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suey2 suey2
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  • Posted on: 20/4/2008 19:35
Stowaways - anyone got any idea what they are? #1
Hi All - the story so far - I bought some plants on line which arrived on Thursday 9th April. One of them was riccia but I could see little flatworms in the bag so I didn't bother opening it as I had many other plants to deal with. I left the riccia in the bag for a couple of days then last weekend I put it in a jug of tapwater thinking the chlorine might finish off the flatworms.

I noticed lots of small brown balls on the plant but thought they might be seeds of some sort. The flatworms hung on in there so I left it and left it and today decided I must deal with it. I poked all the worms off the plants with a stick and hoiked the plants out. Was about to chuck the water when something about one of the bits of manky plant at the bottom made me poke it with the stick - it swam across the jug! What stopped me from dropping the lot and leaping through the conservatory roof I don't know!

There were three in the end - they are currently in an icecream tub with the riccia. I've no idea what they are other than they are not goldfish. Might not even be fish for all I know. I've emailed the plant people asking them what was kept with the plants. Here are some pics of them if anyone has any idea what they might be.

There are three here - two on the right, one on the left. They are lying on their sides a bit as they'd just been poked and swam about.
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This is close up of one in the icecream tub.
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Fishy-Fishy Fishy-Fishy
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  • Posted on: 20/4/2008 19:38
Re: Stowaways - anyone got any idea what they are? #2
They look like tadpoles.

*edit* Yeah I reckon they defo are though I don't know what kind. You'll have to raise them and find out, how exciting
suey2 suey2
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  • Posted on: 20/4/2008 19:51
Re: Stowaways - anyone got any idea what they are? #3
The gill bits do look a bit like that (just had a google!). Didn't see any evidence of frogspawn though, only the little brown balls The biggest one is about 1cm long. They're not doing much, they're behaving a bit like the goldfish fry did at first, just clinging to a surface Time will tell I guess
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Fishy-Fishy Fishy-Fishy
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  • Posted on: 20/4/2008 19:54
Re: Stowaways - anyone got any idea what they are? #4
Could be newts then, I think they lay individual eggs wrapped up in a leaf or something. I dunno if tadpoles vary in colour or not but frog tadpoles are usually dark brown or black, I don't think I've ever seen one with stripes like that.
suey2 suey2
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  • Posted on: 20/4/2008 20:15
Re: Stowaways - anyone got any idea what they are? #5
One of the brown balls has just hatched! It's taking it's time about getting out and I can't get a decent macro but the ball is moving around and there's a tiny wiggly bit with it!
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longhairedgit longhairedgit
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  • Posted on: 20/4/2008 20:15
Re: Stowaways - anyone got any idea what they are? #6
AWESOME, looks like a palmate newt larvae. Right time for breeding too, nice early spawner.
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Fishy-Fishy Fishy-Fishy
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  • Posted on: 20/4/2008 20:17
Re: Stowaways - anyone got any idea what they are? #7
There's a pic on wikipedia, I don't think they have legs when they first hatch out do they? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Palmate_newt_larva.jpg

I want a newt tadpole! *stamps foot* where did you get your plants?
suey2 suey2
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  • Posted on: 20/4/2008 20:20
Re: Stowaways - anyone got any idea what they are? #8
Can't see any legs on any of them yet. Got the plants from Greenline - only the riccia had the stowaways I feel some research coming on, don't suppose an icecream tub is an ideal home!
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longhairedgit longhairedgit
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  • Posted on: 20/4/2008 20:21
Re: Stowaways - anyone got any idea what they are? #9
lol, thats not legs , thats gills.
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Fishy-Fishy Fishy-Fishy
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  • Posted on: 20/4/2008 20:34
Re: Stowaways - anyone got any idea what they are? #10
Quote:

longhairedgit wrote:
lol, thats not legs , thats gills.


The one in the wikipedia pic has legs, not the one suey posted