OMG MAJOR BUG PROBLEM!!!! AND BAD FISH DAY

[cheezysquirrelz]

When I woke up this morning, I looked in my 3 tanks and noticed tons of tiny bugs all over the glass just above the water!!!! I tried to squish a few but DANG do those things jump!!!!! They were even sitting on the floating plants!!!

then I looked in my 5 gal where Im treating a fish for pop eye (been doing so for 3 days) and hes worse!!!! his gills are swollen and hes sitting at the bottom breathing hard. He also has a big like blob growing out by his eye. I added salt to him.

The I was going to get online to ask about all this but THEN the internet wouldnt work!!!!!

So I spent forever squishing bugs without luck and I tried to use the algae scrubber to get then. I also took out all the floating plants and put them in a container w/ lid.

How can I get rid of these bugs?????? Oh pleeeeeeaaaase dont tell me I have to destroy my tank and start over, Its been set up since Feb. And the other 2 just finished cycling!

And what can I do for little pop eye?

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

What color are the bugs?

What are you treating the fish with pop eye with, besides salt- and what kind of fish is he? Some tropical fish can't handle much salt... it might stress him and aggrivate the situation...

 

[cheezysquirrelz]

the bugs are black and when you shing a bright light on them there red.
I think it may be the store I recently bought fish from. I didnt QT(stupid me) them and put some in each tank. The store has a macaw that sits outside every day and lives in the fish room at the end of the day and night.

The sick fish is a molly so hes brackish. Im using Maracyn 2 for popeye.

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

How odd... I'm sorry I don't know what the bugs are or what to do. Maybe if you put a zucchini slice int he water they'll all pile on to eat and then you can scoop it out...?

Okay, a molly is fine with salt! Btw, did you know they can be completely sw? Mollies are from coastal FL, and though typically brackish they can also be fw or sw. Maracyn 2 is great usually... but try Melafix. IME Melafix works best. Good luck!

 

[cheezysquirrelz]

Hmm Ill need LOTS of zucchini!!!!!!! Thats cool that mollies can be SW but I wouldnt waste SW space, lol. Eww those bugs can swim too. The only prob with the veggie Idea is that the bugs are awesome jumpers and would move before I could get them.

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

Wow, I just don't know what to tell you about the bugs!

But do use Melafix, if anything it won't hurt! I leave the bug problem for someone else with experience...

 

[illuminum]

Are these bugs IN the water or ontop of the water? If they're just ontop, try using the tube adapter of a vacuum, just don't get any water in there

 

[illuminum]

Are these bugs IN the water or ontop of the water? If they're just ontop, try using the tube adapter of a vacuum, just don't get any water in there

 

[QTOFFER]

I had aphids in my planted tank a few weeks ago.
Your description sounds like what I had, except that my aphids didn't jump. Perhaps you have leafhoppers, a species closely related to aphids.
Whatever they are, they're probably harmless to you and the fish, but definitely not good for any live plants.

I would suggest removing all the floating plants and soaking them for about an hour, totally submerged under plain cold water straight from the tap. My aphids hated that and I was able to dump them out with the water.

For the bugs on the water surface, try skimming them off with a piece of paper towel or nylon stocking. I also second the floating zucchinni idea.
Run a paper towel under the tank lip and squish any bugs that might be hiding there.

 

[senorcat]

I have an idea, but it may be just stupid, Ill just wing it. Do you live near a beach, or marsh or any natural water area? The existence of beach fleas comes to my mind, and god do they itch, have they bitten you yet? Im the reactive type, but Ill just go ahead and describe my reaction even though I'm diff thatn the average joe. The entire affected limb swoll up from joint to joint, with the bite areas particularly reddened, and brite red on the entry points. Do look out for the possiblity, because animals tend to go to the familiar before they move on to affect the areas of your habitat. My God, Ive battled fleas, roaches (germanic and Eastern species in the Army), scorpions, Spider mites, which also like moisture And plants. The latter are extremely hard to defeat, and I fear that you'll need an exterminator to assess this problem, Try a local to see if they can freely or cheaply estimate. I lost my battle with some beetle larvea two years ago with my first tank out of the army. They were active too, and startted on the surface, then moved under the water's surface, so I got a second tank, moved my fish into this one in another room, and used iodized salt in the infested tank, and cycled it out in a months time successfully, in the end using a lot of chlor out as a precaution.

 

[Toirtis]

The bugs are none of the above, but I am not sure just what they are. I have them in one tank....they hop about like popcorn hen the water level rises when I am adding water, and they are tiny...smaller than fleas...about the sixe of finely-ground pepper particles. They seem to cause no harm, so I just leave them.

 

[senorcat]

interested in silver hatchet tetras?

If you are interested, silver hatchete teras, along with a multitude of other tetras, and danios love to eat bugs from the surface. I used to get mosquitos that were biting me and ants that had gotten in my pantry, and in the tank they went. what fun it was to put them who wronged me into personal amusement. I now go outdoors to get mosquitos for my guys, they love the live food., And i love the variety they added to my tank. Oh, also, barbs occasionally eat surface bugs along with mollies, and a breed that I seek, the mosquitofish. Please tell me if you know how to get one of these.

 

[senorcat]

oh! I forgot to check where you are from until now! I am a dual citizen of us and Canada. Hows Alberta, last time I was there was 12 years ago. God, I miss Canada. Bienvenue

 

[illuminum]

Re: interested in silver hatchet tetras?

If you are interested, silver hatchete teras, along with a multitude of other tetras, and danios love to eat bugs from the surface. I used to get mosquitos that were biting me and ants that had gotten in my pantry, and in the tank they went. what fun it was to put them who wronged me into personal amusement. I now go outdoors to get mosquitos for my guys, they love the live food., And i love the variety they added to my tank. Oh, also, barbs occasionally eat surface bugs along with mollies, and a breed that I seek, the mosquitofish. Please tell me if you know how to get one of these.

You can purchase them online here
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=20&pCatId=1530&topcatid=1499

 

[cheezysquirrelz]

Yes Toirtis!!!! That sounds like what I have!!!

I have 1 short finned zebra, 3 long finned zebras, and 1 leopard danio. They ate a few already. I scrubbed the insides of my tank that are out of the water with an algae scrubber. I squised some but theres TONS more. I dont want to leave them there, they are annoying.

Do you think that they may have come from the macaw (birds are notorious for mites) at the fish store?

 

[Meredith]

I used to have birds, and yes they got mites. What we used to do to see if we had mites was to cover the cage with a white cloth. The mites are attracted to the white material. Remove the white cloth and there would be teeny white specks. You could try putting a white cloth in there somewhere then you would know if its red mites, but I am not sure if they jump and they are VERY small.

 

[Toirtis]

Hows Alberta, last time I was there was 12 years ago. God, I miss Canada. Bienvenue

Hasn't changed...still beats the US!

 

[Toirtis]

I then you would know if its red mites, but I am not sure if they jump and they are VERY small.

Mites don't jump.