What is this picture of??

[HOLLIEO]

I found three of these things in my tank yesterday. I have no idea what they are? Is is dirt? some kind of bug? Fry? I have no idea! Thought maybe someone could shed some light on this for me???
Here is the pic... (I am talking a bout the little black thing... if you can see it?)

[Megalofyia]

Mosquito larva???

[HOLLIEO]

If so, is this bad? I wonder how they would get in the tank? It is pretty much sealed up, except for where the HOB filter sits. Hmmmmm?
I didn't even know we had mosquitos around.. especially in the house.

[hisc1ay]

Maybe some fish will eat it...?

-j

[possum]

I think that is a dragonfly larvae and i also think that they will eat fish that are small enough. Not sure but thats what it looks like ot me.

[Allivymar]

Doesn't actually look like a mosquito or dragonfly larvae. Mosquito larvae usually have that funky bit on the tail end and hang out near the top of the water, dragonfly larvae have all sorts of leggie bits.

Mosquito larvae: http://www.arbovirus.health.nsw.gov.au/areas/arbovirus/mosquit/photos/anopheles_instars.jpg

Dragonfly larvae: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/artwork/kids/dragonfly2.jpg

I do think its some sort of bug. Could be wrong tho LOL

[Megalofyia]

wow I've never seen a mosquito larvae that magnified... that is cool. I'm guessing in a few weeks you will be able to tell us that those bugs are. That is if your fish haven't eaten them.

[HOLLIEO]

Yuck!!! I can't belive I have bugs in my tank?!?!?!
So, are these harmful at all to the fish in the tank... what ever it is????
I thought that the fish might eat it too, but these black things have set them selves up on my breeding side of my tank where the fry is. Will this be harmful to them al all??

[Allivymar]

Its so hard to say without knowing exactly what they are. Are you able to suck them up when you do a water change? Maybe get rid of em that way?

[HOLLIEO]

Yeah, boy that is another thing.. how the heck am I gonna clean my tank now with all these new little fishies in it? Is there a certain period of time before i clean? I usually do a 20% water change and vacuum gravel (clean witht eh python) once a week. Would this still be okay?

[Oscar]

The picture is not big enough to tell exactly what you have.
I would advise to carry on with your water changes. When you finish getting the water out of your tank and into a bucket just check from the top to ensure you have not sucked up any fish fry. If you have, simply scoop them back up and put tham back into the tank. See if you can scoop the "black thing" into the syphon and discard "it".

[Allivymar]

*agrees with Oscar*

No reason to discontinue water changes, just the way you do them. Get a new white bucket from WallyMart and scrub it out well with salt and rinse it really well. If you have a siphon that has a removeable tube on the end, pop that off and just use the hose itself (its usually smaller in diameter). If you do manage to suck up a fry or 2, they'll be easy to see in the white bucket and you can just pop em back into the tank. Have fun *grin*

[HOLLIEO]

Great thanks.
Yeah. I do use the white colored bucket that has 'FISH ONLY'.. in real big permanent marker all over the outside. That way some goobers in my house don't try to use the bucket for washing the car
I do have the siphon with a bigger tube thing on one end. Good idea about popping that part off. That would work better. I don't think the fry would appreciate the ride.

[SoCal]

I'm sure you can see it a lot better than we can in the picture. It may be a Damsel fly larvae. They are related to the dragon fly. Here's a pic. that may help you identify it.

[HOLLIEO]

Thanks for the pic socal.
I just so happened to run accorss someone else with a pic of the same thing as mine. Like exactly! Anyway, his turned out to be a Zebra Danio fry. And it just so happens that I have 6 Zebra Danios in my tank. I guess only time will tell what it turns out to be. That is... if it doesn't get eaten

[cdawson]

Don't worry about it, it'll provide an excellent source of live food for your fish. Think about it, it's free food. You don't have to feed your smaller tetras and such as long as you've got those in your tank. It happens in my planted tank all the time and everybody in my tank goes nuts for them.

[madasafish]

HOLLIEO,

I have similar little black things in my tank (40 or so, now in a small 2.5G QT). I thought they were Chinese Algae Eater (CAE) fry, but they may be Zebra Danios... I also have those. (Do you have CAEs?) I have pix, but not with me at work. I can send you them later if that would help. Mine are now a week old, and looked a lot like the dude you saw on your plant when they were just born (and they tended to rest on my holey limestone). They are now about 4 times bigger, and are starting (slowly) to resemble fish.

I'll let you know if they turn out to be CAE fry or danio fry.

Have you thought about QT-ing the (possible) fry--getting them out with a fine net. That is, if they're still alive (not eaten!).

Oh, and I think it's fairly unlikely that the creatures you're seeing are dragonfly or damselfly larvae. The likelihood of them getting into your house and into your tank is slim, no? That is, unless you recently got some plants from your garden, or from a place that grows plants outside...

[HOLLIEO]

Yeah. Madasafish!!! Please send me a pic of the 'Mystery fish" ha, ha
I had a Chinese Algae eater a couple of weeks ago, but he died. I think he starved to death. No much algae and I wasn't feeding him wafers. Since then I have cleaned the tank twice, so I don't think it was from that fish. I have two male platies, don't think it was from that fish. I have mollies that just had babies and a guppy that has no mate. The only thing left that it could be is an off spring of the Black Skirted Tetra or the Zebra Danios. I still have the 3 and they swim more like fish now. They are about 4 days old.
No new plants in the tank, actually i don't have any live plants at all.
I have been taking pics of the new molly fry and these black fry things (both discovered the same day) for almost a week now. Just for fun.
Anyway... Yes. Send any pic that you have of the fry. I would love to see it. Thanks!

[CGFS]

Originally Posted by HOLLIEO

I found three of these things in my tank yesterday. I have no idea what they are? Is is dirt? some kind of bug? Fry? I have no idea! Thought maybe someone could shed some light on this for me???
Here is the pic... (I am talking a bout the little black thing... if you can see it?)

It looks like a guppy fry to me... exactly like one, actually.