lmsmith Posted December 15, 2008 Report Share Posted December 15, 2008 On the top of my FW tank I have tiny tiny jumpy bugs. They are about the size of a pin head, browny coloured. They look like the can kinda swim or walk on top of the water and jump too. The fish don't seem to be eating them. ID? How can I get rid of them? Are they bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 15, 2008 Report Share Posted December 15, 2008 Not bad, they eat rubbish off the surface of the water, harmless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted December 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2008 What are they? How do they get there? They're not going to infest my whole house are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 15, 2008 Report Share Posted December 15, 2008 They're some kind of little insect. They'll only infest your house if you flood it with water and then feed it too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 15, 2008 Report Share Posted December 15, 2008 Oh, and I think they probably got there from any plants or something you added, just like most hitchhikers, but I don't know for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted December 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2008 Oh ok, thanks!! So is overfeeding an issue here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 15, 2008 Report Share Posted December 15, 2008 Not necessarily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simian Posted December 15, 2008 Report Share Posted December 15, 2008 I've had em in the past, when I had floating plants. I had an oily scum on the water which I skimmed off and increased surface agitation. They went away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 I've had em in the past, when I had floating plants. I had an oily scum on the water which I skimmed off and increased surface agitation. They went away Yes, I've had them in the past too - with the same remedy. Generally I find they only appear when there is an area on the surface of the water that has little or no agitation. For example, if you have floating plants these bugs can get established in the still areas of water between the leaves. As far as i know, they have no ill effects on the fish. Things to try: - increase surface agitation - be really strict about general maintenance - water changes etc. - be careful not to over-feed - try using different kinds of food and see if it makes a difference. Some kinds of food seem to leave an oily (proteiny?) slick on the surface - if you have a visible oil slick on the surface, use paper towels to sweep some of it off As long as your general maintenance is good and your water quality is good, don't worry too much about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted December 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 I've got floating plants but no oil scum. As long as they're not going to hurt anything, I'll just leave them. Thanks everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.