OK...WEIRD bug??

[texasdivegal]

Ok, I have a brand new tank. Just finishing cycle so I brought a clean up crew. No fish yet just, snails and crabs

Now I see...this bug (worm, creature) not sure what it is. It is so small that I cannot even get any kind of picture.

Description...very small (1/4 inch), almost clear looking with a long brown center, have antennaes and look like they have thousands of feet. maintains a "C" shape.

I have now found 2 of them. They are in the sand and moving around very quickly.

OK...what do I do? What are these things?

Second Creature? There is another creature never seen.
Description: small, round looking (almost like a shrimp shape) but also clear in coloration (pink to white) MOVES very very quick. Stays under rocks.

OK...any guesses? Let me know?? I am creating strange strange creatures! :?

 

[snapcrackler]

Those would be pods, like amphipods and copepods. Beneficial to the tank and it's inhabitants. Their population will "explode" and subside in waves, IME.

 

[Brad]

1/4"...?

1/4"...? That is a pretty big pod.. I think they are something else, but I'm not going to venture a guess without a photo. No one would describe a pod as a "worm,creature".

Pods are generally really, really small. We're talking 1/16" or less.

 

[saltcreep1025]

the one shaped like a c is an amphipod. Pods are great for your tank... help clean up waste and are food for many things.

 

[snapcrackler]

I have some amphipods that would be an inch long if you uncurled them from their "C" shape. They can get big.

 

[texasdivegal]

Thanks ALL! I have found a picture of amphipods, and yep, that's exactly what they are!

What about the little "flea" like creatures? They are all over the place!!

 

[snapcrackler]

Those are pods too but they are the copepods (little guys). They too will wax and wane in numbers. Sometimes there's a million of them then they go away for awhile. Then they're back.

 

[texasdivegal]

OK..I found some more wierd bugs.

These look like white stars or spiders. They are clinging to the glass. They are very small. 1mm at the most.

Any ideas?