Tiny Black/white Bugs in Aquarium

[Dutch]

Hi all!

My aquascape has been running now for 2 months. And it’s doing great! All invitro plants , and everything is growing good! But… out of nothing I have some uninvited bugs. They are all dark and white and they are in the substrate and all over the plants. Does anyone has an idea what kind of bugs these are? Should I worry about them eating my plants? And… how to get rid of them?!

Advise is very much appreciated. Thanks as always!

Best regards

Rainier

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

… out of nothing I have some uninvited bugs. They are all dark and white and they are in the substrate and all over the plants. Does anyone has an idea what kind of bugs these are?

Ostracods.

Should I worry about them eating my plants?

No.

And… how to get rid of them?!

Tricky. They tend to come and go.

Cheers Darrel

 

[Dutch]

Thanks for the reply @dw1305 Darrel! If they don’t harm the plants , fish or shrimp they are welcome (but don’t mind if they go 😉 )

 

[Iain Sutherland]

I tend to see them as a sign of a healthy substrate... no idea if they actually are but certainly no harm.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

If they don’t harm the plants , fish or shrimp they are welcome

Entirely harmless, <"some fish will eat them">, but a lot aren't interested <"Seed Shrimp (ostracods)">. They are basically <"Daphnia in a shell>", but tend to feed on attached (benthic) diatoms etc. rather than on phytoplankton, like Daphnia do.

I think some shrimp breeders don't like them, purely because they eat the same sorts of things as baby shrimps. I thing they always tend to turn up eventually in shrimp tanks, purely because there aren't any fish to eat them.

The reason they <"turn up everywhere"> (including in persistent puddles etc.) is just that they form resistant resting cysts and these blow around in the dust etc.

cheers Darrel