# Tiny BUGS! In my gravel!!!



## Eat My Ink (Aug 17, 2010)

please help i have no idea what to do! they look like TINY little fleas. the move pretty fast and just below the gravel line. i had some snails in there that are now gone. i saw them crawling on them first. then saw they were in the gravel. 
first things i did after seeing..
got ick meds and added it. took out filter cartage.
did a 20% water change added more ick meds. drops kinds.

however the fish are normal and there doesnt seem to be any tiny bugs on their bodies.


----------



## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Stop the ich meds- they are not helpful since this is not like ich. Instead, start with a 75% water change, vacuuming half of your substrate as you remove water. The bugs are living on detritus, and once you cut down on their food source, they'll start to disappear. When adding new water back in, be careful to match the temperature, pH and use a high quality dechlorinator. Repeat this process the next day, vacuuming the other half of the gravel. If your fish start gasping, increase the amount of water movement by adding a sponge filter or airstone.

The bugs are a sign that your tank is unbalanced- there's too much food in there. To prevent the bugs from returning, make sure to do frequent, large water changes, vacuum the substrate regularly, and cut way back on how much you feed your fish. :thumb:


----------



## Eat My Ink (Aug 17, 2010)

Thank you Triscuit!
I will let you know how the water changes go tonight. I assume i can put the filter cartage back in 
I feel like i have little bugs crawling on me!


----------



## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Yes- put the cartridge back in.

What size tank is this? And what filter do you have on it?


----------



## Eat My Ink (Aug 17, 2010)

This tank is a 35 gallon with fancy guppies and a few balloon belly guppies. it has an aqueon power filter For 30-45 gallon 200 GPH also has an air pump from a 55 gallon in both corners of the tank.
100 watt heater at around 77 to 80 degrees.
i took a peak at the gravel with the flash light just before i still see little bugs but not nearly as many.
do you know what they are? yuck! i feel like a bad parent!
i also checked all five of the other tanks and there is no sign of tiny bugs!
but one of my candy parrots has white poo


----------



## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

My guess is some type of freswater copepod, and it isn't that unusual. If you have any live plants, they probably traveled with them. There's lots of things that live in our aquaria- nice temps, good water quality, regular food- they become great environments for more than just our fish. :wink:

Right now you have too many of them, which can be controlled by limiting their food sources. Regular water changes and gravel vacuuming will help. My guess is that you are over feeding the guppies, who aren't so likely to go rooting around for fallen food. I bet a bristlenose pleco would make short work of the bugs and the extra food. :thumb:


----------



## Eat My Ink (Aug 17, 2010)

Thank you Triscuit! =D> 
I am happy to tell you that there are minimal little crawlies in the guppy tank!
Thank you for helping me out! this is why i read and post here! 
as soon as the water clears up a little more i will post a photo!
Thank you again 
i really love my fish! 
:fish:


----------



## Eat My Ink (Aug 17, 2010)




----------



## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Nice! :thumb: Are those live snails?

You (and the snails) will have better luck keeping the tank clean and the bugs gone if your gravel was thinner- I'd take out a bunch so that it's about one inch deep- right now it's too easy to have detritus build up underneath it all.


----------



## Eat My Ink (Aug 17, 2010)

Yes they are real live snails! i picked them up instead of a plecko  
I just got finished taking some of the gravel out and we will see how it goes now!
so far so good. the bugs are at a minimum, but i would like them to be gone! hopefully in a few weeks we will be back to normal and having a ton of fry! there are about 10-15 tiny guys swimming around i was careful not to suck them up when i was vacuuming. 
i really appreciate your help on this, i know now it wasn't a huge deal but it worried me


----------



## Eat My Ink (Aug 17, 2010)

I just wanted to update on my gravel bugs. they are at a bare minimum! i have been keeping fish tanks my whole life and never came across that! Many many thanks to triscuit who helped me! 
if anyone ever come across this again the best thing to do is water changes! thanks again!


----------

