# Bugs in my cichlid tank!! NOT COOL! Please Help!



## Bunny581 (Jul 12, 2007)

These little buggers were crawling around on the glass in my cichlid tank. The water was half full because we had an ICK problem (lost both clown loaches but the cichlids survived so far)   . The temp is 82* and was up at almost 87* for a few days. The tank ph is around 8.0 and is heavily salted at the moment for treating the ich (with aquarium salt). It is a 125 gallon tank that is being filtered with 2 fluvals (1 404 & 1 405). We did a good gravel vacuuming less than a week ago and normally do it weekly. There are new rocks in the tank.

All of a sudden I noticed these bugs crawling around on the glass. When I tried to wipe them out with a paper towel they jumped off the towel when I had it out of the tank.

This was the main group of them but they are all over the glass. I cant tell if they are in the water or below the water level on the glass. This spot is where a flake of food stuck to the glass

I dont know if they are harmfull to the fish or not. They had been flashing and rubbing but I'm pretty sure it was from the ick. Now that the ick is almost gone (the spots are gone just waiting a few more days to make sure) they arent rubbing more than normal. Please help!?!


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

How big are they? It's probably either planaria or nematodes, both of which are NOT harmful to your fish but may indicate that you're over-feeding, over-stocked, not keeping up with water changes or a combination of all.

_They jumped off the towel?_ Definitely very creepy and I don't know if planaria or nematodes _jump_. I'll see if I can find the link to the article that has pictures of them so you can perhaps identify them yourself.

Robin


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

They are called springtails (in northern areas they are sometimes called snowfleas) 
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IG124

Annoying little buggars, but harmless to you and your fish. They are attracted to water and are usually migrating just about now. They move through the moisture layers in the soil, but if your house in on that path they come up in search of more water. You can either flush them into the water, or wipe them out. If they jump off the paper towel, they will die very shortly, but then you have dead bugs in your carpet. I would personally rinse them down into the water and your fish will take care of them


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## Bunny581 (Jul 12, 2007)

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

We had a migration go right through our kitchen one year. Drove me nuts trying to figure out where all these little (and mostly dead) bugs were coming from. Finally one exterminator new what they were. There is nothing to spray (atleast thats not totatly toxic to the people in the house). We still had them, but I stopped freaking out about it. It took about a month for them to move through and the we didn't see them again.


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Yikes! Guess there's an advantage to being so far north--must be too cold for huge swarms of jumping migrating bugs up here. Not that it would bother me to have them tromping through my kitchen. . .


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## spqrzilla (Sep 5, 2006)

Wow, live fish food that delivers ... :lol:


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

I just noticed these in my tanks too! YUCK!! I tried wiping them into the water, but they just jump back up onto the glass - any other suggestions cuz these are really GROSS!! Like lice or something! I cant handle bugs jumping on me when I'm working on my tanks.... Please help!!


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## tooch420 (Jan 8, 2005)

I've had this problem for 2 months now. I keep wiping the cover off, and skimming them out off the surface of the water. I also am doing 2 water changes a week. this is getting VERY FRUSTRATING NOW. They are everywhere. There has to be something I can do rather than "wait it out"


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

I agree! no one has a way to kill these??


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## tooch420 (Jan 8, 2005)

I just replaced all the substrate with new. Only put about an inch in. All rocks were cleaned. Filters not done yet....Flies still here :x WTF!!!!


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## tooch420 (Jan 8, 2005)

Anyone know of an additive to kill them??


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