what are these tiny things?

784 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by AirstoND, May 12, 2014

AquaAurora

Discussion Starter · May 10, 2014 (Edited)

what are these? They are incredibly tiny, and only clump together on top of the black diamond blasting "sand" substrate, I don't see them free swimming. They are right under the heater and seem to clump there. I did a w/c 2 hours ago to remove a clump.. they're right back though (lots of these tiny things). Lights on in tank.. no fish or inverts just newly bought plants in new tank (less than a week of being set up). Again not swimming around just on top of or burrowing into the substrate. They are cream-white colored and smaller than 20-40 blasting 'sand'

Camera won't focus on them close up sorry

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Raymond S.

· #2 · May 10, 2014

See if you can borrow/buy a magnifying glass. If they look like worms, just much smaller
then you could have gotten a "culture" of one kind of the micro worms that people
buy to raise to feed their fish.

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AquaAurora

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 10, 2014 (Edited)

I looked up mircoworms, these guys don't make that odd webbing looking clump the way mircoworms or white worms do though?
I'd love it if it was just a food culture worm.. I'm such a pessimist I assume its some awful parasite that will eat/kill the black worms, malaysain trumpet snails, or dwarf puffers I plant to put in next week (the first two as a constant food source int he tank for the puffer.. don't want something else killing them off)
I'll try to find a magnifying glass and see if they re-appear tomorrow (ended up using a cup and just ripped out the chunk of substrate they were on.
If they return and I can't get a 100% id on them that they're safe I'll probably nuke them with peroxide.

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AquaAurora

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 10, 2014

I tried using an old work lamp with a magnifier but the buggers that are back are on a slop of sand so I had to photograph from the top. they appear to be single strands of tiny.. worm like things they don't have extra wormy appendages like some parasites.. but they still don't clump like micro worms..

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AirstoND

· #5 · May 12, 2014

Do they scurry fast? Could be gammarus shrimp?

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