Funny little white critters...

[fishyfriends]

Ever since I introduced a sponge into my aquarium, I have noticed hundreds of tiny little white critters running all over my front glass and on the top of the water. The sponge has since died, is this perhaps where they have come from? I thought they were perhaps some small brine shrimp but they are more like lice/spiders and dont seem to be able to swim (you can see them using their little legs), but my shrimps arent interested and neither are my clowns...

Any ideas what they could be and how i'd get rid?

 

[lando]

Sounds like it may be some type of pod. A good thing. Unrelated to your sponge. It is ore a product of the LR you have.

 

[The Matt]

I had those when I got a Tunicate and my Mandarin loved them until he swam into my Seabae anemone. They are not bad.

Matt

 

[fishyfriends]

Phew! Im glad they're not harmful! Most have been sucked up by my Fluval.. as it was rather blocked up with them when I cleaned it last. However I don't have any live rock. Its simply a fish only tank.. how would they have got in? The tank has been set up for a good 6 months...?

 

[Fluff]

What do you use as a substrate? Have you added any live sand? Corals?

 

[Joemama16341]

I had two that came in the bag with my live sand harmless as I could tell but they were kinda neat to watch until I was able to add fish but haven't seen them in months

 

[fishyfriends]

These things are tiny.. you really wouldn't notice if there was only two! The sand in my tank is not live sand and I don't keep corals... the only thing it can be is the sponge!

 

[Fluff]

I would say they are copods and they hitchhiked their way in on your sponge. Nothing to worry about.

 

[fishyfriends]

I would say they are copods and they hitchhiked their way in on your sponge. Nothing to worry about.

Thanks Cindy, most of them have been sucked up through the filter now.. theres only a few left! Thanks everybody!

 

[peterac]

If they are like the little fellas I just started to see in my cycling tank they actually pulse for forward motion (similar to a jellyfish). The ones I am talking about are very tiny and almost look like a star with tiny flagella. Can someone confirm what these are? Just for my own education...

Thanks,
Pete R.

 

[Fluff]

hydroids possibly?

fishy, they may be drawn into your filter but, they are not gone. You'll see that they will stay there and reproduce. lol

 

[fishyfriends]

If they are like the little fellas I just started to see in my cycling tank they actually pulse for forward motion (similar to a jellyfish). The ones I am talking about are very tiny and almost look like a star with tiny flagella. Can someone confirm what these are? Just for my own education...

Thanks,
Pete R.

That sounds like what I have too. Cindy, when I cleaned my filter, it was blocked with all these little creatures, I think a lot of them had died as the water was disgusting.. but like you said, there were certainly a lot still alive in there!