ACK!!! What IS this!?!?!

[Melody]

Nemotodes???

WAY too small for the camera to even see... Im looking in Eltons tank just a bit ago, and notice some very tiny "things" swiming around. I have no plants in the tank, a few snails that have been in there for some time... and some gravel... I do my water changes... although I must admit that I have neglected him for the last week... I was PLANNING on doing it today, but said tomorrow will be fine. Im doing a water change tonight instead... but they are very small, brownish??? maybe. and seem to swim in a jerking motion. THey ARE free swimming, and dont seem to attach themselves onto anything, as far as I can tell. They also seem to be hanging around the top inch or two of water... any ideas??

 

[lmw80]

are they long like worms?

 

[Melody]

no... tiny, almost seed like...

 

[Melody]

anyone??? I did a complete water change last night, and actually scrubbed my snails, so these little things are now gone, but I would still like to know what they were. They were to tiny to give you any detail on what they looked like. at first I thought it was just debris floating around in the water, then I realized that some were actually swimming around.

 

[rubysoho]

and actually scrubbed my snails

hehe, great mental image with that comment. Sorry I don't have an answer for ya though.

 

[Melody]

and actually scrubbed my snails

hehe, great mental image with that comment. Sorry I don't have an answer for ya though.

hehe.... I didnt think about how silly that did sound till you posted... Kinda like Sebastion in THe Little Mermaid when he got into the wash bucket...

ummmyeah, I scrubbed them, and I dont think they liked it a bit. I kinda hated doing that because they had some really cool hair alge growing on them, they kinda looked like fuzzy little bears. but now they are all nice and clean, Im sure it will grow back,

 

[Fruitbat]

It is very likely that the organisms you're pondering are cladocerans. They are tiny hard-shelled crustaceans that are very common in aquaria where there is a build up of uneaten food in the substrate. The 'water flea' (Daphnia) belongs in this group but most of the ones found in aquaria are not as large. Very few fish will eat the more common cladocerans because their shells are relatively thick (Daphnia is one of the thinner-shelled types).

They are completely harmless and are actually beneficial in that they will consume excess 'stuff' from the substrate. However, an overpopulation of these little critters can be unsightly. The best way to get rid of them, or at least to bring the population to a non-irritating level, is to do regular vacuuming of the substrate to remove uneaten food. No food for the cladocerans.....no cladocerans!


Here's a much magnified view that I found on the internet of one of these little guys:

 

[Melody]

wow...cool....
Maybe that is what I have, although I vacuum... as much as one can on a tank that small... there were alot, but they are gone now, I hope...