Small bugs munching on my floating plants

[TimT]

I seem to have caught some various small bugs that are munching on my floating plants. I have ordered a load of different species for my paludarium to see which ones looks right in the setup. One or more of them propably was infected and now at least one species of plant that looked particularly hard hit have buckled and I have thrown it out. Before you discover the bugs you discover what looks like ashes on the leaves of the plants. I'm guessing it is some kind of fecal matter from when they are eating. The bugs themselves are ½ to 1 mm in length and are very hard to spot.

The following pictures are taken with a powerful macro lens (hence the shallow depth of field). The small green one to the left on the first picture was 100% invisible to the naked eye:






Any idea of what they are and how to get rid of them without harming the fish and crustaceans in the tank?

Thanks!

 

[Martin in Holland]

They look like aphids

 

[dw1305]

Hi all

Any idea of what they are and how to get rid of them without harming the fish and crustaceans in the tank?

Wash them off the leaves into the tank water and the fish will eat them.

Before you discover the bugs you discover what looks like ashes on the leaves of the plants

It is the shed skins, aphids are parthenogenic, so a single female aphid is capable of producing a vast army of clones fairly quickly.

cheers Darrel

 

[TimT]

Thanks Darrel, appreciate it!