Weird Tank Critters

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kenspiroff

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Jun 22, 2004
Messages
7
Location
STL
I have a small 1.5 gal tank with a male crown tail betta on my desk. The tank has a small leafy plant (i forgot the name, red something), regular pea gravel substrate, a sponge filter and a heater. The water is kept at 80 degrees and 50% is changed every two weeks. Everything was fine, but i decided to let algae grow on the backside of the tank. I did this because I was planning on bringing his girlfriend (who stays in another tank) in for a romantic weekend of bubblenesting. I figured that the extra algae would make a good snack for the little ones. For six weeks I only scraped the algae off the front of the tank, and let it build up. Then, as I got ready to add her, i noticed that there were small white dots which appeared to be swimming and feeding off the algae in the back of the tank. Closer inspection confirmed that they are little critters. They are whitish opaque, round, and smaller than a BBS. They appear to eat the algae and come out more when the tank light is off. The male does not seem bothered by them and looks healthy. I thought i might have spotted him eating one off the side.

Questions:

1. Does anyone know what the little critters might be?

2. Are they harmful and should the romantic weekend be aborted?

3. If harmful, how do I get rid of them, or if not, can they be a food source for the baby bettas?

Thanks for listening
 
I don't know about the critters, but I do know the female betta should not be left in that little tank for a full weekend with the male betta. Also, betta fry need more nutrients than just algae. Do a google search on raising betta fry/betta spawning. You'll need a place for all the fry as well as individual cups for all the males once they reach a certain age.
 
Actually I keep her in a clear plastic pipe in the tank until she gets full of eggs and then let her go. That way she doesn't get her ass kicked. They have successfully mated before, but the male's nest was too thin and he couldn't keep the eggs up in it, so I ended up only getting 4 fry. But they are all fine. Also, the plant gives the female some shelter.
 
right, but in such a small tank, she can't stay sheltered for too long and the male can turn on her. I was just saying shorten the "romantic vacation" and keep and eye on them. Most breeders remove the female as soon as the two are done spawning.
 
Probably just some sort of copepod... they can get entered into the tank many ways, but are usually a sign of high levels nitrates and bacteria. How long since you last did a water change/gravel vaccum?

No need to worry, as the pods are harmless, but your water should probably be tested soon.
 
The tank LOOKS dirty--because of all the algae on the back. But i tested the water before a WC last week and it was still in the acceptable range for everything (I use on of those 5 in 1 dip testers, so i don't remember the numbers). That's why i'm wondering if I should just leave 'em in there.

Thanks for the help
 
it was still in the acceptable range for everything
The only acceptable range for ammonia and nitrite is 0 or undectable.

The little critters and algae are there because there is excess nutrients in your tank. This can lead to more serious water quality issues down the road.
 
To add to what others have said....it can't hurt to do daily or every other day water changes. (Particularly since your tank is only 1.5g) Water params can change very quickly in a tank that small. You may also want to consider using a liquid test kit for ammonia/nitrites/nitrates instead of the dip strips. Strips are not as accurate. HTH! :)
 
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