Bioluminescent aquarium

I am devoting this topic to learning and sharing information about bioluminescent organisms.

I will not list FLOURESCENT creatures such as GLOfish because they require a BLACKLIGHT for illumination.

I will include creatures who glow due to symbiosis with bioluminescent organisms.

I will be posting all the scientific information i can find about specific species of glow in the dark marine organisms using scientific names and properties of the organism

Please use the following format if you post a glowing species:
BOBTAIL SQUID - (63 glowing species) bioluminescence is derived from symbiosis with biolumenscent bacteria (vibrio fischeri) which inhabit specialized organs in the squid - color is variable with environment. - this squid lives about 1 year and is a small DWARF species.
OR
SEA WHIPS - (Halipteris californica) - glows bright blue when touched or disturbed

 

ALSO note, I am very busy and I will post any number of organisms at a time, from 1 critter at a time to many.

without listing scientific names right now I will offer a preview of some creatures with family members which DO glow in the dark:
sea whips
sea fans
sea pens
brittle sea stars
sea urchins
phytoplankton
Dinoflagellates
squid
jellyfish
octopus
flashlight fish
pinecone fish
pineapple fish
angler fish
and many,many more

 

A note about symbiotic relationships with bioluminescent bacteria plankton and algae:

Some organisms are colonies which integrate algae plankton or bacteria into their tissues, many of these colonies can be made to glow by proxy.
Simply introducing cultures of bioluminescent equivalents to your aquarium can cause the host organisms to integrate the bioluminescent symbiotic replacements into their tissues causing the host to become illuminated.

Kind of cheating but I'll allow it! Anything for a dazzling night time display of life and living underwater fireworks.

 

Cultures you should introduce to your aquarium are available online if you know where to look... there are 2 companies I know of, empco and Carolina online.

The cultures are:
Vibrio fischeri (bacteria)
Noctiluca scintillans (algae plankton)
Pyrosystis lunula (algae plankton)
Pyrosystis fusiformis (algae plankton)
Pyrosystis noctiluca (algae plankton)

Pyrosysystis seems to have more than one correct spelling depending on the book you read... So don't be alarmed when someone spells it differently.

 

Bioluminesctent fish

Flashlight fish also called 2 fin flashlight fish and lantern fish
(anomalps katoptron) OR (kryptophanaron alfredi)
Glows blue green and yellow from symbiosis with bacteria in light organs.
It grows to 5-9 inches and is found online, from the Atlantic and Cayman islands.
Daylight photo

Night photo of school.



Pinecone fish also called pineapple fish (cleidopus gloriamaris)
Green to red glow from symbiosis with bacteria in special light organs.
Grows to 9 inches.
Day

 

May I ask where your finding the information sdblanshan.

 

This should be interesting. Looking forward to night photos.

 

Absolutely!
I am reading information provided by aquarium suppliers such as liveaquaria.com, and petco. I also read information provided by marine biologists who study bioluminescent organisms and I then study the organisms they report on, one at a time to decide if they are suitable for aquarium life. If they are I bring the information to the forum.

I know I sound a bit stiff because of my posting style, but I really hope to have a ton of input from people who have seen things in their own aquariums, or at the lfs. I want suggestions and input. If I don't learn anything from the community then I have failed because I am here to learn and this thread is where I am taking notes. LOL

 

I changed my signature but its not showing up.

 

Are there any Anemones that luminance?
You posted that it's a symbiotic relationship, what is the host receiving?
Found this interesting little fact

The squid is a nocturnal feeder, and uses the light generated from V. fischeri to eliminate its shadow caused by the moonlight above. Every morning, the squid releases 90% of the V. fischeri population in its light organ back into the water. This is most likely to insure that new squid populations have the bacteria available to them (9).
(from MicrobeWiki, the student-edited microbiology resource)

I found it while looking at different types of Vibro.

Your new sig is showing up BTW.