Kevin Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 (edited) I just fed my community tank and there are literally hundres of little tiny white specks that float on the surface and jump like 2 inches. At first I thought it was tiny air bubbles, but they move. I say water fleas because they remind me of fleas, but I have no idea what they are. I have not added anything new to that tank in over 6 months, so they may be something from here. Can anyone help me? I don't know what these are and I would really like to know how to get rid of this "culture". Particularly before my wife finds out. Please help, Kevin Ok, I just looked up water fleas - this is not it. These are on the surface of the water. Edited December 8, 2005 by Discus Diehard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Sounds like Nematodes. Both planaria and nematodes feed on organic matter & excessive nutrients, but are harmless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moogled Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 I don't mean to be a hole, but the way you describe it is just too damn funny. ...Okay, well maybe I AM trying to be a hole. :guns: :guns: :guns: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted December 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 (edited) Well, I was trying to be a little funny, but this is a problem. I am sure that many of your spouses would see something like this as "gross". So what is the solution here for Nematodes? Jack up the water changes for a while and throw in a power head? If this smiley was a bug that sat on top of the water and bounced, this would be accurate. -ham- Immagine hundreds of minature -ham- bouncing on your water! This tank is the one that gets the least maintenance, mostly because it does not need it. It gets a 30% water change every 10 days. I have not had a dead fish in it for probably a year. The biggest complaint I have about it, is it is a 77 gallon with an ehiem 2015 on it, so the filtration turnover is fairly low (3 times an hour). Maybe Dennis will put cannisters on sale for boxing day and I can throw another on the tank. Any help would be appreciated. If you need more info, I will try and clarify. Kevin Edited December 8, 2005 by Discus Diehard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Water changes, along with a good substrate cleaning, and stop feeding for a few days, and it should clear up your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garhan Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Or dont tell the wife.....lol Ive had them many times...my wife still hasnt heard about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albert_dao Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 MIght be springtails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wandj Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Anytime I saw weird, tiny little creatures, I threw in some Rainbowfish fry and the bugs were eaten. I had a tank whereas there were tiny, little brown "worms" twitching around. Turns out they were the larvae of a very small white fly. The fish ate the larvae and the flies. (It was in a pleco tank so of course the plecos couldn't do anything about it) Guppies and Guppy fry are also good at eating little creatures. But not many fish will touch the planaria. If your bugs are on the surface, like floating at the top, they are not planaria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algae farmer Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Do you have any floating leaves on top of the water? If so try to sink them below water level for a week or so. Provide surface agitation and those little buggers should disapear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Yeah, I've seen them too - usually when duckweed or salvinia gets a little too out of hand. The best solution I've found is to keep the surface void of any floating leaves, and have it move around as much as possible - if it's not a planted tank, then get some surface aggitation in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevchewy Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 if i may ask... can you take a pic of them? i'm having a tough time imagining what they look like! hope it clears up for you! nev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 If they're what I've seen, picture a little tiny white grub that can jump up about 2". Probably about 1mm long, or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted December 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Hi all, Thank you for the great feedback. Albert as usual was right (how can someone be so right about so many things, yet have such bad hair?) They appear to be springtails. I have let the jungle val go recently and I think that the floating leaves gave them someplace to breed Here is some info on them. http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/aggu...ests/g07363.htm "If they're what I've seen, picture a little tiny white grub that can jump up about 2". Probably about 1mm long, or less" - this is exactly what they look like. Thank you everyone. I will let you know what a water change and a trim does. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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