Weird eggs on surface of water - 2nd time in a few months

[BMBLSAD]

This is the second time this has happened in the last 3-4 months.  There is some weird eggs (I think...?) that have suddenly appeared on the surface of the water in my 40g.  The stock in the tank include 1 female BN pleco, a couple of amano shrimp, 2 pygmy cories, 2 mystery snails, and bunch of bladder snails that road in on a plant and started a new colony.  Anyway, O know what eggs from mysteries and bladder snails look like and this isn't it.  Could it be some terrestrial insect that had laid eggs on the surface of the aquarium? For example, we have a ton of boxelder bugs that are trying to take over ownership of the house.  But if on the off chance this is coming from one of my tank critters, I don't want to fish them out this time.  What do you think? 

[Guppysnail]

@Biotope Biologist?

[AllFishNoBrakes]

I have no clue what those are, but I can definitely tell you that they didn’t come from any of your tank inhabitants. 

[Katherine]

To me it looks like it could possibly be from the mystery snails. If a small clutch got knocked into the water before it had dried it could spread out like that. Are they the wrong size for that?

[cmo1922]

Is it possible they are not eggs at all? Mold or something similar floating on the surface? They look irregular to me from the pictures, and not like the eggs (at least the healthy ones) I'm used to seeing from my snails and fish.

[Odd Duck]

On 2/10/2024 at 9:45 AM, Katherine said:

To me it looks like it could possibly be from the mystery snails. If a small clutch got knocked into the water before it had dried it could spread out like that. Are they the wrong size for that?

Mystery snail eggs never separate like that.  They will stay stuck together unless you crumble them and when crumbled they are not intact.  Plus they always stay that pale pinkish tan color.

 

On 2/9/2024 at 4:43 PM, BMBLSAD said:

This is the second time this has happened in the last 3-4 months.  There is some weird eggs (I think...?) that have suddenly appeared on the surface of the water in my 40g.  The stock in the tank include 1 female BN pleco, a couple of amano shrimp, 2 pygmy cories, 2 mystery snails, and bunch of bladder snails that road in on a plant and started a new colony.  Anyway, O know what eggs from mysteries and bladder snails look like and this isn't it.  Could it be some terrestrial insect that had laid eggs on the surface of the aquarium? For example, we have a ton of boxelder bugs that are trying to take over ownership of the house.  But if on the off chance this is coming from one of my tank critters, I don't want to fish them out this time.  What do you think? 

I don’t really have any bright ideas on what they are, but would like to see more close up images.  Maybe lift some out on some paper and take zoomed in closeups.  I’m not even certain they are eggs based on these pics.  I’m not saying they aren’t eggs, but I can’t be certain they are eggs.  They definitely aren’t eggs from any of the listed inhabitants.  Do you happen to have any emerse plants that were brought in from outdoors?  Or houseplants that were brought in from outdoors?  These have a strange fuzziness around the edges and that’s not something most eggs have.  Eggs are generally fairly distinctly shaped and don’t have what looks like micro eggs around them.  It almost looks like some powder is sitting on the surface encapsulated somehow.  But they’re also strangely similar in size at the same time.  Very odd.  Can you lift some out on some paper and get closer pics?

[cmo1922]

On 2/10/2024 at 2:40 PM, Odd Duck said:

Mystery snail eggs never separate like that.  They will stay stuck together unless you crumble them and when crumbled they are not intact.  Plus they always stay that pale pinkish tan color.

 

I don’t really have any bright ideas on what they are, but would like to see more close up images.  Maybe lift some out on some paper and take zoomed in closeups.  I’m not even certain they are eggs based on these pics.  I’m not saying they aren’t eggs, but I can’t be certain they are eggs.  They definitely aren’t eggs from any of the listed inhabitants.  Do you happen to have any emerse plants that were brought in from outdoors?  Or houseplants that were brought in from outdoors?  These have a strange fuzziness around the edges and that’s not something most eggs have.  Eggs are generally fairly distinctly shaped and don’t have what looks like micro eggs around them.  It almost looks like some powder is sitting on the surface encapsulated somehow.  But they’re also strangely similar in size at the same time.  Very odd.  Can you lift some out on some paper and get closer pics?

To add to all that from oddduck, is this a dirted tank? It also reminds me of those little white balls they put in potting soil which will float if they come out of the soil. Not saying that's what it is, just questioning the egg assumption.

[BMBLSAD]

Thanks everyone for weighing in.  I just had a crazy thought.  My anubias bloomed recently.  I can't recall if it  had bloomed the previous time this happened but the chances are good because it's been blooming frequently.  Could these possibly be the "flower petals" breaking away and floating up to the surface? (BTW - I know I need some ferts for my anubias...need to do some research on that yet).

[Odd Duck]

On 2/10/2024 at 6:50 PM, BMBLSAD said:

Thanks everyone for weighing in.  I just had a crazy thought.  My anubias bloomed recently.  I can't recall if it  had bloomed the previous time this happened but the chances are good because it's been blooming frequently.  Could these possibly be the "flower petals" breaking away and floating up to the surface? (BTW - I know I need some ferts for my anubias...need to do some research on that yet).

I don’t know the answer to this because every tank that’s had an Anubias bloom has had fish in it that eat the bloom before it gets very far.  Apparently that inner spathe is quite tasty.  🤷🏻‍♀️