I FOUND TINY BLACK THINGS SWIMMING ON THE BOTTOM OF MY SIPHONED WATER GALLON!

preggoguppo

preggoguppo

Large Fish
#1
May 17, 2005
198
0
0
38
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
profile.myspace.com
#1
after treating my tank for ich with "Quick Cure" almost two weeks ago, i decided to replace the fish i lost from ich (the fish that died before i decided to treat my tank)... i put all my new fish i bought tonite in my tank (a sucker fish, balloon platy, and male guppy)... i figured it would be a good idea to siphon the bottom of the tank because i didnt this week, since i was too scared because of my guppy fry (i didnt want to mess with the water too much)... so just ten min. ago i siphoned a gallon (from my ten gallon tank) and after i was done i looked and there are little microscopic black things moving quickly in the bottom of the gallon... i also dont know if this has anything to do with it, but instead of seeing lots of old food, there was like a dirty cloud when i would poke the gravel with the siphon (maby i was just alge).. i also bought "Para Guard" today its a "Fish & Filter safe parasite control" so i could prevent further outbreak of ICH... i put half the does sugested in my tank (i only did half because of my guppy fry) do you think this will kill it? or is this just a preventitive? it said on the bottle to put the drops in when you add new fish(that why i put in in my tank already) could the black things be just part of ICH? because i heard it goes in cycles...i only used half the dose of "quick cure" when i had my outbreak because i didnt want to kill my fry! these black things dont seem to be effecting my fish... YET!... what is this?
 

Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#2
Aug 26, 2003
15,115
13
38
Southern California
home.earthlink.net
#2
You won't be able to see ich spores, so that's not what you have. It's most likely some kind of small crustacean. Feeding less and changing water more should clear it up.

The cloud from the gravel is broken down food and fish poop. When you have fry, you need to change water and vacuum more often, as they poop almost as fast as they eat, and poor water quality (not changed enough) will affect their development. You won't generally see any food when you vacuum. If you do, you're feeding way too much.

The Paraguard should be OK for the fry.
 

preggoguppo

preggoguppo

Large Fish
#3
May 17, 2005
198
0
0
38
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
profile.myspace.com
#3
a small crustacean? isnt that like shimp and crabs? i just hope it goes away without hurting my fish! how ofter can i siphon my tank? can i do like a gallon every day (out of my twn gallon tank)... i have been searching on the internet for what i seem to have, and i cant find it! it doesnt seem to be a disease...
 

D

derajer

Large Fish
#4
Mar 16, 2005
136
0
0
40
Ankeny, Iowa
#4
They little creatures might me some type of aphid, these are common pests in some areas. They show up a lot on plants which grow emersed (sticking out of the water) and once they are in a pet store tank they can spread all over and people take them home. If you continue to have a problem with them, you may consider adding shrimp, which will eat little creatures that are small enough.
 

Last edited:
D

derajer

Large Fish
#9
Mar 16, 2005
136
0
0
40
Ankeny, Iowa
#9
2 gallons? I thought it was ten?

Anyway, it's hard to say without pictures and I imagine that they're too small and fast to take pictures of. If you have a good LFS nearby, not a chain, then you may take some samples in and ask them. If your tank is a ten gallon though I would give a dozen ghost shrimp a shot. In my area they cost about a $1 a dozen since many people buy them as food for larger fish. They will also eat just about anything that falls to the bottom of the tank.
 

D

derajer

Large Fish
#12
Mar 16, 2005
136
0
0
40
Ankeny, Iowa
#12
If they are aphids, then they should in no way hurt any of your fish. They will eat some live plants if you have them though. It's also possible that you are overfeeding and the little critters are thriving on the extra food. Ghost shrimp would compete for the phone on the bottom, which might also help to get rid of them.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.