Need Help Id Insects

[sahinze]

i'VE RECENTLY HAD A HATCH OF INSECTS IN MY TANK. tHEY ARE LITTLE ORANGE BUGS, THAT STAY ON THE WATER OR JUST ABOVE THE WATER LINE ON THE SIDES OF MY TANK. tHEY LIKE TO JUMP. i LIVE IN EASTERN CANADA. DO THEY POSE ANY THREAT TO MY FISH, OR ANNOYANCE TO ME (FLEAS?) aNY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

[Faramir]

Could be mites of some kind, rather than insects. Best is to get a good look with a hand-lens - count the legs, body segments etc, then someone on here will probably know what they are.

[125gJoe]

Can you post a picture of them?

oH - hit the Caps Lock button once... :)

[sahinze]

i HAVE NO WAY OF TAKING A PICTURE UNFORTUNATELY. i DID TAKE A LOOK WITH A LENS THOUGH. tHEY APPEAR TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE BODY SEGMENT. wITH THE REAR BEINGQUITE WIDER THAN THE FRONT. THEY ARE ABOUT 1.5mm IN SIZE. tHERE APPEARS TO BE A SET OF ANTENNA COMING OFF THE FRONT ABOUT HALF THE LENGHT OF THE BODY, ALTHGOUGH THEY COULD BE LEGS. tHEY RANGE IN COLOR FROM TAN TO RED, WITH MOST OF THEM BEING ORANGE. dON'T KNOW IF THIS HELPS OR NOT.

[Faramir]

How many legs? Eight is a mite, six an insect.

yOUR cAPS lOCK IS ON BY THE WAY!

[wetmanNY]

The bright color gives them away as water mites-- Hydrachnidia will give you the www.google.com scoop.

Harmless. Except the bright-colored ones are too bitter for the fish to eat...

[sahinze]

thanks wetmanNY, I checked it out at google, and that looks like what it is.