White fleas?

[Bahamuts]

I spotted some white flea like things in one of my tanks today.

They are suddenly everywhere... Gravel, plants, bogwood, in the openings under the gravel... They look like tiny flea like things swimming around.

Anyone got any idea what they are and if I should be worried and need to get rid of them?

Tank only has 8 neons in it.

Any help would be appreciated...

Pictures:

 

[BigTom]

Erm, not the clearest photos ever, but I'd hazard a guess at ostracods. Highly unlikely that they're anything that you need to worry about.

 

[Bahamuts]

ye sorry for not the clearest pictures, they are so small it is hard to get a good one of them.

I think the best one would be the second picture on the little piece of darker wood on the bottom left.

Would be good if they are harmless, but I assume they have a cause. Overfeeding? Understocking (if that is even possible 😛)? Will they go away eventually? There are hundreds of them

 

[BigTom]

Assuming it is ostracods (have a quick google to see what they look like) then they're a fairly common sight. All my tanks seem to have them in moderate numbers. They'll be living off general detritus and algae, so if you get a huge population explosion it could be a sign of overfeeding. I'd expect the neons to chomp on them a bit if they're hungry.

 

[Bahamuts]

I'll try and get the microscope on them to have a better look.
But they do look similar to ostracods at least.