# What the ???? (tiny bugs on surface?)



## <Frawg> (Nov 26, 2006)

Any chance it could be a Springtail? They can "walk on water" though they are normally a substrate insect.

Did you add any new plants with a little substrate attached perhaps? Something that might have been grown emersed?

s


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## Lupin (Nov 21, 2006)

Water strider? Water fleas or daphnia don't jump. Lol..The word "flea" would assume they do.:hihi:
Maybe pictures can help if you can get a clear close-up.


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

I've also had weird bugs.... I was tapping my hood, and these weird flakes fell on my tank, and they were moving! I looked closely and they were bugs, but my fish didn't eat them... They seemed like they didn't belong on the water, sort of struggling. I don't have them anymore, but it was weird... They are very tiny, almost as much as new born shrimp. The hood I had it in was a neglected tank. Only top offs and the occasional fish food.

What Ted described sounds something like mine.


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## Burks (May 21, 2006)

I have them pop up from time to time in two of my five tanks.

The 10g gets them every so often. No idea what they are or where they come from. Fish are healthy so I don't mind. 

The 1g has a case of those, worms, and some kind of clear/grey bug in the water. Shrimp and snails don't mind so I leave them. *shrugs*


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## Fishgovno (Dec 8, 2006)

Any chance they may be hydra?
I know gouramis will eat them.


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## thadius65 (Sep 15, 2006)

I tried to get a picture, but they are simply to small. At first, I thought it was little particles of dust or wood. They are not in the water, they are on the surface and they jump really far when they spring. Their bodies are roundish and I think I could see antenna. My 125 is almost completly sealed on the top with the exception of a 1.5x3" slice on either end for fluval hoses. There is a good bit of floating plant matter at the top (live).

Any other help would be appreciated.

Ted


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## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

I'd guess springtails too. It's a big family (Colembola) and they come in different shapes and sizes ranging from really small to smaller than that. You'd need a good hand lens to tell for sure for anything that dinky of course, but look for a fork-like structure folded under their backend that they boing with. Even better, slide mount one and use a scope.  

Water striders don't jump (adults do fly though), and hydra are sessile and stick to stuff (I don't know about the immature forms of hydra, but I betcha they're aquatic and won't be found above the surface).

It really _really_ sounds like springtails. And they're pretty common in tanks (and everywhere else that has lots of decaying vegetable matter and miscellaneous organics).


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## JenThePlantGeek (Mar 27, 2006)

Might not be what you have, but I get aphids on my floating plants. Nasty little bugs, but they really don't do any harm other than munching on my floaters (Oh no, don't kill my DUCKWEED! Whatever shall I doOOO?) :hihi: If anyone knows of a good reliable aphid killer, I wouldn't mind being rid of them though.  They like to crawl on my arm when I'm pruning - yicky!


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## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

Hmm...normally for aphids I'd suggest biological control, but an aquarium isn't a good place for most aphidovores. If possible, you could scoop out all the floaters and put them in a big jar of dishsoapy water and shake the heck out of it. 

Maybe catch the plants in a mesh bag and submerge them for a few days? I suspect aphid eggs can remain submerged for a long time though. 

Can't you learn to love them?


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## thadius65 (Sep 15, 2006)

I guess I will just consider them part of the eco-system.

Thanks,

Ted


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## PineyMike (Mar 22, 2006)

If you don't mind a million lady bugs in your house you could invite them in and they would FEAST on the aphids. Gardening places sell lady bug eggs you spread in your garden for aphid control.


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## Lupin (Nov 21, 2006)

MikeNas102 said:


> If you don't mind a million lady bugs in your house you could invite them in and they would FEAST on the aphids. Gardening places sell lady bug eggs you spread in your garden for aphid control.


I was just about to say that.:icon_lol:


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

thadius65 said:


> I guess I will just consider them part of the eco-system.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Ted


Yeah I have the same things... TINY probably as small as water fleas or smaller. They sit on my floating plants and jump all over them when I move something. They don't really bother anything so I didn't worry about them.

- Andrew


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## Werdna (Nov 3, 2006)

*Fleas*

Andrew

I have the same brown fleas that jump on the surface of the frogbit I have in my tank.

After noticing them in my tank I looked around and they were crawling on the carpet.

Have they caused any problems for you or been able to live out of water?

Andrew


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## blueguppygirl (Oct 30, 2006)

I have the same things in my tank, I thought they were baby pond snails when I first saw them because they showed up the same time I started getting pond snails in my tank. Now I don't know what they are. Does ANYONE know what they are?
MERRY CHRISTMAS!


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## HKepon (Apr 21, 2021)

I have had them for at least a year now. I'm worried they are potentially harmful. Just ordered a microscope so I'll keep you posted!


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## greenguppy (Dec 31, 2020)

This thread was created in 2006[emoji38] 

If you could post a pick that would help Hkepon

Sent from my KFONWI using Tapatalk


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