Bugs in the tank

[Rxblade123]

there are these tiny brown bugs at the the surface of the tank. it is just a few cm away from the tank waters. when i try to rub them off with my finger, they jump away and i can't find them, theres a lot climbing around the inside of the tank. i tried to splash some water on them so my guppy fry could have a lil treat, but they stay on the surface of the water and then if a fish gets close it jumps away. any idea what they are

 

[lcmwest]

If you have pets in the house, could be fleas! They jump around alot and have been known to live in water.

 

[Rxblade123]

fleas?! i dont have any pets... except my fish... they are extremely tiny. any idea how i could get rid of them?

 

[Fruitbat]

Rxblade123...

The chances that you have fleas in your aquarium are miniscule! Sounds like what you have are tiny insects called 'Springtails'. Though they are generally lighter in color, the behavior you describe sounds exactly like them. They are not harmful to your fish but they are unsightly. They do make good fish food...in fact, some people even culture them deliberately.

 

[Rxblade123]

oh ic, are they like some sort of parasite? btw thanks for the info. i went to the lfs and bought some plants. i was starting to clean the plants a bit, but then i noticed that there were some worms on it. i picked all the worms and decided to give the fish a little snack, but the angelfish only took a one or 2 and there were like more than 10. the rest of the worms were ignored and they burrowed them into the gravel. i dont feel like going on a worm hunt, so if i leave them there will it cause any damage to my plants?

 

[Fruitbat]

Springtails are tiny insects that feed on organic material...but aren't parasites. As for the worms....can you describe them? Color? Size? Shape? Could be planaria...in which case they're fundamentally harmless or they could be nematodes....most of which are harmless too.

 

[Rxblade123]

they kinda look like a miniature earthworm, about 1/2 inch

 

[marcus russo]

If you clean the tank a lot they will decrease as they eat leftovers and such