The experiment, with the use of sand deposit from hygroarenal (shore sand beach wetted by lake waves) of the beach of eutrophic Lake Mikołajskie (Masurian Lakeland, Poland), was performed in order to test the hypothesis that shore sand deposit is the bank of resting forms of ciliate, rotifer and crustacean species. The experiment was conducted over a 38 days period in March-April 2004. Frozen sand taken in winter was exposed in aquariums filled with pre-filtered (GF/C) lake water in stable temperature (20[degrees]C), oxygen saturation and 12:12 light/dark conditions. Samples (three replicates) were taken each day. A total number of 44 ciliate, 59 rotifer and 9 crustacean taxa were identified during the studied period. Resting forms of different species and/or taxonomic groups developed in different time and it may be the result of different strategies in colonization of new habitats. Organisms forming resting cysts such as ciliates (11 species) and bdelloid rotifers appeared after the first day of the incubation whereas organisms hatching from resting eggs (monogonont rotifers and crustacea) were observed from the 2nd-3rd day of the experiment. The numbers of all the studied groups of organisms increased gradually and then strongly decreased indicating probably nutrient and/or organic matter limitation. The highest numbers of ciliates (731 ind. cm[^-2] of sand) was found on the 5th day, rotifers (987 ind. 100 cm[^-2]) on the 23rd day, cladocerans (60 ind. 100 cm[^-2]) on the 21st day and copepods (30 ind. 100 cm[^-2]) on the 33rd day of the experiment. The results of this study suggests that shore sand deposits being the temporal refugium for the small-bodied invertebrates transported here with the wave action may also play an important role as the transfer for their further dispersal in addition to postulated ways of expansions such as wind, rain, animals and surface runoff.