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FAQs on Invertebrates, Presence, Use in Freshwater Aquariums 2

Related Articles: Invertebrates for Freshwater Aquariums by Neale Monks,

Black Pepper Size Critters in FW Tank - 7/2/08
Greetings from Georgia!
<And reciprocal salutations for Hertfordshire!>
We apologize is this is covered elsewhere on the site, as we found reference to white copepods, but not our 'bug.' Our 125 gallon community FW tank (1.002 salt) has been up 15 months. It has 2-3 inches of LFS gravel.
<Ah, 1.002 definitely qualifies as "brackish" -- that's about 4-5 grammes of marine salt mix per litre of water, or about 10-15% the normal salinity of seawater. Great for livebearers, killifish, and other species that appreciate slightly saline conditions.>
For the first time, upon vacuuming the gravel and changing water, our white buckets had 100's, perhaps 1000's of black (dark brown?) specks smaller than pepper grains moving furiously in the bottom of the siphoned water yesterday. I have never seen them before.
<Likely only copepods, ostracods, aquatic insects or similar.>
They seem to cling to larger detritus in the bottom of the bucket. Under a hand held magnifying glass, no visible legs, eyes, spots, antennae, stripes, etc turned up. Still looked like black pepper. Our fish are healthy; these are not on the fish that we can see. These are not visible in the tank.
<OK.>
They died pretty quickly in the sunlight in 2" of the water outside at 90 degrees F daytime temperature.
<How mean!>
What are they, are they harmful or good for the tank?
<Harmless; indeed, somewhat beneficial as they will be helping to speed up the decay of detritus in the substrate, preventing anaerobic decay. They will also provide a certain amount of food for species that graze on or sift the substrate. If you have an excessive number of them, it likely implies that there's a lot of organic matter in the sediment, which implies you are either overfeeding your fish or under-cleaning the substrate. Either way, controlling the food supply will go a long way to restricting the population of these organisms.>
Many thanks, Don
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Black Pepper Size Critters in FW Tank - 7/2/08
Many thanks, Neale, we appreciate your advice.
<Most welcome!>
I have visited your area years ago, I think it dates back to the Bronze Age; I visited after that!

Thanks for clarifying that we are indeed "brackish." We will watch the overfeeding.
<Very good.>
Your answer begs the question: Since we need (want?) the gravel substrate to anchor our many plastic plants (oxymoron?), the UGF is along for the ride and we don't see getting rid of the UGF, it does the job.
<Quite; UGFs can work very well, provided their limitations aren't a problem for your particular set-up. Turned into a reverse-flow system by adding a canister filter to the mix instead of powerheads/airstones and you have one of the single best filtration systems around.>
What is the thinnest we can go on depth of the gravel and still accomplish the UGF function? We understand too deep is bad (anaerobic dead spots), and too thin does not accomplish the mission.
<I'd recommend 8 cm/3". Does of course depend on the grade of the gravel; finer gravel will provide more surface area per unit depth.>
It would seem that vacuuming and cleaning are simplified with a minimal thickness of gravel. We operate two Aqua Clear 400 power heads (1 in each back corner), and also a Fluval 405 and a Fluval 305. Again this is a 125 gallon tank with no live plants, and approximately 50 community fish. The gravel is on a raised plastic tray. We remove plastic plants, caves, etc to gravel so there is never a dead spot due to a fixed decoration.
<Ah, I suspect a reverse flow system is precisely what you need. All you do is connect the canister filter outlet to the inlet of the UG filter plate. So water gets filtered mechanically by the canister (removing silt and organic debris) and then pushed from underneath the filter plate up through the gravel into the tank. As it goes through the gravel, the ammonia and nitrite are removed. The really big advantage is that the gravel now becomes 'self-cleaning' because silt and debris can't settle into it; instead the upwards flow of water constantly cleans the gravel, pushing fine particles into the water column.>
Thanks again for your time and efforts toward this fishy fun.
Cheers,
Don and Rosemary
<Cheers, Neale.>

Invertebrates in planted discus tank? -03/27/08
Hi crew!
Nicole here, from South-Africa. First off, thanks for the wonderful, informative site! I've been a regular browser for quite some time and I've learn't oodles!
Okay, so I have a lightly planted (swords, Java fern) discus tank - 1500mm (L) x 600mm (W) x 750mm (H) with an internal filter (box/sump?) and 2000l/h pump currently set to half speed. Lighting is not ideal for a planted tank, I know, just 3 x 40W Bio-Lux (12h per day), but the plants are doing okay. Heating provided by 2 x 300W submersible heaters in the intake partition of the filter. I also have a few air-stones. I'm not too clued-up with US units, but I think the 650l capacity translates to 148 gallons?
<There's about 4 litres to the US gallon, give or take a bit. So yes, your estimate is fine. I'm in the UK where we mostly use metric units anyway. When we do use gallons, we have our own kind a bit bigger than the US gallon! So I'd prefer we all used the metric system... less confusion!>
Substrate : 2cm layer of Seachem Fluorite mixed with fine brown gravel (1 - 1.5mm). 2cm top layer of only fine brown gravel with some course gravel (mix of dark brown, black and white) for aesthetics. No under-gravel filter.
Water : pH = 6.8, alkalinity = 50, hardness = 100, nitrate = 0, nitrite = 0
Current inhabitants : 2 turquoise discus (pair), 2 red melon discus, 2 blue German rams (1 male, 1 female), 1 spotted Sailfin Pleco (15cm), 2 albino Corys, 2 peppered Corys, 2 emerald Corys, 15 cardinal tetras. The discus range from 10cm to 15cm in size. I am on the lookout for more discus to add to the tank, although I'm going to limit myself to 8 in total. Does that sound like an okay mix?
<Sounds fine, though I will make the point that (most) Corydoras don't like water above 25 C, so they're not my first choice for a Discus community. But if they're happy, this is no big deal.>
It is very hard to find more out-of-the-ordinary fish here in a 3rd world country - most pet stores only have Bettas, harlequins, Neons and such. Finding proper aquarium plants is near impossible! (Especially since I live in a small town). All aquarium equipment is horrendously expensive here - about twice the US prices :o(
<Ah, but you can always go after some of those amazing native South African fish! I'd trade a boat load of "community tropicals" for the chance to keep things like Sandelia spp. labyrinth fish!>
Maintenance : I use 50/50 RO water and tap water (treated with AquaSafe, heated and aerated for a few days). 20% water change weekly - might need more if I add more discus? Seachem Flourish once a month. Jungle plant tabs with iron every other month (I just stick them into the substrate at the base of the plants). Fish are fed twice daily, before and after work. The discus get home-made food (Rocky Mountain recipe), as well as frozen bloodworms, peas, etc.
<Very good.>
Okay, now for my question : Are there any crayfish/shrimps that I would be able to keep safely with this setup? I don't want them to eat anybody or to get eaten by someone! I know it is usually a bad idea to create too much of a mix where discus are involved, so that is why I am checking with you clever folks! I love freshwater shrimps, but I love them enough to NOT keep them if it would do them (or my fish) a disservice...
<Nope, crayfish would not be a good idea. Armoured shrimps would be better, perhaps things like Atyopsis gabonensis. Despite their size, they're harmless filter feeders. Not the easiest things to maintain, being a bit fussy about food, but not impossible either. Snails are another worthwhile option. Freshwater whelks (predatory, eat baby snails) and Nerites (only eat algae) would be nice choices. Funnily enough, it's a SA snail that's the commonest Nerite here in the UK, Neritina natalensis. So that at least should be something you might be able collect from the wild, if you can't easily buy it. Amano shrimps are mostly subtropical and probably wouldn't last long in a Discus tank, even if they weren't eaten. You could try some of the smaller "long arm shrimps" Macrobrachium spp, but often the specimens traded are baby Macrobrachium rosenbergii, and these become huge territorial and predatory monsters. So research this option carefully.>
Thanks in advance for your help and for the great site!
Best regards
Nicole
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: Invertebrates in planted discus tank? -03/27/08
Hi Neale,
<Nicole,>
Thanks so much for the invaluable advice! I'll try and find a suitable filter feeding shrimp - it should do well, because discus a messy eaters. However, will Atyopsis Gabonensis survive the 28'C water? I've read they prefer temperatures around 24'C. The Asian variety - Atyopsis Moluccensis - on the other hand likes 27'C water. Will this not be a safer choice?
<Quite possibly. But temperature is less of an issue than oxygenation, because these shrimps (as I understand it) live in fast flowing streams. I've not heard of either species being stressed by tropical temperatures, but I've seen them do poorly in tanks with little water current and overstocking. In other words, provided water quality was good and you had plenty of circulation (as I'm assuming you do with Discus anyway) I'd certainly try either species out with some optimism for success.>
It seems getting any shrimp will be really hard. I just learned yesterday that South Africa no longer allows the import of freshwater shrimp and crayfish :o( I'll look into our indigenous species, but doubt that would do me any good. Local species would probably not survive the warm water in my aquarium...
<Agreed, but certainly try a few smaller specimens, perhaps placing them in a breeding net for the first couple of weeks to see how they do. As a rule, species from still waters tend to be more tolerant of warmer water than those from fast-flowing streams, so that might well be a factor to consider.>
Snails, as you said, are also an option. BUT, a "snail outbreak" a few years ago (after unknowingly getting a few on new plants) left me severely traumatized and unable to face the little critters! :oD Nope, no snails for me, thanks!
<Neither Nerites nor freshwater whelks (Clea helena) breed readily in aquaria. If you get babies from either sort, that's something of a coup! The Nerites as well tend to be short lived (around a year) so at best the babies maintain a population. Many of the Nerites have larvae that drift into the sea to mature, and obviously these won't develop at all in aquaria. A few lay small clutches of eggs in freshwater tanks, but survival of the baby snails does not seem to be very high. In other words, these are NOTHING like the snails that multiply wildly in aquaria, so don't be afraid of them! The predatory whelks are rather fun to watch in fact as they cruise about looking for prey. They eat one snail a day as far as I can tell, as well as things like bloodworms (but not fish!).>
Keep well
Nicole
<You too, Neale.>

FW Snails, contr., reading 2/28/08
We bought an orange snail and a blue ghost snail to put in our 10 gallon tank! It has been 2 months and both adult snails we purchased have been dead for a month and our tank is full of babies, at least a hundred! We keep see more little white stringy things moving on the glass. What are these, how many are we going to have, and how do we stop this?!!!!!!!
<... likely more reproduction. Read: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsnails.htm
and the linked files above. If more worm like... see WWM re. RMF>

Strange critters in my tank(s), FW aquatic insects 2/1/08
After several days of scouring the web for answers, I'm still no closer to identifying this critter. So far I have found 3 - two very tiny, and one that's now about 3/4 inch long. When I saw them swimming I observed that they moved with a sort of eel-like motion, but they are definitely not worms (as I thought when I had only seen the tiny ones). These have 6 jointed legs (looking much like a spider's legs) at the "head" end, no legs on the bright green body (which looks to be segmented, but since it is so small it's hard to tell). It's about as thick as a pencil lead and at the other end is a sort of finned tail with 3 distinct "fins" which, unlike the body, are marked with dark bands. When resting right-side-up, this critter uses the two outer "fins" to hold up its tail end, and the middle "fin" stands straight up. When swimming the "fins" are folded and look like a darker extension of the body. When the critter (presumably) sleeps, the fins are also folded together and the 3 separate appendages can't be distinguished.
I found the first of these when I was doing a water change in the large tank (200 liter) and the second and third while doing a water change in the fry tank. The first two were less than 1/4 inch long and the colors were not apparent at that stage. They just looked like short, very thin wiggly things with larger heads and I first assumed they were some type of worm. However, given the 6 legs and fin-like tail sections I realize they're totally un-wormlike.
Not knowing what they were, I put the largest of the 3 in a small glass of water and he's been there now for a couple of weeks. In that time he hasn't gotten any bigger, and crumbs of fish food went untouched. A few days ago I put in some dried and fresh bits of various leaves to see if he would eat them. Until then he had stayed at the bottom of the glass, supporting himself on his legs and the two outer "fins" - but the first day he somehow noticed the floating vegetation (I say "somehow" because before then I had never seen him move from the bottom, do any exploring, etc.) and has now relocated himself to the underside of a floating bit of (dried) leaf, folded his "fins" and settled in at his new location.
It's just not possible to get a good photo of him - though I did try - so that his head, legs and "fins" are visible.
The fry tank sits on a low table beside a medium-sized potted Sheffler which from time to time gets infested with those tiny pesky gnat-things that crawl around on the surface of the potting medium. Not whiteflies, but I don't know what they're called. However, I've never seen the gnats look anything like this in any stage of their development, and there are no other plants/pests in the immediate vicinity of the tank. The little table is, however, next to the balcony door (which I tend to leave open when the weather is nice, though that doesn't happen often here) and on the balcony I have probably 60 or 70 plants of different types, none of which have had any pests aside from the occasional snail. I considered the possibility that my critters came in from the outside and from there to the fry tank, possibly transferred to the main tank on a communal net or something. But that's quite a bit of guesswork, and I'd like to know for sure what this is and what (if anything) I should do about it.
My partner thinks they're mosquitoes. However, we have had sub-freezing and inhospitable weather this winter, and I can't imagine that mosquito larvae would be already hatching. It hasn't gone above 8 C. for at least two months. In addition, this mystery critter is already bigger than any mosquito I've ever seen - even in southern Louisiana. :P
Does anyone have any ideas? Please?
Hopefully,
Erin
<Erin, without a photo difficult to say, but if the thing has three filaments (actually gills) coming from the tail-end, then it's mostly like a damselfly larva (Order: Odonata; Suborder Zygoptera). Quite common in ponds, and they sometimes get into aquaria with live food or on plants. They are predatory, and eat things like smaller insects as well as fish fry. They won't (likely can't) eat dried food. Cheers, Neale.>

Invertebrates, sel., FW
Are there any good invertebrates to add to my fresh water tropical fish tank? I have neon tetra's, Red Wag's, a Black Molly, and 2 Dalmatian Mollies, and 4 River Catfish. I'd like to have something different in the tank, but Crayfish or the like will tear up my fish. Do you recommend any species I can introduce that will not affect the community balance I have now with my fish? Eric
<Many, many options. But freshwater invertebrates can be problematic in a variety of ways. Some eat plants, others react badly to fish medications, some will even eat small fish. Given Mollies do best in brackish water, I'd be looking at salt-tolerant invertebrates such as Amano shrimps and Nerites snails. Anyway, have a read of this: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwinverts.htm . Cheers, Neale>

Breeding, fungi or alien phenomenon? Gastropod repro. 11/08/07
Hi Guys!
Tried to find an answer on your awesome site but it's hard to phrase the problem I'm having! But I'll give it a try!
So, I emailed Sabrina a few months back coz my two common goldfish were fighting. She told me this was normal and that it could be the start of them showing breeding behaviour which totally matches with the other info I've recently found.
However, I was cleaning out my tank the other day and found small, clear bubble like things on the little ornaments and along the top of the tank at water level.
<Ahhh! Snail eggs likely>
At first I thought they were just bubbles but they weren't - they were solid. Anyway, concerned it was some sort of fungi I removed them all from the tank and did a full clean to eradicate any trace of them, although considering the behaviour of the fish I started to think maybe they were fry?!?
<Mmm, no... not fishes>
(They did try to eat them and they have been chasing each other a lot...)
However this seems grossly out of character in these winter months despite the mild weather here) and they're not even a year old yet.
Do you have any idea what these clear things were?!
So confused!
Thanks in advance!
Chloe H, London :-)
<You do have snails of some sort... likely Ampullaria/Pomacea... "Mystery, Apple...". These are the eggs of these. Bob Fenner>

Tiny white bugs/crustaceans, FW... 8/29/07
Hi. Hope you can help me with this one!
<Will try.>
I have a 5 gallon freshwater aquarium with a betta fish in it. A few months ago I noticed a few things:
1) tiny white bugs, barely visible to the naked eye, that swim/jump through the water and sometimes scoot along the surface of the glass
<Those are very small insects or insect-like animals. Thrips, collembolans, mites, and so on. Harmless.>
2) tiny things that stick to the glass and plants. They remind me of barnacles more than anything else. They are scale-like, flat, transparent beige in color, and have a small red-orange colored center. They start out as specks on the glass and progressively grow bigger, to about the size of a pin-head. They have a hard outer "shell"....I know because I've been killing them off as best I can ("crunch"), but they continue to multiply.
<Sounds like snails of some sort. Basically harmless.>
3) tiny red-orange bugs that jump/scoot on the surface of the water, which remind me of mites or water spiders or chiggers.
<Again, some sort of harmless arthropod. Quite possible red mites.>
I have no idea what any of these are, and my internet research thus far has not helped. I'm wondering it is it possibly a single organism that I am witnessing at different points in it's life growth cycle??
<No, not really. Aquaria become ecosystems of a sort, and animals in house attracted to warm, damp places congregate on them. Hence you find the same sorts of things on the aquarium as you'll find in the bathroom.>
A few weeks ago I did a major overhaul of my tank. I boiled the gravel, driftwood, and filtration components. I threw away all the plants. I replaced all but about 10% of the water. Two weeks later, there are tons more of the white bugs, and I'm seeing more and more of the "scale" looking things on the glass everyday.
<You can't get rid of them. Remove them, and more will move in from your house. I'm guessing your tank doesn't have a proper filter; these little arthropods don't tend to be such a pest where the surface of the water is agitated by a filter. In "bowl" type situations, the still water surface is a perfect habitat for them. Furthermore, in betta bowls the water tends to have lots of nitrate and organic material in it because the volume is so small, and this encourages the growth of algae and molds. It is these that the little arthropods are feeding on. In bigger tanks with proper filtration, there's less of this stuff, and so the arthropods are less of a big deal.>
These critters are such an EYE-SORE and NUISANCE in my Betta's home. Can you please help me diagnose this infestation and how I can get rid of them?
<You can't. Learn to love them.>
With gratitude,
Shawna B.
<Hope this helps, Neale>

Re: tiny white bugs/crustaceans 8/29/07
Thanks for your response about the critters in my tank. I believe a partial solution would be running the filter more often.....I only currently run it a few hours a day.
<Arghhh! Why are you running the filter only a few hours per day? That's not how you use a filter, and all you're doing is killing off the "good" bacteria every time you switch the power off. A filter should run 24/7 -- end of story.>
Also, I've heard to get rid of snails you can add copper to the water? They are the major eye-sore of the tank. Can you confirm this and suggest any products that accomplish that?
<You heard wrong. Copper is toxic to crustaceans (which you don't have) and to a lesser extent to fish. Snails are largely indifferent to it, and you'll kill the fish long before the snails get bothered by it. Learn to live with them. Remove them by hand if you want. Otherwise just let them be. Snails only increase their numbers in "dirty" tanks. Snails eat leftover food and algae. If there's a surplus of leftover food especially they will turn that into more snails. In a clean tank, they don't have enough food to breed all that quickly. Show me a person with a "snail problem" and I'll show you a person who overfeeds their fishes or doesn't clean their aquaria properly. It's as simple as that: basic laws of physics; without the extra energy from surplus food, the snails could reproduce as quickly. So, take the snails for what they are -- a symptom of another problem. Act accordingly, and you'll find the snail population will gradually decline to the point where you'll view them as harmless additions to your aquarium.>
Thanks again!!
<No problems, Neale.>

Re: tiny white bugs/crustaceans 8/30/07
Hi Neale ~~~
<Shawna,>
Again, I really appreciate your help and advice on the unwanted critters I have. However, I am not sure that a "dirty tank due to overfeeding" is the problem. I have a single betta in a 5 gallon tank, who gets about 4 pellets of betta food twice a day, and eats it all within about a minute. I generally clean the tank every 4 weeks.
<A properly maintained tank shouldn't need "cleaning" this often. Betta bowls are different I admit, but really, it's the water that needs replacing regularly not the tank decorations. Now, as for the role of food, uneaten or otherwise: snails simply cannot multiply in a tank with no food added. Try it yourself some time. Put a few pond snails in a bowl and don't add any food. See how quickly they multiply. They won't. Except maybe for algae, there's nothing for them to eat, and they starve. Basic biology. The reason snails prosper in fish tanks is that the food (and to some degree fish faeces) provides them with high-protein fodder. They multiply at a rate directly proportional to the amount of food available. It really is that simple. Now, it doesn't sound like you're overfeeding your fish, I admit, so perhaps the food source is something else. Decaying plants perhaps?>
I am really stumped....because as I mentioned about 2 weeks ago, I scoured the tank and boiled everything in it (with the exception of the fish of course!) To see such a dramatic re-appearance of the crusty-scale-like critters in such a short period of time.....in a clean tank....with no plants....well, I just don't get it. Believe me, I have seen small aquarium snails before, and what I have looks different. I wouldn't mind a few snails, but these guys are prolific in numbers....still multiplying....and make the tank look sick and infested.
<Need photo. There are very few other shelled invertebrates that live in freshwater. Ostracods perhaps, but they're very distinctive and don't "turn up" announced. Snails are really the only common shelled stowaways in freshwater tanks. Nematodes and flatworms can be a pest, but they're wormy, not snail-like.>
I had no idea I needed to run the filter all day, and I can see now how that could create a stagnant environment for unwanted critters and such. I was not doing so because I thought my betta liked to have calm waters most of the time. I will change that habit immediately. But the snail-scale like things have got to go!!
<OK.>
I plan to clean and scour and boil everything in the tank again, in hopes that I can further reduce or eliminate the problem. If you have any additional thoughts, I would greatly appreciate your feedback.
<Waste of time. Assuming these "critters" got in by themselves and are prospering under whatever conditions you have, my assumption would be if you clean the tank, they'll be back to full strength in a month. So I'd tend to reflect more on filtration, water changes, removal of potential food (dead plants for example) and so on.>
Thanks so much.
Shawna
<Cheers, Neale>

Micro-organisms? FW 5/25/07
I have some sort of micro organism in my breeding tank (bettas). I'm not that it is a parasite because my fish seem to be doing alright. It's barely visible, but it looks like a millimeter-long, white worm. I had a plant in the tank that didn't make it and started decomposing, but since then the tank has been completely emptied, cleaned, refilled, and several water changes. I guess my question is what is it? And can it potentially harm my fish and/or fry? If not is it likely the fry will eat it? Thank you very much and have a good night!
<Not likely a problem... perhaps some sort of small worm or crustacean... that "came in with" the plant... Not likely harmful, perhaps unpalatable. Will probably disappear as readily as it became aware to your conscious. Bob Fenner>

Gel like material on most objects in tank, FW – 04/30/07
Thanks for having a great web site. I had the pleasure of your assistance once before.
<Welcome>
In fifty some odd years of keeping both FW and SW tanks I have never run into this problem before. As a side note I also clean numerous SW & FW tanks for a living. Fantastic type of job even if I do say so myself.

I maintain a 125 gallon aquarium for a doctor with basically cichlids. In the past 5 or 6 months the tank has developed a clear gel like goo all over the lift tubes, glass and filters. The stuff can plug up an Emperor filter in less than one day. The filter does not look dirty but water cannot pass through it.
You can scrape the gel stuff off of the glass, etc., but it quickly returns.
I have had some success in keeping it under control by using a copper solution but it never truly solves the problem, just lessens it.
Any thoughts on what it might be (appears to be a living organism of some type as it certainly reproduces quickly) and also what might control or destroy it.
<Is a mix of life... the fancy current name is "bio-film"... Likely a mix of mostly "decomposers"... Fungi, bacteria... with a host of protozoan species, algae to boot>
It appears to have no affect on the fish as they are all healthy and eating and growing well.
<Yes... just slimy, unsightly...>
First time I have ever found something other than too much food that would make the water appear cloudy.
Thanks in advance for any assistance you might be able to provide.
Sincerely,
Jon Bartnick
<Mmm, well... you can likely "shake the foot-hold" this stuff has in this system with changing lighting, water quality... switching out the substrate, adding plants... Likely it would go if deprived of nutrient (the addition of a good deal of high-quality carbon...). Bob Fenner>

Red Dots Floating Around In FW Tank – 2/25/07
Hello to you all. I have a 20 gallon brackish tank with one GSP in it.
He has done well for over three years now and still seems to be fine. I feed him foods such as frozen krill, raw cocktail shrimp, and live ghost shrimp.
I do not want to overfeed him so when I have too much food thawed I give the extras to my cichlids and Senegal Bichir that are in a separate tank. The GSP has aragonite substrate and fake plants. I do a 30% to 40% water change and siphoning every Sunday and a full pump cleaning every three weeks. This has been his routine for three years now and I have been lucky that I have never had a problem- until two days ago. I went to the tank to feed him and noticed there were several tiny dots on the silk plants. On further inspection I saw these tiny red/brown dots were swimming from leaf to leaf and crawling on the aragonite. They are the size of the period at the end of this sentence. The GSP seems unaffected. His color is still nice and bright and his appetite is still the same. My cichlids and Senegal Bichir do not have these tiny dots in their tank, so I don't think this was caused by the food. I have searched extensively over your sight as well as many others to no avail. The closest thing I could find was something called hydracarina.
Since they are so small I cannot see legs if there are any, so comparing the photo to what I have is questionable. Could I have somehow grown a culture in the aragonite? I work at a vets hospital and occasionally get cat scratches so I am concerned if these "dots" were to burrow into any broken skin on my hands. These "dots" do not seem to be growing in size or numbers or changing shape in any way. I hope you can identify these things and let me know if they are harmful to my GSP or myself. The idea of my fish swimming in his own filth drives me nuts, so I am eager to get his tank cleaned before it gets too nasty. I hope you can help soon. Thank you for all your help! Michelle in N.C.
< Could be something brought in by the ghost shrimp. Use Fluke-Tabs or Clout to get rid of them.-Chuck>

Re: live creatures 3/2/07
Sorry...freshwater tank.
<A yeah, this information is important.>
I know I couldn't possibly capture a picture of them b/c they are barely visible. You have to be really looking for them and know what you're looking for. They seem to be clear in color. I realized they were alive when I noticed them curling up/moving as they float through the water (and when on the side of the tank).
<Gotcha.>
I often look but can find none. The most I have ever seen throughout the tank at one time is about 4 or 5.

Thanks!
<Welcome! -Mich>

Baby snails 11/25/06
We have just set up a tropical fish . the tank was ok this morning, when I checked on them this evening I found this little things on the glass the slate they look like something from out of space. but when I looked closer they look like baby snail. Have you got any picture of baby snails so I can see if that is what they are. thank you .
<Mmm, don't have (as of yet... maybe you'll send along)... but would not be surprised that this is what you state. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsnails.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Mystery Animal in my 10 gal. freshwater tank 10/24/06
I have a question about our 10 gallon freshwater aquarium. It has live plants, 3 neon tetras and 3 black phantoms. When we introduced the plants into the system, I was told to get rid of all the snails off of them. I tried to get them all, but about 1 month later I noticed small snails appearing in the aquarium.
<Very common...>
I bought some snail-treatment,
<... most of these are quite toxic... and your Tetras are sensitive to such poisons>
but I'm concerned about something else that I have spotted in the aquarium. I thought they were slugs (snails with no shells), but when I described them to the person at the pet store, they said that it sounded like some sort of parasite.
<Mmm... unlikely... most of these can't be seen "with the/a naked eye"... Much more likely something like a free-living flatworm... aka "Planaria">
Before I have to go treating the water twice, I am trying to determine what this other "thing" is. This little "animal" is about 1/4" long by about 1/8" wide. Looking closely, I can see that it has antennae, like a snail, but no shell. It attaches itself to the glass and has a clear outer ring around its body (I'm assuming this is its suction cup that it attaches itself with). I don't ever actually see it move, but over time it moves from one place to another on the glass in the tank. It doesn't seem to multiply as fast as the snails (I have only spotted about 4 of these in the aquarium over the past month).

Since I don't know what this thing is, I don't know if the snail-treatment that I bought will get rid of it, as well as the snails. Do you have any clue what this mystery animal might be, and how I need to treat the tank water to get rid of it?
Thanks,
Nancy


FW... Planaria 8/28/06
Hello
<<Hi, Shannon. Tom with you.>>
My friend's mother's tank has white flat worm type of bugs/worms in the tank.
<<Planaria. Harmless to fish.>>
One day there was none. Next there was thousands. It's a freshwater tank. Any ideas to remove them?
<<Yes, Shannon, but you'll have to slow down a little. (I'm correcting more punctuation, etc., than offering advice. (hint, hint) :)>>
They are starting to freak her out.
<<Well, we can't have that! Your friend's mother needs to vacuum the gravel at the bottom of her tank. Planaria feed on the "gunk" that's left over from feeding, pooping,...well, you get the picture. Clean gravel? No little white worms.>>
It is a fresh water tank also.
<<You mentioned that. Take a deep breath, Shannon. :)>>
P.S. They attack the live worms they feed the fish when they fall to the bottom of the tank.
<<That's what Planaria do, Shannon. They're "opportunistic" feeders. If there's no "opportunity", they die and/or disappear. In short, the tank's dirty. It needs to be cleaned...thoroughly. Recommend that your friend's mother purchase a gravel vacuum from a fish store. Once she figures out how simple it is to use...Bingo! Sayonara to the little white worms!>>
Thank you
Shannon
<<Happy to help, Shannon. Tom>>

'Pod explosion? 8/25/06
All right, one more run at you guys, for now...
What I ended up doing: the LFS I've been half-using offered to take the killies and the rainbowfish, and the Pleco got his new home. Now I'm down to the one glass catfish in my very dirty, 29-gallon FW tank. Instead of taking the catfish out to cycle the tanks, and having to parallel the cycling with his container, I've put him back in the main tank and am letting him ride out the cleaning.
Since taking out the rest of the fish I noted a couple of dusty-white looking patches on the glass, fairly low, below the half-way mark. When I realized that there were tiny little worm-things crawling around in it, I headed for your site, and think I have a population explosion of 'pods of some sort... or is that a SW thing?
<Mmm, there are crustacean groups, worms in this case likely... for both, all aquatic habitat types>
Assuming they are 'pods, will a cherry barb/Corydoras/glass cat population keep these under control?
<Mmm, maybe. In any/all cases not likely harmful. I would do nothing overt re these... they too "will pass">
I'm not sure that my one cat is even aware of them. Will the population get out of control while I'm working on cleaning
the tank, before I can get those fish in there? Maybe I should put some plants near the areas to lure the cat closer to them?
-Me
<Not likely harmful. I'd ignore. Bob Fenner>

FW worm 6/23/06
Hi Bob. I have a tank with an African brown knife, mollies, ghost cats. This morning I saw what appears to be a tiny, tiny black worm crawling at the bottom of my tank. What can this be?
<Mmm, could be an oligochaete (something akin to an aquatic earthworm)... even a hirudinean (leech)...>
Everyone is eating & appears healthy. Water is good. Thanks!
Diana
<What is that Ted Nugent lick? "Where in doubt I take it out... it's a free for all"... I would remove this mystery creature just in case. Bob Fenner>

Anodonta sp. Lying on Side = Problem? 6/23/06
Hi WWM!
<Ed>
I know you folks "specialize" in saltwater clams, but I thought I'd ask you a question about my Anodonta (Jade-Green Clam), since I read on
your pages that if a clam is lying on its side, then it may starve?
<Mmm... not in all or this case. This FW Mussel lives oriented in any fashion... usually in mud>
Well, that's what my Anodonta has been doing for a day or two now, and, although it doesn't seem to be dead (it does open and close slightly,
as normal), it looks, well, odd. Otherwise, the tank seems to be OK. I have two Ancistrus mini-catfish in there, a bunch of snails and four
Cambarellus montezumae. Since one of the Cambarellus is holding a clutch of eggs I reckon that the tank must be pretty healthy. I know
the pH is not very high (round about 7) but the clam hasn't had a problem with this before.
Any hints or tips about this?
<Unfortunately I don't have any practical experience with this species, nor any print or Net reference of use>
Obviously, this clam isn't very big, so "setting it upright again" may just mean that it falls right back down again. Perhaps its foot got damaged and it is now "re-growing" it?
<I would not try to "set it upright"...
Thanks a million for any replies, I do like browsing your site and thought that the section on snail control was really great!
Cheers,
Ed (UK ex-pat living in Germany)
<Do please take a long read through this search result: http://www.google.com/search?q=Anodonta
re the genus... Some useful habitat, feeding information to be gleaned. Bob Fenner>

Re: Anodonta sp. Lying on Side = Problem? 6/25/06 -
Hi Bob!
<Ed>
Many thanks for your speedy reply! I have read the links and found some interesting stuff as you suggested. I also contacted someone else, who,
like you suggested, said that this is normal behaviour: they don't have the "vertical" requirements of saltwater -- and esp. giant -- clams.
So, I'll keep an eye on him but he sees to be still fine, in his new orientation ;-)
Cheers,
Ed Bradburn
<Thank you for this follow-up. Bob Fenner>

Worms and platy fry 6/16/06
Greetings from Australia to all the crew,
<Returns from sunny southern Cal. in the U.S.A.>
having only a few months experience in keeping fish we have been running into quite a few problems with the poor things.
Our latest involves something as unpleasant as worms. The local aquarium guy has assured us it has to do with the drought
affecting our area and dams and not just something we did. We bought fluke tablets and after fishing out a few platy
fry (all of which seemed fine) and we set up an emergency tank for them with water from the big tank. We then added the fluke
tablets but being new at this and apparently not very clever we took out the wrong piece of the filter, with the result that worms
are still in the fish and tank! We had a few mishaps with the little fry in the emergency tank with a new heater going berserk and
killing the poor things, we were trying so hard to save, so we decided to leave the two last fry who seemed affected by the worms in the tank when treating next, but just as we were about to add more fluke we saw about 20 little fry swimming around. To make it worse we also have a speckled Cory which the before mentioned fish guy told us will not appreciate the fluke. Now what do we do?

One of our nice big platy females is having big worm issues and is in big trouble but what about all the little new ones?
<All>
Do we risk killing them in the new little tank with water from the big tank and a crazy out of control heater or do we leave them in the big tank and hope for the best?
<I'd treat all in place, in your main/display tank>
Please help. My kids have named 10 of the little fry and will be pretty upset if I kill more than I already have..
Oh and we also have some tough neon tetras in the tank. They have survived terrible water conditions due to our inexperience, ich, etc and
now worms . We managed to kill 5 guppies, and 3 tough platys early on, yet the neons live nice and strong. Totally opposite to what we have been
told. (It may not sound like it but we really tried and we do care about the fish. We have bought every single form of equipment and medicine
available. We are just not clever)
Marianne in Australia
<Bob Fenner>

Fresh water - centipede 6/10/06
I've got 35 gallons of freshwater - only a few tetras while the tank is cycling. We had some major problems with a Molly (from a local pet store - ugh) and we're rebuilding our tank.
I've got fake plants, no "live" rock - the substrate is a mix of aquarium rock and river rock (long ago cleaned, boiled, soaked in water for weeks on end, etc, etc, etc)
Everything is settling down and looking good - then I notice this centipede in the middle of my fake plants.
<!>
I don't think it was a bristle worm - after looking at all the pics of both - it really didn't resemble a bristle worm, it looked exactly like a centipede (that and I've seen centipedes before...)
<Likely some sort of insect larvae... does it have many legs?>
It was about 1 1/2 inches long - curled up on the plants. Colors kind of orange and dark brown or black. When I pulled it out, it was still moving around, had the legs, head and tail of a centipede. Tossed him out and gave a good look through my tank - no sign of any other uninvited critter.
<Good>
So, where would this thing have come from?
<Might have been "laid" there... fallen in, perhaps came as a juvenile in food..>
And does it mean my tank is not ready for new fish? Help?
<Shouldn't be a factor if removed, the system is cycled. Bob Fenner>
Thanks!
Rochelle

Water Quality Update/Worms on Glass 6/9/06
Hi Crew,
<Hi Matt, It's me, Pufferpunk again>
As per Pufferpunk's advice I added Bio-Spira and my tanks nitrites and ammonia are now zero and have been zero for more than a week (great product!).
<Sure is!>
All the fish seem ok (except one somewhat bloated platy) but I noticed last night that there were small, whitish/transparent (hairs-width wide and a max of 1 mm long) worms squirming on the side glass. There is also a couple of concentrated pockets of them under the gravel. No sign of anything on the fish. Any ideas on what they are, if they're harmful and how to rid my tank of them would be greatly appreciated (I'm very disappointed I was planning on adding fish today now that the ammonia and nitrites are stable).
<Those worms are a creature that comes from overfeeding your tank. Try scraping them off & do a nice big water change. Clean the gravel with a gravel vac too. Be sure to match the temp & use a dechlorinator (I like the product: Prime). Be sure to only add a couple of fish at a time to your tank.>
If it matters, all the fish are from PetSmart whom supposedly guarantees no ich.
<There is no way for them to guarantee no ich, unless they have quarantined all their fish for a month, before adding to their system. Even so, I just bought a fish from a friend's tank that had been long established. Within 12 hours, it was covered in ich. Good thing I QT'd the fish or my whole tank would have been infested!. ~PP>
Also all of the equipment is brand new.
Thanks, Matt

Ich and invertebrates - 5/25/2006
I recently noticed that two of my cichlids have ich. It has just started. My question is what is the safest to use to treat the ich?
<<Posted.>>
I also have a catfish, Plecostomus, and a blue lobster that I do not want to lose... I would appreciate any info you could give me
<<The invertebrates will die if exposed to common ich remedies. Treat in a hospital tank and let the main run fallow for a few weeks. Lisa.>>

Freshwater Aiptasia? Almost As Bad.... Hydra! - 04/29/2006
Hi Crew,
<Hi, Monte!>
I have a question, Is there such a thing as Fresh Water Aiptasia?
<No, but I know EXACTLY where this is going.>
I have what appears to be several small Aiptasia on my plants and tank walls. The main single body is green and it has about four to five tentacles on top. They are to small right now for a good picture but as soon as I can get one I will forward one to you.
<No need, I can tell you precisely what they are from your description. If I'm wrong on this, I'll buy you a drink (but you'll have to come to Santa Cruz to cash in on it!). They're Hydra.>
Also I have some very small flea looking bugs down around the gravel, they're white, oval and very fast, they don't seem to be hurting anything just wondering what they might be and if I should try to eradicate them.
<Not sure on these, perhaps Daphnia or Moina.... there are VERY many small invertebrates that fit this description. They're probably completely harmless.>
Here are the tank inhabitance:
75gal planted tank
These are the only survivors of many fish, (Too many, Too fast, Too quick).
<You've learned your lesson, I trust?>
Two silver hatchets
Two Otos
<When/if the Hydra "take over", the Otos may suffer "stings" from them.>
Plants:
Duckweed
Java Fearn
Dwarf Sagittaria
Anubias Barteri
Vallisneria Spiralis
Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Red
I'm working on getting it ready for four to five Discus and a school of about 30 Cardinal tetras. It's been running for about three months now and I've been back and forth with algae blooms.
<To be expected with new-ish tanks.>
I believe I have that under control as of now, but it will be a few more months before I purchase the Discus and Cardinals as I'm waiting on two large pieces of Malaysian drift wood.
<Sounds nice.>
Any help would be much appreciated.
<I, personally, would eliminate the Hydra for a few reasons. For one, you can't share plants with folks who don't want Hydra. For two, those Otos may suffer for 'em. For three, the discus may have trouble with their young getting damaged or killed by Hydra, should they choose to reproduce. Please take a look here to find my experience with eradicating Hydra with Fenbendazole: http://wetwebfotos.com/talk/thread.jsp?forum=46&thread=10186&message=83268 (incidentally, I'm "vintage_fish" in the forum.)>
Keep up the great work.
<Thanks, mate!>
Monte
<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Freshwater Sea Monster, in Miniature - 04/05/2006
Hi Guys,
<Sabrina today, not much guy-like, really>
I have a freshwater tank, 175 litres of water, tropical setup. We recently purchased a new plant and discovered that I believe, is a bristle worm.
<I.... don't think there *are* freshwater bristleworms. I could be wrong.> <<There are some FW polychaetes... not prominent, large, many... RMF>>
I have attached two pictures to aid in identifying this little fella. I have read much on saltwater bristle worms but very little on fresh water ones. I know some worms are beneficial. However I wanted to make sure that this worm was not toxic to my fish (Platies and angels) as they did try to eat it. The brave little worm but up a fight and wiggled free, then I rescued him. I would not mind him staying in tank if I could be sure that he was not poisonous.
<I've got no guarantee there, but I rather doubt that he is.>
Also the worm is approximately 2 cm by 3-4mm. Any help in this matter would be appreciated.
<This looks to me to be an insect larva of some sort - and very cool lookin' at that. Were it me, I'd keep him for sure. There is a minor possibility that, as he grows, he may become slightly predatory on very small fish (fry, etc.). I think he's just awesome enough to be willing to wager the minor risk!>
Thanks Roni & Ruth (Geelong, Victoria, Australia)
<Congrats on the very neat find! -Sabrina, in the Santa Cruz mountains of California, USA> <<RMF also sees these as insect larvae... may well be predatory.>>

FW Strange things? 4/3/06
<Tom>
I have a 74g freshwater aquarium, fully cycled with angels, tetras, clown loaches, sharks, Corys and snails (apple, golden and blue). I found a strange thing while vacuuming the bottom and wondered if you might know what it was. It was about the size of a large marble, crunchy feeling, pinkish in color, and it's consistency was like that of a honeycomb, or beehive, with pinkish interiors. Was it snail eggs? My mother found the same sort of thing attached above the water line behind her power filter. Please let me know if you have any idea?
<Sounds, indeed, like you found a snail clutch. Your Apple snails will deposit eggs
either above or below the water line so I believe your "guess" is correct.>
Thanks, Cindy
<Any time. Tom>

Answer for the person with the FAQ Freshwater barnacle? 4/23/06
He does not have barnacles on in his tank. Zebra snails lay eggs and it is the eggs that are all over his tank especially when he added 12 snails they would lay many eggs. They are very hard to remove and they are not biodegradable, also they will not hatch as they require a brackish environment to hatch. Also Barnacles are not Mollusks but crustaceans.
Wayne
<Thank you for this input. Bob Fenner>

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