if that is the case.
So, if not snail eggs then what are they?
Higher organism, I include snails here, go through a very similar embryology.
Essentially, one fertilized egg divides into 2 cells, then 4 cells, then 8 cells,
etc. etc. You soon get a ball of cells (the blastula)which then differentiates into the parts of the body.
The cells in this blastula are all connected (looks a bit like a Volvox without the daughter colonies). Mitch's specimen shows many separated balls (cells??) within each big ball which does not suggest any type of embryology I am familiar with (not many!).
The only possibility that I can see is that each little ball is a single egg and there are hundreds in each big ball - but I doubt if that is the case.
So, if not snail eggs then what are they?
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.
Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.
Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives
Whatever they are, I have plenty, and I put these back in the tank. There are at least two more bundles.
I just hope they aren't flying, biting, insects. LOL
But I kept aquariums for years, and never saw free floating snail eggs. All I ever saw were small clutches stuck hard to the side of the glass, and with a small magnifying glass, you could watch the baby snails develop. You could see them as snails before they hatched.
Not saying they are not snail eggs, cause I have two large snails and some small river snails, that are way too small to be laying eggs like this. Just that I have never seen any like this.
I will be checking them daily though, that's for sure. Time will tell.
I just hope they aren't flying, biting, insects. LOL
But I kept aquariums for years, and never saw free floating snail eggs. All I ever saw were small clutches stuck hard to the side of the glass, and with a small magnifying glass, you could watch the baby snails develop. You could see them as snails before they hatched.
Not saying they are not snail eggs, cause I have two large snails and some small river snails, that are way too small to be laying eggs like this. Just that I have never seen any like this.
I will be checking them daily though, that's for sure. Time will tell.
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Charles Krebs
- Posts: 5865
- Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:02 pm
- Location: Issaquah, WA USA
- Contact:
Mitch... which is it... 
Here are two frames of snail eggs. These appear to be at a stage of development between the ones you have shown, and the one I posted a week or so ago (that shows a complete baby snail ready to emerge).
I don't know what the "little balls" are. Perhaps they are a food source, or perhaps these eggs have been compromised by a micro predator. But if they are snail eggs you'll get one per "big ball".
orclinging to some of the water plants
(I've not seen free-floating snail eggs either, but I've seen plenty attached to vegetation).never saw free floating snail eggs
Here are two frames of snail eggs. These appear to be at a stage of development between the ones you have shown, and the one I posted a week or so ago (that shows a complete baby snail ready to emerge).
I don't know what the "little balls" are. Perhaps they are a food source, or perhaps these eggs have been compromised by a micro predator. But if they are snail eggs you'll get one per "big ball".
I agree with Charles; of course they are snail's eggs. 
The little circles are likely fat/oil droplets or CHO spheres. The actual embryos in Mitch's images are the blurry OOF blobs in the center of the eggs; which I completely missed seeing on my first look.
This what (my) very young snail eggs look like. A very small solid ball of cells in clear cytoplasm, each egg with a definite 'shell' and all eggs enclosed in a thick layer of jelly.
2x objective 2.5x relay lens, full frames.
Each egg is 0.9 mm long
Top: with transmitted light
Bottom: reflected light
NU11007
The little circles are likely fat/oil droplets or CHO spheres. The actual embryos in Mitch's images are the blurry OOF blobs in the center of the eggs; which I completely missed seeing on my first look.
This what (my) very young snail eggs look like. A very small solid ball of cells in clear cytoplasm, each egg with a definite 'shell' and all eggs enclosed in a thick layer of jelly.
2x objective 2.5x relay lens, full frames.
Each egg is 0.9 mm long
Top: with transmitted light
Bottom: reflected light
NU11007
Last edited by NikonUser on Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.
Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.
Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives
They are free floating in the sense that they do float, but they are not glued to big flat leaves or anything. Just one end of the gelatin was attached and I was easily able to put some suction on the other end with a pipette and lift the whole glob up and transfer it to the slide.Mitch... which is it...
But now it makes sense, cause all of them pretty much had an OOF dark spot in the center with no detail to it yet.
Charles, have yours hatched yet? I wonder if I should buy a box of cigars?
NU, this is what I remember snail eggs to look like.
Mitch: I have several batches of snail eggs in my pond water in all stages of development up to just-hatched. In all instances the cytoplasm within the egg is crystal clear.
It might be worth keeping some of your eggs in a small clean container with nothing but water so as to see what the numerous little spheres turn into.
I'm really curious to see what they are.
It might be worth keeping some of your eggs in a small clean container with nothing but water so as to see what the numerous little spheres turn into.
I'm really curious to see what they are.
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.
Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.
Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives
I have never seen this type of eggs before either and I fully intend to look and record their progress every day until they hatch. Have you kept track of yours, and how long they take to hatch?
I can see three batches in the top of my aquarium. All three are more or less lying on top of vegitation, and relying on gravity to stay in place. They are not woven into or glued to the vegitation in any way I can see. If this tank had a current, they would be gone. Yesterday, I was able to lift off the whole mass with just the slightest suction from a small pipette on the edge of the gelatin. In fact, I was trying to suck out one single egg and look at it, but the whole thing lifted off and I moved it to a depressed slide right away and filled the depression with water. The whole mass is about 1/3 the size to fill the depression level. I put a coverslip on it without touching the mass. That will give you an idea of the size of it.
Since the eggs are so easy to get to, I hesitate to put them in a petri dish or something smaller. This room changes temperature drastically during the day and I don't want to kill them by mistake. I could float the petri dish on the water of the aquarium though, that might work.
Anyway, I plan to look at them at least once a day and record their progress. Should be quite interesting, and kill time while waiting for some polarizer parts to arrive.
I can see three batches in the top of my aquarium. All three are more or less lying on top of vegitation, and relying on gravity to stay in place. They are not woven into or glued to the vegitation in any way I can see. If this tank had a current, they would be gone. Yesterday, I was able to lift off the whole mass with just the slightest suction from a small pipette on the edge of the gelatin. In fact, I was trying to suck out one single egg and look at it, but the whole thing lifted off and I moved it to a depressed slide right away and filled the depression with water. The whole mass is about 1/3 the size to fill the depression level. I put a coverslip on it without touching the mass. That will give you an idea of the size of it.
Since the eggs are so easy to get to, I hesitate to put them in a petri dish or something smaller. This room changes temperature drastically during the day and I don't want to kill them by mistake. I could float the petri dish on the water of the aquarium though, that might work.
Anyway, I plan to look at them at least once a day and record their progress. Should be quite interesting, and kill time while waiting for some polarizer parts to arrive.
No, haven't kept track of mine. Development and hatching is almost certainly to depend on temperature; the warmer it is the quicker they develop.
Why I suggested isolating a few eggs is that when the young snails emerge the egg shell those little spheres (which seem to be not related to the snail apart from living within its egg) will simple disappear into the aquarium. These are the interesting guys that you don't want to lose.
Temperature fluctuations should not be a problem as long as you are in the range of 32F to about 80F. Floating a Petri dish seems a reasonable solution if you are concerned with wild fluctuations.
Why I suggested isolating a few eggs is that when the young snails emerge the egg shell those little spheres (which seem to be not related to the snail apart from living within its egg) will simple disappear into the aquarium. These are the interesting guys that you don't want to lose.
Temperature fluctuations should not be a problem as long as you are in the range of 32F to about 80F. Floating a Petri dish seems a reasonable solution if you are concerned with wild fluctuations.
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.
Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.
Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives