fish okay for now but infusaria or parasites?

[jdsunflower]

Yikes, unwelcome visitors! And just when I thought we were off to a good start...so just how concerned (and how much actionis needed) with respect to changes in my 2 month old tank.

stats that may be helpful:
40B tank, 2 40w Cool White, weak co2 Injection (about 1 drop--12 seconds)
pH 7, nitrites 0, nitrates barely visible, ammonia barely visible, 3 KH 3 GH.

Tank temperature is higher than usual at 82F due to high summer, even with vented tank top and AC...

Plants: cabomba, hornwort, elodia c, water lettuce.
Lifestock: 5 Harlequin rasboras and 5 corys apparently doing fine, 1 Golden Apple snail, many smaller snails from live plants initially.

I don't feed live foods, but do feed frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp, in addition to micropellets for rasboras and sinking tablets for the corys.

What I'm seeing is tiny dots 'skating' in the water, and an occasional micro-worm like creature. The rasboras seem to eat the dot-like creatures with somje relish, but I haven't yet sen them eat any of the worm-like creatures (they are much more rare). I have seen 2 planerium worms (yes, I see that I have been overfeeding--guilty as charged!)

My inclination is to nuke (breakdown tank and disinfect all but will lose my biofilter). I find books unhelpful with such tiny creatures (it really could be any of the smallish creatures), and don't have access to microscopic analysis.

Right now I'm trying to settle for daily (1/3) water changes emphasizing gravel cleaning (black Flourite)--not sure whether these creatures are part of the natural ecosystem (I've got good eyes and am always on the lookout for infestations in my tank due to the yuk factor). I'd hate to lose the fish due to neglect, or to over-medicating, and don't want to overreact.

So far I've stopped all feeding to encourage the fish to eat whatever it is, but this might be terrible if they are parasites, right? They do seem to munch on them...and the wormlike threads concern me the most...

Even if I put the fish into a clean QT tank, they are 'colonized' now, aren't they? Will this just start it all over?
And I realize that scrubbing and disinfecting plants and bogwood separately just allows things to get re-infected, but I am concerned about my biofilter...

Any advice welcome!
JD

 

[new2betas]

I have those tiny dots in my 10g shrimp tank and I believe they are daphnia and not harmful...as far as the micro worm like creatures...I have had nematodes in my tank before and my male betta loves to eat them and they are not harmful...but there are some things that are harmful. It kinda sounds like you're describing daphnia and nematodes though.

 

[jdsunflower]

that's very encouraging, thanks. It does make me less likely to stick my arms in there! (and I think I feel an itch...).

 

[new2betas]

that's very encouraging, thanks. It does make me less likely to stick my arms in there! (and I think I feel an itch...).

I know what ya mean (about the skin itch). I found, in my 10g shrimp tank yesterday, hydra....they freaked me out. I ended up throwing out three plants that they were attached to because I could tell they were stinging my shrimp and they can EAT shrimplets....Not happy about that so I got rid of as many as I could by disposing of the plants they were concentrated on.

 

[jdsunflower]

creepy crawlies!!

Well, I took a look at the filter material, and there was a dead thing in there that was like a dragonfly (something big enough in any case that someone somewhere would probably pay to eat some)...
so I crash-tore the aquarium down (it was disgusting--no wonder the fish looked uncomfortable). I am disinfecting everything, biofilter be ****ed (kill every uninvited guest, I say). It's a mystery how something like that got in (I bet the things in the tank were eggs and babies, it hardly bears thinking about--how much salt (for disinfecting my hands) do I have in the house, anyway?
So now the new tank is not cycled, but I have few fish and lots of plants, so if I am supercareful I hope to avoid problems. I had a QT tank set up, so I'm hoping to use some of the (filtered) water--I am hoping some friendly bacteria are residing there. Meanwhile, the fish seem so much comfortable even in a bucket with great water parameters, so I've learned my lesson re over-feeding.
JD

 

[kimo]

There should have been no need to tear that tank down. All that was needed was the filter cleaned.

 

[new2betas]

There should have been no need to tear that tank down. All that was needed was the filter cleaned.

But cleaning just the filter wouldn't kill the ones alive in the tank, would it? I only have a sponge filter in my shrimp tank and I don't see any of the hydra on it, as the shrimp are usually all over it. The ones I saw were mainly on three plants and the sides of the tank. I threw out the three plants and scraped the sides down really well. I still see a stray one here and there, but that is when I will scrape it or reach in and kill it.

 

[jdsunflower]

well something was going on in that tank--all the fish were looking very stressed and suffering despite apparently ok water parameters...Could have been the bugs or underlying cause, but now I'm thinking it also looked like salt poisoning--that was one test I didn't have (yet). Phosphates? My pH is very high (at least 9) from the tap...I've tried using vinegar instead, is mixing a problem? As well, recently I was using a touch of bicarbonate to try to buffer the pH....could be too many changes too quickly?
Sadly, I didn't manage to save the fish in time--the Harlequin have all died, and the catfish look like they aren't going to make it either...not sure if even the Apple shrimp will even make it......Right now they are back in to the newly set up tank, and I've removed even the plants and bogwood (in case it's too much salt present), and left some inert hiding stuff and will keep them in the dark for awhile... (Need to change the title of this thread.....)

 

[jdsunflower]

as per above, I wonder if it's dangerous to use vinegar to lower pH if it takes that much (enough from 9 to 7)...anybody know of any guidelines on this?