What? specks... protozoa, parasites???

[Matthi]

For the past month, I've been trying to breed pandas in my 10 gal tank. Although unsuccessful (all of the eggs went fungusy) .. our frequent scans of the tank water have shown very very small specks - about 1/10th the size of a cory egg, or 1/10th of a millimeter. They are whitish colored, appear to have two tails? and a bump for a head (entire thing is pretty solidly together) .. they hang out on the tank walls and zoom in spurts when they want to move. I've been seeing them for about 2 weeks now, they do not appear to grow bigger .. but theres a lot more than before in the tank.
A few days ago, I moved the pandas back into main community tank, but the critters are still in the 1o gal.

So is this a parasite? tank critter? Any idea?

 

[krap101]

what kinds of fish do you have?? and can you get pictures? or it is too small.. it might be a baby fish.

 

[Fruitbat]

The two tails would suggest that you're dealing with Cyclops, a small copepod. These are fairly common in aquariums where there is plenty to eat....perhaps uneaten food build-up in the substrate. While generally harmless, there is some anecdotal evidence that Cyclops can occasionally parasitize fish. There are a number of other small crustaceans that would also fall under your description.

The best way to rid yourself of these minute pests is to vacuum your gravel thorougly to remove their food supply.

 

[dhs9831]

Do you happen to have any snails?