# Interesting little buggers...



## 7yl4r (Jan 20, 2010)

My 20 gal aquarium has become home to about a thousand tiny bugs. 

I would say they're about the size of a pin head and oval in shape. They stay on the sides or bottom most of the time, but seem to be quite capable of swimming around. 

There's no way I can get a picture of them but if I had to guess I'd say they probably resemble something like a short-legged flea or maybe a beetle/ladybug (but much smaller of course).

I'm almost positive they came in on an umbrella plant clipping I planted in my tank.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_alternifolius ) 

I've decided to let them stay for a while because they seem to be astonishingly good at eating the algae off the sides of my aquarium, while seemingly not causing my plants any harm. 

So... two questions:

1. Any Idea what they are?

2. Any idea what easy to keep fish might help curb their numbers?


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## FrogHerder (Dec 18, 2009)

7yl4r said:


> My 20 gal aquarium has become home to about a thousand tiny bugs.
> 
> I would say they're about the size of a pin head and oval in shape. They stay on the sides or bottom most of the time, but seem to be quite capable of swimming around.
> 
> ...


Copepods? Aquarium (and Pond) Answers: Cyclops, Are these freshwater copepods dangerous in an Aquarium?

You'll probably need a microscope if you're interested in a positive identification.


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## 7yl4r (Jan 20, 2010)

Unfortunately I don't have space or $ for a microscope right now, but I was looking for just a general idea. 

I don't think they are cyclops, but based on what Wikipedia says about copepods I'm happy saying that they are probably some species of copepod.

So what do you think would be a good fish/critter to eat loads of these things? My betta never seemed interested in them. Just about any fish small enough to care about something that size?


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

What do the lil buggers look like? You positive its not planaria you're dealing with there (lil white 'worms' search googel image results for reference pictures)?


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## FrogHerder (Dec 18, 2009)

7yl4r said:


> Unfortunately I don't have space or $ for a microscope right now, but I was looking for just a general idea.
> 
> I don't think they are cyclops, but based on what Wikipedia says about copepods I'm happy saying that they are probably some species of copepod.
> 
> So what do you think would be a good fish/critter to eat loads of these things? My betta never seemed interested in them. Just about any fish small enough to care about something that size?


Could also be water mites, which are arachnids rather than crustaceans. We also have some in our betta tank, and I'm curious about this myself.

If you have porous substrate, most of them are probably in/under it where most fish can't really get after them. I know saltwater gobies feed on them. Maybe do some reasearch into freshwater gobies? Maybe smaller loaches? I would also guess that a good number of invertebrates/insect larvae feed on them but the ones that I can name off the top of my head would eventually mature into flying insects or become a quick snack for a Betta.


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## 7yl4r (Jan 20, 2010)

@Angel079 
They're definitely not any kind of worm; as far as I can tell they have egg shaped, ovular, or round bodies.
I looked at some with a bright background and they appear to have several very small limbs on the underside of their bodies, more towards their front; these 'legs' are small in proportion to the body (probably about half as long as the body is wide) and they appear to use them to swim. Also, they are dark brown in color. 

On an unrelated note though... when going through some of my gravel I did find a very interesting worm I could only describe as sea-cucumber-like.

@FrogHerder
I think they do resemble water mites (my initial conclusion 6mo. ago) but I'm just not so sure. Several pages google comes up with says that they pretty much scavenge on whatever is around, but I'm pretty sure mine just eat the algae off my tank glass(plastic, actually); back when I had actual noticeable algae you could see the spots where they had gobbled it up. I suppose this is probably the best guess so far though. 

As for substrate, mine is mostly gravel with small amounts of sand and sandy soil mixed here and there. There are many decomposing bodies on the bottom(and I vacuumed Sunday!), but virtually no live buggers. They also don't seem interested in the small amounts of algae growing on my rocks... Just the glass. They spend pretty much all their time either sitting on or scooting around on it... that is... when they're not caught in a current and being blown around. 

As far as my Betta bothering any potential future inhabitants, that won't be an issue; he died a couple weeks ago. =/ sure miss 'im.

And finally... I've always liked gobys. I hadn't considered freshwater varieties. Seems like a good suggestion, wikipedia says the biggest problem with smaller freshwater gobies is feeding as they prefer live foods. I may look into that. =)


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

I'd rather wanna make sure first to ID for sure what you're dealing with there rather then buying a fish who's supposed to eat them. 
For all you know you're dealing with some type parasite there and then what!?


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## 7yl4r (Jan 20, 2010)

Angel079 said:


> I'd rather wanna make sure first to ID for sure what you're dealing with there rather then buying a fish who's supposed to eat them.
> For all you know you're dealing with some type parasite there and then what!?


Certainly something worth considering. I'm inclined to think that since my betta never seemed bothered by them, that they are not primarily parasitic. Also, I am waiting several weeks before adding any new fish in hopes of 'starving' parasitic creatures. I suppose there are many potentially problematic creatures/bacteria/what-have-you that can survive without a host though. Do you think this is an effective method?


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

There's so many gazillion possibilities what this could be.... You're the only one that see's them not us, so I'd recommend just googel image search till you know for sure what it is.


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## FrogHerder (Dec 18, 2009)

7yl4r said:


> Certainly something worth considering. I'm inclined to think that since my betta never seemed bothered by them, that they are not primarily parasitic. Also, I am waiting several weeks before adding any new fish in hopes of 'starving' parasitic creatures. I suppose there are many potentially problematic creatures/bacteria/what-have-you that can survive without a host though. Do you think this is an effective method?


One thought that comes to mind is possibly contacting a local HS or college biology dept. The educators there may jump at the chance to do some real science and help you do the taxonomy if you have the time to run them a sample. Probably safest for any future tank residents that way. As you mentioned, a very good number of parasites can go quite awhile in dormant stages or live on in intermediate hosts. Also a good number of opportunistic organisms that will feed on either live fish or detritus and could cause problems. Also a very good chance that it's just normal/harmless critter going through a population boom. Without a microscope (and maybe some tax books), it's just impossible to tell.

Sounds like there are no live fish left in the tank? If you were having trouble with fish dying off, that is something altogether different. If you have reason to suspect pathogenic bacteria or virii - maybe consider steriliziing everything and starting fresh?


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## 7yl4r (Jan 20, 2010)

=) This seems post seems to be growing into my own tank biography lol... 

I suppose I could ask one of the biology professors here, or maybe I'll just poke around in the physics dept and see if I can find a microscope. =P

I'm really wanting to avoid a complete tear down as I've got several plants growing well, and a few new ones I don't want to disturb, as well as some snails and algae colonies I'd rather not lose. 

I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm having problems with fish dying off, as I only had the one, and I think his death was at least in part to do with my (I'm ashamed...) carelessness. I went longer than usual without doing a water change, let the temperature get too low and introduced some new plants without washing them as well as I probably should have. 

Anyway....
I think the plan from here is to get just a couple ghost shrimp or small fish (maybe white cloud minnows) and (as bad as I feel about it) see how they fare. I'll also see if I can get my hands on a microscope to try to identify these little specs. =) 
Which brings me back around to:
Do ya'll know of any hardy fish that love to eat tiny bugs? =)


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

I would think just about any fish that's not strictly vegetarian would jump at the chance to eat little aquatic bugs. It's kind of odd that your betta wasn't interested in them, honestly. What about some sort of dwarf cichlid, like a kribensis?


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## FrogHerder (Dec 18, 2009)

7yl4r said:


> =) This seems post seems to be growing into my own tank biography lol...
> 
> I suppose I could ask one of the biology professors here, or maybe I'll just poke around in the physics dept and see if I can find a microscope. =P
> 
> ...


If they're the same ones we have, our cory ignored them. Our betta picks at them once in awhile I think. I think they are copepods. Here's a simplified taxonomy key to use if you get your hands on a scope:

http://www.msnucleus.org/watersheds/mission/plankton.pdf

_Assuming_ (always risky) that they are copepods...

Probably too small for a fish that size to trigger a selective feeding response. In fact after some reading and a couple emails, I'm apt to say that not many, if any, freshwater fish will feed on them selectively after they've passed the fry stage. Probably for the best as some freshwater copepods can be vectors for internal parasites. Numerous small invertebrates will prey on them, but most will metamorphose into flying insects. 

If you like weird critters (and I get a sense that you might), you might try and find some hydra - they eat copepods, zooplankton and just about anything else they can get their tentacles on including small fish. The 'sea cucumber' type thing you found might have even been one. Would limit (or eliminate altogether) your fish choices, but you'd probably be the only guy on the block with a dedicated species tank for hydra. Would definitely take some creativity to flesh out the details, but I actually think this would be a very cool idea for a small tank.

Could not locate any definitive information, but can almost guarantee anything that sifts microfauna from the substrate will also eat them. Crayfish - almost guaranteed. Ghost shrimp - probably. Crabs - probably.

End note - the population of copepods in a freshwater tank will probably not support any of the above without additional feeding.


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## Morales2k (Jan 21, 2010)

I too found a few (very few) of these critters in my tank. Could these be an indication of better maintenance required?


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## 7yl4r (Jan 20, 2010)

*@ iamntbatman *
That was my first thought too, but I think FrogHerder is right; they are too small too be of interest to most fully grown fish. 

@FrogHerder
From doing more reading and observation I'm leaning more towards water mites I think. I'm working on getting a microscope and I'm looking forward to a definite ID. (thanks for the great link).
You're right about the weird creatures thing =) The hydras look right up my alley; it's unfortunate the potential issues they may cause for small fish, but I may keep it in mind anyway. 
Glad to hear you think ghost shrimp may have a taste for them, I was thinking/hoping to hear that. I'm planning to get a few later this week. 

For me, plants are just as if not a little more important than fish in my tank... so in that line of thought, I think I may use this as an opportunity to cultivate some bladderwort or waterwheel. =)
Aldrovanda vesiculosa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Utricularia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

@Morales2k
I think the presence of a lot of (my critters, at least) indicate that there is too much decaying matter(fish food or dead plant matter) in your/my tank. So.. yeah... probably. =) I'm taking much better care of my tank these days, and I'm hoping to see the situation improve. 
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/members/4479/


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## FrogHerder (Dec 18, 2009)

Cool info on the bladderwort. Might even help control ich? Def not for breeding tanks tho (Feed me, Seymour!) 

Definitely looking forward to the microscopy results. There are some copepods with shorter appendages, but 8 legs should be a dead giveaway for mites. If I had more time right now, I'd be doing the same. Real world biology rocks. 

One last oddball to consider for the tank?

Microscopy-UK Micscape Microscopy and Microscopes Magazine

Freshwater Jellyfish

Keep us posted!

FH


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## 7yl4r (Jan 20, 2010)

Freshwater Jellyfish?
Really cool, but too difficult for me I think. =)

I just got a few ghost shrimp... they're floating in the bag now... but they are lunging at the 'mites' just on the other side of the bag. =) It's quite amusing, and I'm glad to see they're interested.

I'm going to see if I can track down a local source of bladderwort before ordering any. Also, the microscope is on the way. =)


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## FrogHerder (Dec 18, 2009)

7yl4r said:


> Freshwater Jellyfish?
> Really cool, but too difficult for me I think. =)
> 
> I just got a few ghost shrimp... they're floating in the bag now... but they are lunging at the 'mites' just on the other side of the bag. =) It's quite amusing, and I'm glad to see they're interested.
> ...


Hope the shrimp don't eat them all before you can ID them. :lol:


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## 7yl4r (Jan 20, 2010)

FrogHerder said:


> Hope the shrimp don't eat them all before you can ID them. :lol:


lol. If that happens I think I'll have some seriously jumbo shrimp on my hands. =)


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## FrogHerder (Dec 18, 2009)

7yl4r said:


> lol. If that happens I think I'll have some seriously jumbo shrimp on my hands. =)


Dunno why, but sometimes I get a seafood craving when I'm reading this forum. 

Mmmmm... jumbo shrimp.


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## 7yl4r (Jan 20, 2010)

So.... I realize it has been quite a while... but I just thought I'd post about what these ended up being. I finally got a microscope (thanks ebay) and after consulting some zoology books and the internet I'm 99% confident that I have some type of Ostracod. So... yeah... not parasitic and I'm pretty sure my ghost shrimp love eating them. So.... yay! =)


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Ah, cool that you've finally got an ID on them. Any ideas as to how they got in your tank in the first place?


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## 7yl4r (Jan 20, 2010)

Yeah... I posted before... uh... ah... here it is: 
"I'm almost positive they came in on an umbrella plant clipping I planted in my tank.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_alternifolius )"
=) 

Next time I collect plants I'm going to quarantine them for some time before even thinking about introducing them into my tank. Which... actually... now that spring is here... may be fairly soon. =)


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