Water Bugs??

[Caleb]

OKay, doing a daily water change on the stores' system I found a bunch of little bugs. Now these seem like some small water fleas or something but it disturbs me as why they are in the systems' tanks.

We feed a lot of frozen food and have a few live plants but this is the ONLY thing I can think of as to why I have them.....and does anyone know if there is a chemical to get rid of them, or completely drain down the tank and use bleach solution?

Any ideas, its kind of bugging me, I know they aren't a danger to the fish,well some could be I guess, but not the ones we have, but its still kind of odd.

Caleb

 

[BluEyes]

they could have gotten in through water changes, or through the hood.

I'd see them as free fish food. No need to go to such extreme measures as draining and bleaching unless you have an raging infestation!
I've often found little tiny bugs in the filter and such - especially in a planted tank there will probably always be a few, because there are just so many places for them to hide that the fish couldn't possibly get them all. Heck, fishes live with waterbugs in their natural habitat, so why not in the tank as well?

 

[wetmanNY]

In the water, snapping around? Or on the water, jumping like flealets?

 

[Caleb]

in the water, just swimming around like they're happy as can be, which they most likely are.

I know they won't hurt anything but still, if you saw a bunch of swimming critters in you LFS tanks, what would you think?

If you're someone new to the hobby you might think "what are those" and, "they need to take better care of these fish."

Caleb

 

[wetmanNY]

I'd think, where's a white saucer? Where's my 10x loupe? What do these really look like? Why aren't the fish eating them?

As insects are in a garden, mini-arthropods are in an aquarium. Part of the landscape.

My first guesses are ostracods or watermites.

 

[Caleb]

well, they're commonly known as water fleas...they actually look kinda like mini brine shrimp, except alive.....they're in tanks with danios so I'm sure quite a few get ate....but there are still more....hehe, guess I just have to accept my system isn't perfect yet.

Caleb