Just when you think you've seen it all...

[FishDad]

So...

Doin' a water change on my freshies today and I noticed these little reddish-orangish TINY little bugs hopping around the water's surface.

"Oh great. What hell is this," I thought to myself.

After some angry research turns out they are harmless and common little inverts called Springtails. I'm curious, after a close inspection how many of you find that you have them too. They are about the size of a salt grain, maybe smaller and appear to be most active during a water change.

Nothing quite says "Zen-like serenity" like bugs in the bedroom.

 

[Newman]

lol yeah springtails are in some aquariums. i know i have seen my share when looking on the water surface of my planted tanks. they love floating plants!

 

[FishDad]

They are in both my wife's and my kids' tank. I wonder how they hitchhike? My kids' tank has no plants and nothing was transferred from another tank. Amazing.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Cool! I haven't seen anything like that in mine..

The only time I noticed a worm/bug-like critter was in my planted 10g. They were very thin, small, white spaghetti looking worms. Noticed several of them one day, none the next. None since.

 

[FishDad]

You ever try to ID them?

 

[Newman]

probably FW oligochaetes.

 

[FishDad]

probably FW oligochaetes.

Didn't they overthrow the Tzars?

 

[FreshyFresh]

I never did try to ID them FD, but I think Newman is on to something with his ID.

It was just funny how I noticed them for one day only. Maybe that's a good thing.

 

[FishDad]

This site helped me ID the springtails...

What is that bug in my Aquarium? .:. Various small creatures that can inhabit a Freshwater Invertebrate Aquarium

 

[Newman]

This site helped me ID the springtails...

What is that bug in my Aquarium? .:. Various small creatures that can inhabit a Freshwater Invertebrate Aquarium

that site shows the FW oligochaete as a photo for their Nematode. nematodes aren't segmented, looks like planet inverts F'd up haha

 

[FishDad]

I thought everything online was true?

 

[Newman]

*twirlysmi

just an error on their part

 

[exhumed07]

I've got them in my cichlid tank. they seem to hang out and eat the algae on the driftwood that pokes out the waters surface. I have not noticed them in any other tank though.

 

[FishDad]

they seem to hang out and eat the algae on the driftwood that pokes out the waters surface.

That's pretty cool.

Hey did you ever get any info from your EPA?

 

[exhumed07]

they said the would test the water table in the area and get back with me. have not heard a word. but i have not had any issues since i stopped doing such large water changes. i'm doing 25% or so every week instead of a 50% every 2 weeks. at least with that tank. I still do a monthly 75% with my guppies, green sunfish, and cichlid tanks. I never have had a single issue with those tanks. and i know alot of yall think monthly water changes are to long but works for my tanks. guppies breed and grow like crazy, green sunfish is just tough. I'd have to pour a gallon of ammonia and bleach in the tank to kill him lol. obviously i'm kidding and i know those 2 mixed is a HUGE no no. but anywho my cichlid tank has triple filtration. and the water stays beautifully clear that long.

I'm still thinking it's the gases in the water that caused the problem. what the gases may be is unknown at this time. but with the slower smaller amounts of water during the change i think have helped alot and has fixed the issue.