Any Clue What These Are?

[C-Note]

i was doing my weekend pond maintenance... vacuuming bottom, partial water change, etc. I try to fetch out as many trapdoor snails as I can find before I vacuum, to avoid sucking them up. When I put them in the bucket, I put them into a few inches of plain, clear pond water. When I went to get them out, the bucket was full of these tiny... things. I read that trapdoor snails live-bear maybe 6-20 babies at a time. This was a LOT of little specs. I scooped some into a measuring cup. Very easy to see with naked eye, but couldn't identify what they are. So under the microscope they went, and I still have no clue. Any guesses???

In bucket...

In measuring cup...

At 4/0.08 magnification...

At 10/0.25 magnification...

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Are they moving?
Snail Poop?

 

[C-Note]

Are they moving?
Snail Poop?

I don't see any movement. Could they poop THAT MUCH in such a short window? It was no more than an hour. Probably a lot less.

 

[HARO]

I think you've GOT it, Meyer!
John

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I guess that snails can get stressed much the same as any other animal. No expert on snails. Curious......What would an expert of snails be called?

 

[Dave 54]

I think they remind us of the baby snails we sometimes get in our filters C-Note well that our guess anyway.
In answer to your question Meyer a snail expert is called a malacologist

Dave

 

[Big Lou]

Alien underwater pods in their early stage of development. One day you will wake up and others around you will seem somewhat different. Run away C-Note, run away!

 

[Tula]

Yet another use for your trusty microscope !!!!

 

[Mmathis]

@C-Note How were you able to get the microscope pix?

 

[cas]

Snail Poop?

 

[Dave 54]

Carrie the ones in the bucket are definately baby snails.
However carefully going through my Observer's book of Pond Life ISBN 185471063x By John Clegg [I'm totally amazed because I never thought I'd use this book apart from ID'ing things around our own pond ]
The nearest thing that even resembles them are ciliophora namely number 105 of page 57 Colpidium .
Try x350 magnification to see if there are any hairs for propulsion as they are ciliates that posses hair like structures known as cilia which by their rythmic beating to either propel themselves through the water ior to attract food to them.
Of course I may be miles out because your in the US so we may have differing pond life but you cant say I didnt try Carrie

Dave

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Much too large to be Colpidium which are typically between 16 and 30 μm long.
These objects in question are easily seen with the naked eye.

 

[morewater]

I guess that snails can get stressed much the same as any other animal. No expert on snails. Curious......What would an expert of snails be called?

Snailer Trash.

 

[Dave 54]

Much too large to be Colpidium which are typically between 16 and 30 μm long.
These objects in question are easily seen with the naked eye.

Ah well back to the drawing board

Dave

 

[Dave 54]

Looking at them under the microscope they seem to have an inner structure and seem to be expelling waste or spores of some sort ....

Dave