Fleas

[Fireball]

To all:

My 1.5ft tank has only 5 ottos and 5 cherry shrimps. Plants included moss (I assume Singapore moss).

I have looking very closely in the tank recently and I found fleas like insects swimming around in the tank.

What are things anyway? How do I get rid of them? Will they kill my fishes if I add any into the tank?

I have tried to take a photo of them but they way way too small. It will look like dirt in the tank.

Please advise.

Thanks.

[budak]

Might they be newly-released shrimp fry? Anyway, if you can see them they are definitely not germs. Just leave it alone and see whether they grow.

[kc]

I also have fleas in my tank.. This only happen to tank without fish. For tank with fish, I also can find another type of fleas that floats, especially on riccia.

I'm not worried with those inside the tank but the floating type do bug me.

[Fireball]

Thanks.

But I am still concerned. They were there before I added the shrimp and ottos. I don't think they are shrimp fry for sure.

I am afraid that if I add fishes into the tank, the fishes will eat the shrimp as well.

[kc]

Ok, to deal with fleas in tank, I keep fry inside. I get frys from my lamp eyes or platies.

[Fireball]

Thanks.

[roark]

Had these fleas in my shrimp tank too, though they disappeared after sometime. Also noticed other organism and after searching the net for info, seems that they're called hydras, sticking to the tank wall with tentacles like thingys .

[kadios]

Are they roundish in shape and some will settle in the tank walls? It may be cyclops and are really harmless. it seems to me they like to inhabit in mosses. What you really need to look out for are harmful organisms like Hydra like what roark pointed out.

Cheers!