Have you ever wondered what tiny aquarium creatures look like up close? No, I mean, REAL close. Yeah, I know you can put your face up to the glass, but that’s not what I’m talking about. For these shots, I used a macro lens that can see closer than the human eye. These colorful creatures are the residents of my 10 gallon aquarium.

This little guy is a cherry shrimp. Up close, you can see the shrimp’s shrimpy features. See those pulsing featherlike organs? Those are the shrimp’s gills. You can also see the shrimp’s legs and swimmerettes. Like crabs and lobsters, shrimp are decapods, which is Greek for “ten feet”, and they have 10 legs. On their forward legs, they have tiny claws that they use to collect algae and biofilm.

But let me ask you this: have you ever seen a pregnant shrimp? Well, this is what one looks like. You see those yellow orbs attached to her swimmerettes? Those are the eggs. After a few weeks, they’ll hatch into tiny baby shrimplets and keep the shrimp population going. It’s really cool watching the circle of life in this miniature ecosystem.

Then, you got the chili rasboras. These fish are extremely small, Like, no bigger than an inch small. Even some of the shrimp are bigger than them. Yet, despite they’re diminutive size, they are ALWAYS hungry and ALWAYS darting to the front of the tank whenever I’m nearby. They love freeze dried Daphnia and crushed up bloodworms, and they will eat and eat, even if their little bellies are full.

But, in addition to being ravenous, they can also be bullies. For a few days, these two rasboras, which I assume are males, started beefing with each other in a battle for dominance. You can see how they swirl around each other in an attempt to make the other back down.

Meanwhile, the red racer nerite snails truly live up to their name. They race around the tank, slurping up algae and decaying plant matter. Here, you can see how they scoop up algae with their mouth. Inside their mouth, they have this tongue-like organ called a radula, and its covered with tiny teeth that scrape up food.

When they’re done eating for a while, they tuck themselves inside their shells and rest for a few hours. They usually rest out of the water because, when they’re in the water, the shrimp harass them nonstop. But, sometimes, they venture a little TOO far from the water and crawl out of the tank! Even with a tightly sealed lid, this mischievous one made it all the way to the floor! Luckily, snails are pretty tough and can seal themselves inside their shells to retain moisture, so this one was okay!

I really enjoy watching all of these beautiful creatures in my aquarium, and I hope you enjoy them, too! If you liked this article, please give it a like, leave a comment down below, and follow Tidewater Teddy! Thanks, and have a great day!