# Bugs you might encounter in your aquarium



## LondonDragon

Source: http://www.aquaticquotient.com/
Creator: marle (as given permission to post here)

*Bugs!*


*Copepods, Cyclops*






Size: 0,1 - 0,2 cm, 0.04 - 0.1 inches

Copepods are small and funny looking one eyed crustaceans. They usually move around the tank glass and other surfaces, usually with one short leap at a time. Harmless, cute, there's lots of different coloured species. Females carry 2 egg pouches on their tail.

Control - Complete eradication is all but impossible. Proper aquarium maintenance and filtration will keep their numbers down enough to be unapparent. Providing a good current, even without filtration, will also keep the Cyclops in check.

Notes - Cyclops are generally harmless to all but the tiniest of fish fry. (Guppy and Cichlid fry need not worry.) In fact, Cyclops are an excellent "first food" for those young fish capable of catching them and consuming them.

As long as the tank is well maintained, Cyclops pose no danger. 

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Water Fleas, Daphnia*





Size: 0,1 - 0,5 cm, 0.04 - 1/4 inches

Water fleas are usually used as fish food. They are tiny crustaceans and are easily recognized of their jerky vertical "swimming". They are completely harmless and really interesting creatures. I call them fat, sad reindeers (well, they look like it ).

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Seed Shrimp, Ostracoda*





Size: 0,1 - 0,2 cm, 0.04 - 0.1 inches

Seed shrimp are tiny seed shaped crustaceans. They are usually a bit bigger than Copepods. They move in a same fashion as Copepods, eating all kinds of nice things from the glass/plant/etc. surfaces and you can see them walking inside the substrate too. Sometimes they swim in open water looking like drunken bees. Here's a really young CRS baby looking at a seed shrimp. Really cute, harmless.

Control - Complete eradication is often unsuccessful, except for larger species, which seem more fragile. Regular aquarium maintenance and proper filtration usually keep the populations down to unapparent levels.

Because of their structure, Ostracods are extremely resilient against toxins. By closing the two shells, they can survive extended amounts of time in the presence of medications and pesticides. Even if they die, the shells serve to protect the unborn young until conditions are right again.


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Freshwater Limpet - Acroloxus lacustris*





Size: 0,1 - 0,8 cm ; 0.04 - 0.3 inches

Since freshwater limpets, Acroloxus lacustris, are so small and also move really slowly, it might be hard to identify them as snails. They are small and can't do much damage to plants, but since they are small, it's impossible to find and remove eggs and the baby snails. Harmless.

Something that looks a bit similar are Nerite eggs. They are singular, white, hard, round or oval shaped and about 1 - 2 mm in diameter.



*Tubifex*




Size: 2 - 5 cm, 3/4 - 2 inches

Red, yummy worms (used as fish food too) which live inside the substrate. If disturbed and dig up, they will form a ball, if left alone, they will gather pieces of sand/gravel around their body forming a sort of tube where they live in and they'll stick their head out of the substrate looking like red hairgrass. If there's lots of them, the substrate is too dirty and might be good idea to do something about it. Only a few Tubifex in the substrate isn't anything to worry about though. They are harmless.

Control - Only manual removal or being eaten by a fish can be recommended.

Notes - Unless deliberately added to an aquarium, large Annelids such as earthworms are rarely found in aquaria. Aquatic species can survive for quite some time in the gravel. Terrestrial species usually die within a day. Even a single larger dead worm can cause severe disruption to the water quality of the tank. Unless eaten, they should be immediately removed before they die or burrow into the ground. Their use as a fish food is acceptable as long the worms do not manage to escape into the substrate.


*Nematodes*
Size: 0,1 - 0,3 cm, max. 0.1 inches

Nematodes are small, thin, white/transparent free-living roundworms and the "swim" moving themselves in a wave like pattern (well, forming an S shape). If disturbed, they will swim around wriggling briskly. You can find them from the substrate and they are the ones that might appear from the filter when you turn it on. These ones are harmless, but as with any other "pest", if there's too many of them, you are either overfeeding or just not keeping the tank clean enough of debris, decaying plant matter.

Control - Proper tank maintenance (water changes, vacuuming the substrate, avoid excessive feeding) will keep the numbers down to unnoticeable levels. Copper treatments are effective, but should be used with caution. Nematodes are eagerly eaten by small fry and shrimp.

Notes - Most often, when an aquarist sees a Nematode, it is a simple scavenger, and of no harm to fish or plants. However, parasitic species exist. The general rule is if the fish and plants appear healthy, the worms are harmless.


*Planaria, flatworms*





Size: 0,3 - 1 cm, 0.1 - 3/8 inches

Non-parasitic flatworms. Crossed-eyed grossness, just pure yucky! The only small creature I dislike (I get shivers down my spine even thinking about them). If you split it, it will regenerate and you will end up having 2 planaria. There seems to be several different colours in the common ones found in aquariums, transparent, white, brown and red. There's actually nothing really horrible about them, but they can bother small shrimp and snails and might eat fish/snail eggs.

They love shrimp pellets, pieces of meat, dead fish/shrimp and they will also eat small live creatures if they can catch them. They move on the surfaces, even under the water surface and are most active by night. If disturbed, they will retract themselves (shorter and wider), let go and drop down to the bottom.


*Hydra*





Size: 0,3 - 1,5 cm, 0.1 - 1/2 inches

Hydra are beautiful, but a wee bit annoying creatures. They spend their life attached to surfaces (plants, glass, filter, decoration), they can move a bit, but usually don't have the need to do that. If disturbed, they will retract their tentacles and body to small buds. They catch small creatures (copepods, Daphnia etc.) with their tentacles which can sting, making it easier for them to haul the pray in to their mouth opening. They pose no threat to adult fish, shrimp or snails (might cause some irritation if they touch the Hydra), but newborn fish and shrimp fry are in danger.

Control - (Use at your own risk) Attach a wire to each pole of a 9 volt battery. Place the ends of the wires into the tank water, as far apart as possible. If the setup is working correctly, a fine stream of bubbles should be seen from one of the wires. The Hydra will start falling after about 20 minutes. The treatment should go no longer than 3 hours, keeping an eye on conditions the whole time. A daily 50&#37; water change for 3 days is recommended since Copper leaches into the tank via one of the wires


*Bryozoa, moss animals*





Size: individual creatures are only a few millimetres long, the colony can be tens of centimetres long

Bryozoans are interesting colonial creatures. They look a bit like corals with the hard skeleton structure of the colony. The individual creatures, zooids, are inside their own small part of the colony and they eat small particles (phytoplankton, zooplankton) floating in the water by guiding them (and water) towards their mouth opening with the fan like tentacles. If disturbed, the zooids will retract their tentacles inside the colony walls. They are harmless and really interesting.



*Springtails, Collembola*





Size: 0,1 - 0,3 cm, 0.04 - 0.1 inches

Springtails are cool hexapods. They are used as live food for fish that eat from the surface, for example small Betta species and labyrinth fishes. You can find them more often from soil or leaf litter than from the water surface, but once in a while they will appear on the floating aquarium plants. If disturbed, they will spring to safety releasing their "spring" (furcula) that's normally bent under their body. They can jump surprisingly far (several centimeters). Harmless and cute.


*Mosquito larvae*




Mosquitoes will tend to lay their eggs on water surfaces which are still. Try to have some water movement at the surface for prevention of eggs laying there. One can also have some fishes in the aquarium, the fishes will find them a wonderful meal.
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Beetles - Coleoptera
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Since it is relatively easy to tell how a beetle looks like..i won't elaborate on water beetles. There is however, one type of beetle larvae that i would like to point out, something you probably will never associate to it growing up to become a beetle since it looks so bazaar. Sometimes i find it in my pond. 
Commonly known as water pennies...beetles in the family Psephenidae have aquatic larvae that look...well.. like pennies in the water.. Here are some pictures of them..

topside
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*Underside*
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Looks pretty cool doesn't it?? And yes.. it grows up to be a beetle..
Larvae cling to the underside of rocks in fast-flowing streams and graze on algae

Next we move into the ones most aquarist will worry about...

*True Bugs - Hemiptera*

Lets first start of with this big fella... i don't think many of us will get this in our tanks but i'll just put it up for easy identification, just in case, one of us does.

The bug below is also commonly known as the Giant water bug and belong to the family Belostomatidae. These bugs are big!! i have seen some that are about 5- 6cm or more in the wild. They do feed on fishes and sometimes even small frogs!! so they are predatory..also if you want to catch them out of your tank...please be careful.. they do "bite" and it can be awfully painful...basically they inject you with their mouth part and pump a whole cocktail of digestive juices into your finger... doesn't sound fun does it?

topside
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*bottomside*
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Next is something very familiar..
the waterboatmen, these belong to the family Corixidae. They feed on Algae and very minute aquatic organisms..so maybe fry will not be in danger... Here is a picture of one..

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Okay.. dont be confused..These next few pictures may look like water boatmen but they aren't.. they are backswimmers, family Notonectidae.
These ARE predatory so they will eat your fry.. some will also "bite" and it can also be quite painful. The difference between these guys and waterboatmen?? well.. they aren't called backswimmers for nothing.. they swim on their backs!

Top view
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Bottom view - they swim with this side facing up!!
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Lastly, to end of section 1, we have the water scorpion , family Nepidae. These also are BIG..but will rarely be found in your aquarium. However, these pictures are just in case. As you can see.. they have those raptor-like appendages that they use to hunt..so yes.. they are predatory and yes.. they will also "bite". Easily identified by the siphon they have on rear of the abdomen. They use this for air.

top View
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*Bottom view*
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Now, we will delve into the order* Odonata.
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These comprise of dragonflies and damselflies.
The larve of these 2 insect groups live in freshwater, they are also indiscriminately predatory..so they will eat your fish and also your precious shrimp. The very very obvisous thing about these bugs is the special mouth part that they have...This separates them from other orders that have a similar body shape to them but the mouthparts are different.

This is a picture of an example of the mouthparts that can be found on dragonflies and damselflies... the one picture here is on a dragonfly..
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They use these like spring-loaded catapults to capture their prey at lighting speeds...looks kinda like an arm with mean jaws on the end and the whole contraption is tucked in nicely waiting to pounce...pretty cool...

Dragonfly and damselfly nymphs look rather similar... the main difference is that dragonfly nymphs do not have external gills...while damselfly nymphs do...
So after you look at the mouthpart to determind that it is one of these.. check to see if you can find external gills at the end of the abdomen... if you can.. then its a damselfly nymph..if not, then its a dragonfly nymph..
Here are examples..
*Dragonfly*
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*Damselfly*
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*So which is this?? take a guess??*
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Here are more bugs that look alike!!*

*Mayflies - Ephemeroptera*

These insects also have aquatic larvae, the larvae kind of resembles the dragonfly and damselfly larvae at first glance but a closer look will reveal that they are not.. They will NOT have those raptorial-like mouthparts and they feed on pieces of organic matter such as plant material or algae and debris that accumulates on rocks or other substrates in flowing water, so your fries are not in danger..which is a different story for dragonfly and damselfly larvae.

*Here is a picture of a mayfly larvae..*
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*Stoneflies - Plecoptera*

Next we have another aquatic nymph that looks like the mayfly nymph.. but it is not!! These are actually Stonefly nymphs...
Stonefly nymphs are kinda omnivorious feeding on algae, diatoms, mosses, and immature aquatic invertebrates, including mayflies and midges and so that would also include very small baby shrimp/fish.

*Here is a picture of one...*
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Looks pretty similar to mayfly larve doesn't it??? so how do you tell which one you have in your tank??? Can you spot the differences??

Telling them apart

For mayflies..firstly, most of them have 3 cerci (tail like things coming out from the end of their abdomens)...although there are species with only 2 cerci, these are not that often eccountered..however, because they exist we cannot use this as a firm form of identification..but just as a rough guide..
What we are really looking for are gills and tarsal claws (claws at the end of the feet).

Mayflies usually have gills on the abdomen... where as stoneflies, have gills on the thoraic region (something like on the body??) These gills are sometimes hidden beneath or blends into the body form so you may have to look carefully.. here are examples of the differences..

Mayfly gills..on the abdomen..
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*Stonefly gills.. on the thoraic region (on the body??)*
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*Next we also look at their tarsal claws...this one is a definite way of identifying them..*

*Mayfly nymphs have only 1 tarsal claw...*
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*Stonefly nymphs have 2 tarsal claws...*
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*And there ya go!!

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*Order Diptera - Flies*

This order is huge...so this is going to be brief and insufficient no matter what i do. Also identification of larvae requires more detailed information, so i'll just post pictures up to help people get a general idea of what aquatic larvae of flies look like..

Most fly larvae are so small and delicious looking that they usually end up as food for the fishes...so no real danger when you spot one.

These are the most common ones i could think of...

*Tipulidae - Crane Flies*
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*Simulidae - Black flies*
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*Free living forms that attach to rocks and what not... filter feeders.*

*Chironomidae - Midges (most common)*
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*This form is outside of its "home"*

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This is what they usually build and live in when in the water.. little "homes" made of detritus.

*Sub-order or Order Megaloptera - Alderflies, Dobsonflies and Fishflies*

This is what probably looks most like a caterpillar to me...haha..
But these are mostly predatory..so they will eat things in your aquarium...please be aware of this fact when you see them....remove with caution.
Larvae are elongate, moderately flattened, have a distinct labrum, and measure 10-90 mm when mature. Mouth parts are of the chewing type, well developed. 

*fishfly larvae*
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*Dobsonfly larvae*
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*Alderfly larvae*
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Can you spot the differences??
Larvae bear lateral abdominal filaments (on segments 1-8 for fishflies and dobsonflies, and 1-7 for alderflies) and either a pair of anal prolegs (fishflies and dobsonflies) or a single caudal filament (alderflies). Dobsonflies also possess tufts of accesory tracheal gills under the lateral filaments of segments 1-7



LondonDragon: Found it interesting to spot what those critters in the tank are!!

Enjoy


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## Andy Thurston

Nice to have lots off pics in one place.


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## kirk

Brilliant!! Thankyou.


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## nduli

Great thread.


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## Jose

ew! well done!


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## Another Phil

Thanks LondonDragon,
Very useful info.
Might be worth a mention that all the water bugs can fly, (as can the beetles) so the adults can arrive and disappear easily - not likely to be a problem unless you have an open-topper next to patio doors though.

If you decide to keep any little critters they can get their biological clock messed up (as someone here recently discovered with a damselfly becoming adult in December).

cheers phil


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## kirk

My two sons aged 7 and 9 were late for school this morning because I let them go through this thread Paulo  great they forgot all about the telly too it didn't even get turned on.


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## kirk

Hi Paulo, I've aquired the dreaded hydra and I'm trying the battery method now hopefully it will work.


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## kirk

it's been in 45 mins the little rotters are still waving at me so I'm going to run it for the 3 hrs.  Die hydra die!!! No I do feel cruel but intend to put shrimp in there in about 6 mths. They will be all over the place by then.

I was wondering if this will possibly kill the pest snails?

I've removed the snails I want anyway just incase. Cheers kirk.


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## Another Phil

kirk said:


> Hi Paulo, I've aquired the dreaded hydra and I'm trying the battery method now hopefully it will work.


 
hi Kirk,
I tried it with a motorbike 6V battery charger which worked fine, one thing I noticed was that I did it with copper flex and the 1/2cm of wire strands exposed partially dissolved and bits dropped off, so I'd suggest steel electrodes etc, I didn't have livestock so can't tell if the copper was a problem - didn't kill 2 sp of British snail...

cheers phil

 writing while Kirk posted. hope the copper's not a problem..............


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## kirk

Hello Phil, I was thinking that but couldn't find my stainless wire.  I'm using house hold speaker wire, so I'm expecting the same as you experienced, how long did it take to knock them back and how big/ltr is your tank mate?  Oh and I've no live stock yet so there will be no casualties.



Thinking about it is it the copper that is killing the hydra? Or are we just giving them the chair?


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## kirk

Well this is interesting, I also have planaria, if future I shall quarentine plants I get from people it thr only way I've aquired them everything of mine was treated or new.  

The wire I've put in has attracted them they moved in at speed onto the bubbling wire and I think they look zapped lol, I will put in some cat wormer after anyway.


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## kirk

don't know if you can see the planaria.  

So thanks paula I've now found a wayvto find out if you have planaria too. They hate the wire that's bubbling and attack it and die.   I've just put in the wormer too.


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## Another Phil

Hi Kirk,
About 130L (36"x15"x15")
the 6V charger took about 4-5 hours, I waited until the hydra turned to blobs but then also disappeared/let go.
I didn't notice any difference in the few small 1-2mm long white planaria in the tank, but I had both wires suspended in the water, not touching substrate or sides.
 most of 2 types of British snail moved up to the waterline but didn't die, my waters soft so they never become a problem anyway.

I only had about 1/2cm of copper showing as it is the electricity that is supposed to kill them. I guess I dissolved about 5mm of matchstick sized copper into 130L if you want to work it out - too late for me- , and a few strands I syphoned out.
It was pre tank strip-down so I didn't worry  - just made a mental note.
cheers phil


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## dw1305

Hi all, 





kirk said:


> Thinking about it is it the copper that is killing the hydra?


I think it is the copper. It might be the oxygen, if you could get it to a high enough concentration. You can kill _Planaria_ (and Hydra) with "Panacur" (Fenbendazole), it doesn't kill snails but "Flubenol" will (although you may need the 15% formulation).
_
Planaria_ are almost inevitable in any tank that has been set up for a while. I've got them in my water butt, and even in buckets of water in the garden. I've no idea how they got there, but they are almost universal in any form of fresh water. 

None of these chemicals kill leeches, because they are Annelid worms, and I think some of the cases of the chemical "not working" are because the _Planaria_ are actually small, non-blood-sucking Leeches. These are very_ Planaria_ like (same size, often white or translucent), but they move by "looping", rather than gliding. 

cheers Darrel


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## Protopigeon

Thanks for this thread, very useful indeed, as I noticed an "outbreak" of what turns out are copepods in my shrimp cube yesterday.


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## Manisha

I should never have read this thread! Although very informative I am disturbed... I hate bugs [shivers down spine]! But thank you - a really good reference thread.


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## Aqua360

why did i open this thread 

I hate bugs like these...I had a damsel fly larvae nymph thing in my big tank once before, did not like it one bit haha


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## Greenfinger2

Aqua360 said:


> why did i open this thread
> 
> I hate bugs like these...I had a damsel fly larvae nymph thing in my big tank once before, did not like it one bit haha



I Love things like this Its interesting to watch them go thought there life cycle. And good for the Grandson to watch and learn about nature


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## Tim Harrison

Brings back memories of pond dipping - nets and white sample trays...

I don't mind the above too much its the leeches and Oligochaete worms that turn my stomach 

P.S. This thread should come with a warning - Do Not View Whilst Eating.


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## PARAGUAY

Great reference point this thread. When you think about all the things going on just under the water in that small pond that looks so tranquil. Some of those lovely looking Damsel and Mayflies that we love to see  that their life underwater developing consisted of such brutality and horrors added to the fact most small fish get predated .Poor fish


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## zozo

Indeed lovely thread..  i used to catch this one as a kid in the near by swamp, had a few in my garden tank..



 

Very intresting spider, very rare to find nowadays that was different 40 years ago, the only one living in water and only in northern europe.
Diving Bell Spider - _Argyroneta aquatica_


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## dw1305

Hi all, 





zozo said:


> Very intresting spider, very rare to find nowadays that was different 40 years ago, the only one living in water and only in northern europe.


 I've never seen one of these, I've looked in plenty of places, but never with any luck. 

I have seen the semi-aquatic _<"Dolomedes fimbriatus">_ on <"Godlingston heath">_, _and they are fantastic.



 

cheers Darrel


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## zozo

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,  I've never seen one of these, I've looked in plenty of places, but never with any luck.
> 
> I have seen the semi-aquatic _<"Dolomedes fimbriatus">_ on <"Godlingston heath">_, _and they are fantastic.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> cheers Darrel



Indeed fantastic, spiders are realy wonderfull animals.. This spider i never saw, at least i do not remember seeing it. 

Those diving bell spiders i caught here around 35/40 years ago by the dozens.. At the LH side not on the picture was a few acres of bogland, with puddles of clear stagnant water and the springs feeding the ditch around the castle. Not many kids ventured in there.. I did and actualy never met somebody else there, it was kinda dangerous too, but knew my way around. Always had my bucket and net hanging on my belt, it was my most wonderfull time as a kid.. With one scoop a variety of maybe 10 different aquatic animals i took a lot home to study in the garden tank..  Shame, back then photography wasn't as easy as today, i would have had a huge and wonderfull collection of photo's. Now i only got distant memories, it was like one scoop to catch salamanders (_Lissotriton vulgaris) with the firy red/orande spickled belly, the very colorfull 3 horned stickelbacks, those fat yellow striped water beetles. Name it, it was there..  Today i would not know a place which isn't destroyed enough to find all that again at the same spot. _


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## zozo

An old college poster  who wouldn't like to have it.. i do..

Most critters on it are very rare or completely disapeared from our puddles..


 

1 - Culiseta annulata with larvae
2 - Odontomyia ornata
3 - Odontomyia ornata larvae
4 - Hydrometra stagnorum
5 - Hydrometra stagnorum
6 - Argyroneta aquatica
7 - Asellus aquaticus
8 - Dytiscus marginalis
9 - gyrinus natator
10 - Haemopis sanguisuga
11 - chelicerae (Hydrachnellae)
12 - Argyroneta aquatica and his bell
13 - chelicerae
14 - Hydrophilus piceus
15 - Thermonectus sp.
16 - Notonecta glauca
17 - Thermonectus sp.
18 - Thermonectus sp.
19 - Nepa cinerea
20 - Notonecta glauca


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## MiskyBoyy

Anyone any idea what this little worm thing is? I bought a few different type of Mosses from a guy online. Put the mosses into separate jars and left them by the window for now. Then noticed this worm-like thing swimming around the jar with the flame moss in it: 

Edit: I have discovered they are indeed "Detritus Worms" harmless but unsightly!


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## BexHaystack

Does any one have any idea what these are? They do have a jerky way of moving about and up to the surface. Water fleas maybe?


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## BigTom

Cyclops I think Bex. Kind of hard to tell from the photo though! 

Sent from my HUAWEI GRA-L09 using Tapatalk


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## zozo

Cyclops / Hüpferlinge.. The last one is the german name it says "little hop arounds" because they do, like you say in a jerky motion.. The one with the big balls are the girls, the one without the males.


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## roundasapound

Thank you for posting this, great thread.

I have these freshwater limpet snails in my tank. I either squish or manually remove them.  Where the heck do they come from? How do I get rid of them once and for all? without harming fish and shrimp.
Live copepods, tubifex, daphnia.. are fed to my fauna on a daily basis (on different days.. in case you were wondering.. LOL)

I have some tubifex under the substrate but not many as the corys' especially the peppered.. love to dig them out.

Some of the creepy crawlies look disgusting.. eww...


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## Aqua360

I recently discovered planaria, and what i believe to be fishfly larvae (at least thats what it mostly resembles); in my 10 litre shrimp tank, along with hydra!

Major pain, I reckon I accumulated them from a recent gathering of enthusiasts I was at recently; tank isnt even fed really


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## roundasapound

Aqua360 said:


> I recently discovered planaria, and what i believe to be fishfly larvae (at least thats what it mostly resembles); in my 10 litre shrimp tank, along with hydra!



Ewwww..... Good luck with that son!
I got 99 problems but planaria or hydra ain't one lol.


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## Aqua360

roundasapound said:


> Ewwww..... Good luck with that son!
> I got 99 problems but planaria or hydra ain't one lol.



Lol first time for everything  

My very worst experience was anchor worm, pray you don't get that one!


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## roundasapound

Aqua360 said:


> Lol first time for everything
> 
> My very worst experience was anchor worm, pray you don't get that one!



What the hell is anchor worm?! Sounds like a waterborne tape worm... Ugh...

When that day comes the aquarium will no longer be tropical. It'll be freshwater outdoors mate looool..

How did these invaders infiltrate your tank? Live food, plants, contaminated fauna?

*pass me the sick bucket* YUCK!


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## Aqua360

roundasapound said:


> What the hell is anchor worm?! Sounds like a waterborne tape worm... Ugh...
> 
> When that day comes the aquarium will no longer be tropical. It'll be freshwater outdoors mate looool..
> 
> How did these invaders infiltrate your tank? Live food, plants, contaminated fauna?
> 
> *pass me the sick bucket* YUCK!



a lot of the time its russian roulette depending on the LFS you visit, or people that can import fish for you at lower prices etc. I recently got a bunch of plants really cheaply, had to nix the lot as it turned out to be bathed in copper sulphate, killed all my red cherries.

Basically a learning curve, that cheaper isnt always better!

The anchor worm got introduced when i rescued a fish, and had to bomb the tank with sodium chlorite to kill it off; including the bacterial colony in the tank. Absolute nightmare.

So yeah, all I'd say is be very, very conscious of where you source plants and fish.


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## roundasapound

I've only sourced fauna from local PAH, Kesgrave and Aquatic Design Centre. Plants only from PAH and ADC. 

What do you need to neutralise copper? I should bear take extra precautions with owning shrimps. 

Hope you get it all sorted soon. How awful. Are your fauna holding up ok?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## zozo

View attachment 85621


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## zozo

Some went wrong with the pic.. well sory again?


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## zozo

Red Watermite  Counted 3 of them in the outdoor tank..


 

They seem to hunt and eat Daphnia, i cultur also Daphnia in the garden. I started this year with a startup culture from the LFS. So probably a few came with it and scooped them up with catching daphnia and feeding the fish. Fish are curiously watching them, but do not eat them. They seem to taste awfull.


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## McCarthy

It was all fun, until the bug section started. Nasty!


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## zozo

From a bucket in the garden i noticed a lot of Mosquito larvae and ofcourse i immediately thought "Dinner Time!!" for the fishies.. As you know they all hang at the surface also noticed another one behaving differently, it wiggeled like a worm around the mosquito babies.. There where quite a few couldn't realy avoid scooping them up.
It definitively is a larvae of some kind of fly, looked at it under a microscope, can't seem to figur out what it is.. But it more looks like a maggot. 

This is the best pic i could get of it..



 

Funny is it lives in the water swimming at the surface among the mosquito larvae, but in the aquarium it kinda stationary roams at the substrate and the fish seem to avoid it. Curiously looking at it, but do non of the fish takes it. It also can't be found among the known freshwater larvae for fish food..

Anybody familiar with this one? From which fly is this obviously bad tasting bugger?


----------



## sparkyweasel

It's not easy to identify these larvae, but it could be _Tanypus_, a genus of midge.


----------



## zozo

sparkyweasel said:


> It's not easy to identify these larvae, but it could be _Tanypus_, a genus of midge.



I looked at it under the microscope, it isn't that one.. Unfortunately i can't take microscopic pictures.. But i took one out of the water and left it on the dry to see what happens.
It happily lived on for over an hour crawling around, then i dumped it in the garden.. By now i doubt it is aquatic, any larvae known as fishfood and aquatic doesn't live on out of the water as far as i know.. No idea how it ended up between the mosquito larvae..  syphoned the rest out as well, no fish would eat it anyway. Tho still curious what it might be.. But as you say, will be a long shot to find that out.


----------



## Tim Harrison

It looks like genera Tipula or Pedicia larvae...either way they're ugly looking grubs; put me off my dinner


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Tim Harrison said:


> Tipula or Pedicia larvae..


That would be my guess as well, but just a guess.

cheers Darrel


----------



## zozo

Tim Harrison said:


> It looks like genera Tipula or Pedicia larvae...either way they're ugly looking grubs; put me off my dinner


Thought of them a few also have aquatic larvae, these are often imitated in fly fishing... I just found it very odd that the fish didn't bother to eat them, gave me the hunge these are probably not realy aquatic. And indeed dry didn't bother it it and crawl on like a caterpilar and or even stand like a cobra snake. Also got them in different sizes largest  about 5mm long and 1 mm thick and much smaller. Yet not found any bigger, the pic above was one of the biggest. Found a lot simuar looking and yet not, but the fly genus also is darn large. Under the microscope it clearly looked brown, with one end hairy shaped as a chinese foldable fan, other end somewhat square with a brush mustache, it moves about as a caterpilar on spiky hairs.  I guess they do not move backwards so the mustage side was it's head.

First time i've seen this one among the mosquito larvae.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





zozo said:


> with one end hairy shaped as a chinese foldable fan,


It might be a Soldier Fly larvae (Stratiomyotidae).



 

cheers Darrel


----------



## zozo

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,It might be a Soldier Fly larvae (Stratiomyotidae).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> cheers Darrel



No not realy that one either.. But they all look somewhat simular.. I realy need to do some savings fro a microscopic camera.. 
If i had to draw from memory what i think to have seen i come up with this.



Not sure if the fan shaped tail was split couldn't get a propper look, didn't kill it ti moved around to much. Could be just one or maybe 2. It didn't have any clear showing caterpilar feet, more like a spiky haired worm. Some hairs had something round shaped body to it, but not all. The head had a clear brush mustage and a sucker mouth, it clearly was sucking in water. The head reminded me a bit of the blackfly larvae without mustage, that made me think it's a fly larvae.. On the dry it crawled like a caterpilar and submersed in stagnant bucket it was among the mosquito larvea at the surface swiming like a little worm. But in the tank, probably the flow, they went to the substrate, hooking in with the tail and stand upright waving about. The larger ones now and then crawled over the substrate, not fast and not far, more stationary than moving around. Submersed it looked more white colored, but once it was dry it colored darker towards brown.

They must already smell awfull, most fish only looked at it, didn't even bother to nibble.. Even the little agresive Dario's didn't bother to look and these use to get realy nuts over living larvae.  The only one trying was a that cocky roaring Gourami, but backed off at the first bite.


----------



## zozo

There still are e few in the bucket, the worm like one at the top of the screen.


----------



## Deanne

Great thread, thank you. Has allowed me to identify freshwater limpets.


----------



## Hades

Anyone has an idea which critter this is?

My money is on (some kind of) amphipod ATM but not sure. Mainly because the "owner" is not convinced... this implies that the bugger is not in my tank so I only have these images for identification (for now... hopefully detail shot of the underside tomorrow.)





Many thanks in advance...


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





Hades said:


> so I only have these images for identification


Judged by its swimming style it looks like it might be <"_Crangonyx pseudogracilis">.
_
cheers Darrel


----------



## Hades

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, Judged by its swimming style it looks like it might be <"_Crangonyx pseudogracilis">.
> _
> cheers Darrel



Thanks for your reply! 
I thought i replied on your post last week but obviously didn't...  Sorry...
I kinda followed your opinion (because it looks simular but also based on your (obvious) knowledge in such matters (and way beyond!) ).
So i posted your answer, some people agreed but "the lucky owner", " the infected one ", "the Original poster" or ... (you catch my drift, no doubt) was not convinced.
Someone said they were likely Ostracoda and somehow she seemed to favor that answer....
She also said she was going to update with a macro picture but no updates yet. 
When (if) she does i will post them here for identification.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Hades said:


> Someone said they were likely Ostracoda and somehow she seemed to favor that answer..


Could be an Ostracod, some of them are very speedy, but it looks a bit big. It is easy to tell if you have the specimen, Ostracods are enclosed in a hinged shell, so they look <"like a bean with legs just showing"> and _Crangonyx_ is much more shrimp like. 



cheers Darrel


----------



## zozo

Scooped from a bucket with Mosquito larvae... A harmless maggot and eaten by the fish, tho it grows steadily and at one point to big for small fish, such as Boraras will not take it on when it's about their own size. In the aquarium not likely to grow this big, because initialy they float the surface and picked off at a much smaller size. Interesting and looking intimidating, but the long dangerously looking telescopic tail, it's a breathing pipe. 

Most likely a baby from this fly.




But it could be from a number of these flies bellow..


----------



## AllieG

Wow this is great, now I really hope I don't get midges in my tank, there are enough of the outside!


----------



## Daneland

After I lost an Apisto Cacatuoides pair due to Camannallus worms.I took remaning dwarf pencilfish to a quarantine aquarium, left all plants in the tank, kept lights and sponges filters on than siphoned the substrate water and did water changes several times.It has been more than 3 months. I was hoping camanallus worm would die eventually. But I  still can see some tiny little worms on wood. I  am not sure they are camanallus but I dont want to take any chance and  I dont want to nuke the tank with NaOHCl neither as it will be a pain to wash all substrate again. Is there any way to deworm the tank with any other medication that will not harm the plants but definitely will kill all worms?


----------



## Edvet

Go see a vet and see if he can prescribe Levamisole (5gr/100 gallon, 3 treatments an week apart. with a good clean and large waterchange in between)


----------



## Daneland

Edvet said:


> Go see a vet and see if he can prescribe Levamisole (5gr/100 gallon, 3 treatments an week apart. with a good clean and large waterchange in between)


Thanks for your reply. I have it and used it already, it did not save my fish but they passed some of the worms and saw them on the substrate. Levamisole does not kill it but stuns it.That is how it works.Normally the way you described should have been enough. But I have been unsuccessful to remove them mechanically so they are still in the tank. I did complete WC and substrate siphoning for 3 times.And still cant get rid of them.


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

I have seen people us a dewoemer med for dogs to treat planaria. Would this working in this instance?


----------



## zozo

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> I have seen people us a dewoemer med for dogs to treat planaria. Would this working in this instance?



Yes. it probably would, Flubendazole is often adviced (Flubenol 5%).. It's also used for Gil and skin flukes. Tho, it is a med that administered orally to animals, it is not developed to dissolve very good into water. As most of the usual deworm pet meds are.. Planaria is a resiliant bugger, the adviced dose Flubendazole against planaria is 2 gr/100L and that is quit a high dose.. No warranty all fish will take it very well, for skin and gil flukes a 0.8 gr / 100L is adviced and still with causion.

So for treating against planaria with delicate tropical fish in the tank it is quit an agresive method. A more safer option is <NoPlanaria>, this is a Beetlenut extract that is safe for fish and shrimps and definively kills planaria and unfortunately some snails as well.

Still need to be very causious, since you do not know how many planaria you have killed that are in the substrate. Seeing one or two, means you might have 100x as much you don't see.. Doing a lot of extra water changes and substrate vacuuming after the treatment realy is a nessecity. If you don't you might run into trouble because a huge bioload of dead and rotting worms in the substrate can releas a lot of nasties into the water column killing the shrimps and sicken some fish.

Obviously this goes for any alternative treatment that kills them.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,
I hate _Camallanus, _and I hope I never see it again. In my experience SE Asian bred _Apistogramma _are riddled with it. 





Daneland said:


> I was hoping camanallus worm would die eventually. But I still can see some tiny little worms on wood. I am not sure they are camanallus


They won't be _Camallanus, _they are likely to be harmless detritus (_Naididae)_ worms. 





Edvet said:


> and see if he can prescribe Levamisole


I used Levamisole successfully, I bought it as "Harka Verm" for cage birds from Ebay. 





Daneland said:


> Levamisole does not kill it but stuns it.That is how it works.


@Edvet really is a vet. 





zozo said:


> Flubendazole is often adviced (Flubenol 5%).


It didn't work for me, I think a lot of _Camallanus _strains are <"resistant to Flubendazole">, I don't know about Levamisole HCl resistance (Ed may know?).

cheers Darrel


----------



## zozo

dw1305 said:


> It didn't work for me, I think a lot of _Camallanus _strains are <"resistant to Flubendazole">, I don't know about Levamisole HCl resistance (Ed may know?).



Another one to the list..  I once asked a vet about Praziquantel and planaria.. She said it should do. In my case it didn't, at least not with adviced dosage. They seem to be resistant to Prazi as well.. I did put it to the test with catching some worms and added a extreme high dose of Prazi, it did kill the worms. But i doubt such a high dose in an aqaurium is advisable.

But NoPlanaria definitively works and also dissolves very good into water.. And 50 grams from th eregular package is enough for many years to come.


----------



## Daneland

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> @Edvet really is a vet.


Opps , my bad. Apologies @Edvet


----------



## tiger15

Can someone identify what they are.  They look like small daphnia in size, spherical, rather active and move fast on the glass wall and substrate, occasionally but rarely dancing in the water column. They are not daphnia because their motion is not Jerky, and they are too small for me to see if they have any antennae.  They are not copepod (no antennae or tails I can see) or seeded shrimp (not elliptical and lacking antennae I can see).  I’m not able to provide pic because they are too tiny to be captured.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





tiger15 said:


> They look like small daphnia in size, spherical, rather active and move fast on the glass wall and substrate, occasionally but rarely dancing in the water column.


There are some small and very speedy Ostracods (Seed-shrimp). 

Have a look at _Cypridopsis vidua


_
cheers Darrel


----------



## tiger15

With reference to the video, mine look like the slow steady moving critters clinging to the glass, not the fast moving big critters rushing in the water column.  Mine are spherical, and this is why I initially ruled out seed shrimp, but they could be.  I got mine from my daphnia tub, but due to high temp outside, daphnia population is very light.


----------



## Oldguy

Very interesting, took me back to my pond dipping days.


----------



## Oldguy

kirk said:


> the dreaded hydra


My money is on copper moving through the water column from one electrode to the other. Copper sulphate is often suggested as a reagent to kill hydra but copper ions are left in the water. The electrical method should not leave copper behind. Still do a 50% water change though. Opportunities for someone to do some research. More power Igor.


----------



## Hanuman

Can anyone tel me what this bug is and if I should do something about it:


----------



## Tim Harrison

I get these all the time, I think it's just a sp. of aquatic oligochaete worm. They never really last that long; free source of live fish food....


----------



## maboleth

A very interesting article about Planaria:

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme...e-their-brains-and-the-memories-stored-inside


----------



## brasco

Think this is one of those Copepods maybe but it’s white and really small just noticed a couple today after putting some new plants inn


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





brasco said:


> Think this is one of those Copepods maybe


It is. Looks like a <"_Cyclop sp."> _

They move in a very characteristic way, a series of short swim, stop, short swim, stop etc.

cheers Darrel


----------



## MartinP

How do you all get such good photos of these bugs? I’ve just tried after spotting some little critters and all I got was a blur and a lovely shot of the dirt in my tank!  
(My excuse is that I stopped the filter to clean the tank and that’s how I spotted them!)

Martin


----------



## Aqua sobriquet

I can’t help thinking that Electricity should kill most things if it’s applied in the right way at a suitable voltage? Surely someone has done some research into this sort of thing?


----------



## Edvet

220V , 0,1 amp should do it
Oh wait you don''t mean humans...............


----------



## zozo




----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





MartinP said:


> How do you all get such good photos of these bugs? I’ve just tried after spotting some little critters and all I got was a blur and a lovely shot of the dirt in my tank!
> (My excuse is that I stopped the filter to clean the tank and that’s how I spotted them!)


Silly question, but does it have legs?

cheers Darrel


----------



## PotteryWalrus

I think a damselfly larvae came in with my shrimp! It's white/pale green (looks a little like a lacewing only underwater and wingless) with three or four fins on its tail and it moves _fast _and _way _more fluidly than the shrimp_, _to the point where I thought some kind of small fish had hitchiked in.

I'll see if I can get a picture once everything has settled down some, but should I try to catch it and release it in the pond outside or just leave it? How voracious are these dudes? I have a starter population of 15 shrimp in my 54l now and I'm not overly keen on losing the whole lot for some lil dude who isn't even supposed to be there lol


----------



## zozo

PotteryWalrus said:


> to the point where I thought some kind of small fish had hitchiked in.



Yes, they do indeed swim very fish-like... I occasionally get one in the tank with feeding Daphnia i culture outdoor.
First time i saw it i thought the Oto's had fry...  But it was a D fly larva.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





PotteryWalrus said:


> It's white/pale green (looks a little like a lacewing only underwater and wingless) with three or four fins on its tail and it moves _fast _and _way _more fluidly than the shrimp_, _


Sounds like it may be a Damselfly nymph, they are ambush predators and don't tend to swim very much,  but they sort of flex from side to side.



It might be a <"swimming mayfly nymph (Baetidae)">, they are pretty rapid, but normally small and dark. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## PotteryWalrus

Yeah, that's it! That's it exactly! I guess I got a weird colour morph lol XDD


----------



## castle

I noticed a water mite in my aquarium very recently, pearl white. Unsure how I feel about that one, but as it's small <1mm I don't think it will do too much harm.


----------



## Mikljd

Aqua360 said:


> why did i open this thread
> 
> I hate bugs like these...I had a damsel fly larvae nymph thing in my big tank once before, did not like it one bit haha


Me too almost put me off  altogether lol


----------



## MattC

Isn’t copper just toxic to invertebrates.  At least it is for marine tanks. Expect same to be true. So if you’re keeping shrimp etc isn’t this method a not so good idea?

The removal of hydra thingy

It won’t work with steel as the degradation of copper is what makes the circuit and puts copper into solution. Possibly using a copper based treatment of some sort would do something similar.


----------



## Wookii

I wonder if anyone can help me ID these bugs I found in my low tech tank this evening.

The first are a flatworm of some sort - I’m wondering if the angular head means they are Planarian?:








The second looks like a small crustacean or beetle. They can scurry around really fast, but don’t seem to be able to free-swim:


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 
Definitely a Planarian, looks like it might be close to _Girardia_ (_Dugesia) tigrina, _because of the eye spots. The <"second one is an Ostracod">.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Wookii

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> Definitely a Planarian, looks like it might be close to _Girardia_ (_Dugesia) tigrina, _because of the eye spots. The <"second one is an Ostracod">.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Thanks Darrel.

So the Planaria need to go I assume - so Panacur at the ready.

I can’t find much information on the Ostracods and their desirability or otherwise in an aquarium - I’m all for having as much variety in fauna as possible, so are they a valuable member of the clean up crew, and of no threat to my shrimp?


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


Wookii said:


> on the Ostracods and their desirability or otherwise in an aquarium


Entirely harmless, some fish eat them, and they tend to come and go in abundance. They are basically a _Daphnia, <"_surrounded by a hard carapace">.

They are really common in freshwater, even in big puddles.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Wookii

Another ID I’m hoping you knowledgable folks can help with. I was very kindly given the below ‘scuds’ by @Ash_bash - can anyone assist with a more specific ID. I assume they are a species of Gammarus, but they only appear to grow to about 5mm, and they are not side swimmers, swimming upright like typical cherry shrimp do:








The internet is typically littered with horror stories of them killing baby shrimp and out competing everything else in the tank for food etc. I assume these are typical fish keeping myths?


----------



## Ash_bash

Hi wookie, I trawled my eBay and found the old listing I brought it from! Hope this helps 50 Live Food~Gammarus Shrimp~Tropical~Turtle~Terrapin~Axolotl~Frogs~Fry~Goldfish  | eBay


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


Wookii said:


> Another ID I’m hoping you knowledgable folks can help with


I'm not at all sure.


Wookii said:


> but they only appear to grow to about 5mm, and they are not side swimmers, swimming upright like typical cherry shrimp do:


Makes them sound like _Crangonyx pseudogracilis. _You need to look at their <"urosome"> for a definitive ID.



> Hi wookie, I trawled my eBay and found the old listing I brought it from! Hope this helps 50 Live Food~Gammarus Shrimp~Tropical~Turtle~Terrapin~Axolotl~Frogs~Fry~Goldfish  | eBay


I think the spikes on the urosome make <"_Hyalella azteca_"> a likely ID (from @Ash_bash's link).




_By Scott Bauer - This image is uploaded as image number 3579 at Tree of Life Web Project (tolweb.org).This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information., Public Domain, File:Hyalella azteca 2.jpg - Wikimedia Commons_

cheers Darrel


----------



## Jan szewczyk

Enjoyed this article


----------



## PARAGUAY

Jan szewczyk said:


> Enjoyed this article


You could take a small net find your local canal ,stream or pond scoop out a net full were there is duckweed and lay it out in a shallow tray . You be amazed amount of critters to observe. Its great fun when out with kids


----------



## Wookii

I’ve got another ID request for the group. I’ve never seen these worms in my tank until today when I tore it down and disturbed the sand border at the front. Usual questions, what are they? And can they harm my fish or plants?


----------



## MirandaB

Don't know the species but they're commonly called detritus worms,nothing to worry about and all part of the ecosystem in your tank.
Fish will eat them if they get the chance


----------



## Wookii

MirandaB said:


> Don't know the species but they're commonly called detritus worms,nothing to worry about and all part of the ecosystem in your tank.
> Fish will eat them if they get the chance



Thanks Miranda, I was amazed by how many there were given I've never ever seen one in the tank before - I guess as you say, as soon as one tries to swim off it's going to get gobbled up. As long as they're not a problem, I'll happily add them back into the rescape.


----------



## ScareCrow

I was seeing if there was any live food harvesting potential in my water butt today and noticed the organism below. This is the best shot I could get with a hand held macro and my phone, so sorry it's not clearer. They are 4-5mm long and seem to have a pointed head that is a darker colour and narrower than the body (red arrow indicates what I think is the head). When disturbed they curl into a circle then stay still. There are quite a few across the bottom of my water butt.
Does anyone know what it might be and most importantly can I safely feed it to my fish?


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


ScareCrow said:


> They are 4-5mm long and seem to have a pointed head that is a darker colour and narrower than the body (red arrow indicates what I think is the head). When disturbed they curl into a circle then stay still. There are quite a few across the bottom of my water butt.


They are another type of midge larvae and yes the fish will eat them.

cheers Darrel


----------



## ScareCrow

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> They are another type of midge larvae and yes the fish will eat them.
> 
> cheers Darrel


Great, thanks Darrel


----------



## Zercon

This is a wonderfully informative thread that is both nice and horrifying.

Regretfully, I got another mystery to add to the list :c

They are small black dots that sit on the glass bottom of my tank eating waste, and visually pepper silk plants when viewed close. They do not climb glass walls. Using digital calipers, they are somewhere around the 0.5mm range, if that, so they are quite small. Here is a video under a cellphone attachment microscope at 60% or so magnification




I have tried, and they _SURVIVE_...
-Scrubbing the tank in dawn soap ((Probably missed a spot in the filter))
-Seachem ParaGuard
-Seachem MetroPlex
-Copper Power Green - 1.40 ppm ((Hanna checker))
-Seachem Cupramine - 0.25 ppm ((Hanna checker))

They may be harmless, good for the tank etc etc... but they freak me out a _lot_ because they look like mites and I don't want to put my arms inside the aquarium. Is there a medication that will kill them and not fish that can be purged enough I can put inverts back in after water changes and charcoal? Is there a fish that is small enough to eat them that Angelfish can't catch in a 120? Is there at least confirmation they are not parasites that will harm my fish? I am really unsettled and wish I was ignorant :c Out of sight out of mind...

Bonus Question - I think the copper killed these from my tank, but a positive ID could still make me more comforted if they come back. They were the size of powdered sugar haze on the glass, and this is 200% or so magnification. Makes me think of little planaria, but the size and speed of movement throws me off.




Thank you all for your time! It is greatly appreciated so very much.


----------



## Wookii

Another bug query if you guys not mind assisting - these came from my outdoor Moina culture, so I assume they’ve been added by a flying insect, but it would be good to know which and ensure they aren’t an issue for shrimp or fish:


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Wookii said:


> Another bug query if you guys not mind assisting - these came from my outdoor Moina culture, so I assume they’ve been added by a flying insect, but it would be good to know which and ensure they aren’t an issue for shrimp or fish.


They are type of midge larvae, like "bloodworms", but without haemoglobin, fish are keen on them and they aren't a problem.

Cheers Darrel


----------



## Wookii

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,They are type of midge larvae, like "bloodworms", but without haemoglobin, fish are keen on them and they aren't a problem.
> 
> Cheers Darrel



Thanks as always Darrel. I tried feeding one with some Moina and the fish didn’t know what to make of it as it wiggled about - most swam away from it and it disappeared into the undergrowth! 😂

I tried two more this morning, and the Chocolate Gourami’s plucked up the courage and swallowed them whole! I suspect they now have the taste for them!


----------



## NotoriousENG

Hoping for an ID on these little guys. I'm thinking a nematode? Caught them free swimming (more like twisting and knotting on themselves) before lights on. Have not seen them before but I did disturb part of the substrate yesterday during maintenence.

No fish in the the tank, only shrimp and snails. Only thing added recently was a few aroids from a another hobbyists a week or two ago.



Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


NotoriousENG said:


> Caught them free swimming (more like twisting and knotting on themselves) before lights on. Have not seen them before but I did disturb part of the substrate yesterday during maintenence.


Sounds like a <"Detritus worm"> (Naididae).


NotoriousENG said:


> I'm thinking a nematode?


Look at it against the light, if you can see segments it is an annelid.


NotoriousENG said:


> No fish in the the tank


Fish usually eat them, although they may persist in the filter or substrate.

cheers Darrel


----------



## MichaelJ

Living at the ocean when I grew up I remember when I started keeping large Cichlids, I would catch and feed them live and frozen krill (mostly not more than 1-2cm). The Cichlasoma's would go absolutely nuts. Not entirely sure this is relevant for the thread as krill is not something you would randomly encounter in your freshwater tank (hopefully), but I do believe even grounded up frozen krill can be a great source of food for a lot of ornamental freshwater fish - I think a lot of flakefood contains krill actually. Living in Minnesota, I no longer have access to live krill unfortunately.

Cheers,
Michael


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


MichaelJ said:


> I would catch and feed them live and frozen krill (mostly not more than 1-2cm).


If I lived near the coast I'd catch and use <"Opossum (_Mysis_) shrimps"> a lot more. You get huge number of them in brackish conditions. 

I think the _Crangonyx_ I have are probably as good in nutritional terms, but in ten minutes I could net more Mysis shrimps than I could <"culture _Crangonyx_ in ten years">. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## MichaelJ

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> If I lived near the coast I'd catch and use <"Opossum (_Mysis_) shrimps"> a lot more. You get huge number of them in brackish conditions.
> 
> I think the _Crangonyx_ I have are probably as good in nutritional terms, but in ten minutes I could net more Mysis shrimps than I could <"culture _Crangonyx_ in ten years">.
> 
> cheers Darrel


Yes. The Great Lakes have Mysis as well - different from the European species, I believe and not as numerous as found in say the Baltic Sea where they seasonally can be found at some spots in such abundance that the water almost turns into porridge.

Cheers,
Michael


----------



## NotoriousENG

dw1305 said:


> Look at it against the light, if you can see segments it is an annelid.


I had the worms in my dosing cup which must have some residual trace mix in it since the worms had died and retracted to the size of a grain of rice within an hour of catching them. So I couldn't check them against the light and have not seen any since.

So would you say it's likely safe to assume they are nothing to be worried about?


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


NotoriousENG said:


> So would you say it's likely safe to assume they are nothing to be worried about?


Nothing to be worried about.

cheers Darrel


----------



## swyftfeet

Found these little guys in my plant growing tank. 

Look like tiny white specs about 1/20th the size of a grain of rice that swim really fast


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## Angus

swyftfeet said:


> Found these little guys in my plant growing tank.
> 
> Look like tiny white specs about 1/20th the size of a grain of rice that swim really fast


Omg they are cute!


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## dw1305

Hi all,


swyftfeet said:


> Look like tiny white specs about 1/20th the size of a grain of rice that swim really fast


Might be <"a "Springtail" (Collembola)">, although I can't see spring appendage (it would be tucked up against the ventral side of the abdomen). They are hydrophobic and travel really quickly across the waters surface.

cheers Darrel


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## dougbraz

Are these ostracods? 



They seem to enjoy munching a dead shrimp as well.. all of a sudden I have a boom of these critters. Guess I need to siphon them out?


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## Wookii

dougbraz said:


> Are these ostracods?
> 
> 
> 
> They seem to enjoy munching a dead shrimp as well.. all of a sudden I have a boom of these critters. Guess I need to siphon them out?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Those are Octracods perfectly harmless - I have them in my tanks, and an interesting addition to the ecosystem of a tank. Their population seems to rise and fall without intervention. So no siphoning necessary - leave them be 👍


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## dougbraz

Wookii said:


> Those are Octracods perfectly harmless - I have them in my tanks, and an interesting addition to the ecosystem of a tank. Their population seems to rise and fall without intervention. So no siphoning necessary - leave them be







Tks for the feedback 
Hmmm.. ok …. Just think the little buggers might take over - I have minimal plants coverage (by choice) and lots of white sand so they do stick out a bit when playing around. 
Cheers
Doug


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## Wookii

dougbraz said:


> Tks for the feedback
> Hmmm.. ok …. Just think the little buggers might take over - I have minimal plants coverage (by choice) and lots of white sand so they do stick out a bit when playing around.
> Cheers
> Doug
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



They won't take over, they are limited by food source - they feed on bacteria, algae and detritus, so are actually performing a beneficial function in your tank. I'd wager in a few months you end up looking in your tank and will barely be able to find one, and then six months later there'll be loads of them again.

Personally I find them fascinating the way they scurry around with what appears to be real pre-defined purpose!


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## dougbraz

Wookii said:


> They won't take over, they are limited by food source - they feed on bacteria, algae and detritus, so are actually performing a beneficial function in your tank. I'd wager in a few months you end up looking in your tanks and will barely be able to fins one, and then sic months later there'll be loads of them again.
> 
> Personally I find them fascinating the way they scurry around with what appears to be real pre-defined purpose!



Ok - I agree they are fascinating to watch as they buzz around - not being dangerous to the sheimps or baby shrimps is fine by me!
Thanks again.


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## FrankR

I'll leave this here for future reference.


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## zozo




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## Oldguy

FrankR said:


> I'll leave this here for future reference.


Thank you for the post. Do not know which emoji to use.  Wow/Sad/ Angry. Thumbs up for the post. Wow for critter. Sad for its potential impact in the UK and Angry that it may be here or about to be here.


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