# new tank.. super tiny white bugs in my substrate??



## aeri (Oct 2, 2010)

I just set up my planted tank a couple days ago, with black eco complete substrate and live plants and a few fish, which now have ick. I also have a few red cherry shrimp. I just noticed super tiny white bugs crawling around in my substrate today! They are white, and so tiny they are barely visible, and round with tiny legs. Wondering what the heck they are. I thought ick wasn't supposed to be visible to the naked eye, that the white spots on the fish were just cysts caused by the parasite? whatever they are, I noticed them hanging out in the gaps between the rocks of the substrate. 

eta: upon closer inspection they appear to move around in a darting motion. I was looking at the "whats that bug" sticky, and I guess they could be daphnia or copepods, but they are so tiny I cant make out an "eye" like people say they see for cyclops copepods, and they are too small to be able to see if they are see through like the daphnia appear to be in pictures so Im really not sure. either way they gross me out.. starting to wonder if Im cut out for the whole planted tank thing now, did not see these guys coming.


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## immune (Dec 18, 2010)

Daphnia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphnia

Possibly Cyclopods...

This is fine. Daphnia are used commonly to feed fry and small fish. Cyclopods are also eaten by small fish.


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## JoraaÑ (Jun 29, 2009)

Use dog dewormer. Research further in the forum.


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## AW0L (Jan 15, 2004)

Daphnia is usually a good sign. It means water conditions is pretty good but may be overfeeding. Use dewormer if you have stuff like hydra which can be harmful to shrimp and fry otherwise daphnia is normal


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

Daphnia don't crawl. My money's on cyclops. Fish eat them and they aren't harmful. If you can see the eye on a cyclops, your vision is way, way better than mine.


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## immune (Dec 18, 2010)

You should look closely at them and see if the appear to be off two different types. If some of them are tiny little cylinder looking things whereas the others look like a cylinder with two circles at the base....kinda like a sophomoric drawing of a penis (sorry if that offends anyone it is just the best way to describe IME) the you have Cyclopods. The ones that look like reproductive organs are actually pregnant females. As stated above, small fish will eat these.


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## aeri (Oct 2, 2010)

I'm leaning towards cyclops now, thanks for the responses everyone! I was freaking out, its gonna take me a bit to get used to the idea of these creepy crawlies. Will they be good food for baby shrimp perhaps? 
are they considered a good thing? Just how many people get these in their tanks? Is there a way to get rid of them?


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## immune (Dec 18, 2010)

aeri said:


> I'm leaning towards cyclops now, thanks for the responses everyone! I was freaking out, its gonna take me a bit to get used to the idea of these creepy crawlies. Will they be good food for baby shrimp perhaps?
> are they considered a good thing? Just how many people get these in their tanks? Is there a way to get rid of them?


I had tons of them in my Oscar and Catfish tank thousands...maybe millions when I put my co2 latter in there you could see probably 200 or so under the suction cups alone. I think they grew well in there because they were too small to be of any interest to my fish. I would guess that shrimp of all sizes will eat these. I executed the majority of the populous of these little critters by buying about 60 ghost shrimp. The ghost shrimp ate the cyclops and my Oscar/Catfish had a lovely feast.

I still see these little guys in my tanks sometimes but I have learned to think of it as a stay to keep my ghost shrimp feeders feed, healthy, and fat without feeding them while they hide away from the predators.

Hope this helped...if not sorry it was so long.


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