What are these little bugs?

[nacra99]

I was playing with the macro function on the lens and took a snapshot of these strange little bugs... about the size of a pinhead.

Are they rotifers?


And how come this one has two bollocks? Are they his "Hoo Hoo's"?

[Nickintex]

They look like coppepods, esp cyclops. The one with the "hoo hoos" is a female with egg cases.

[Zulaab]

+1 for Nick

[stevenallenbarnard]

let it be knownst throughout the land that nick really knows his "hoo hoo's"

[fishlady]

let it be knownst throughout the land that nick really knows his "hoo hoo's"

.........did you even doubt that????.......i didn't.....


but on a serious note.....are those bad when you find them in the tank????

[zephard]

but on a serious note.....are those bad when you find them in the tank????

I am going to say no to that question, but then I shouldn't even open my trap, since I thinking from a salt infested brain.

In salt they were normally a good thing, unless you found your flesh eating isopods in your live rock.

What fish you got in your tank? Seems like they would have already eaten them.

[PhishPhreek]

food

Copepods eat organic waste, left over fishfood, plant debris and microalgae. With a little gut loading they make excelent food for juvenile and small adult fish.

[nacra99]

Damn.. so those are not "hoo hoo's"?
I almost wanted to be one of those things in my next life... lol

I found these in my shrimp tank though... they are freshwater. I thought copepods were saltwater dwellers?

[eklikewhoa]

They are found in any water, even in our water supply if need be.

Supposedly they will help control mosquitos and some bacteria in water supplies as well.

[nacra99]

Ah!! It's a cyclops!.. according to this pic... i think...

http://www.micrographia.com/specbiol/crustac/copepo/cope0100/cy371bor.htm

[fishlady]

I am going to say no to that question, but then I shouldn't even open my trap, since I thinking from a salt infested brain.

In salt they were normally a good thing, unless you found your flesh eating isopods in your live rock.

What fish you got in your tank? Seems like they would have already eaten them.

okay....now i'm worried....i have all sorts of little creatures in my SW tank that i'm cycling for Chong's future arrival.....is there by any chance somebody could or would come by my house and look at all these creatures and make sure i have only the good kind in there?....."flesh eating"....now that's scary......"flat worms"....that's scarier......

[lilmissruffcountry]

So anyone know how to get rid of them? I was reading, yes I CAN READ...and it says they will eat their babies, and can also eat other small crustacians...like dwarf shrimp napalii. I know safe guard kills planaria, and hydra, will it kill the copepods too? I am testing that theory right now in a 5 gallon that has a small population of both cherry shrimp, and the little white dots with "hoo hoos" as it was put earlier. Anyone had known problems with them and shrimp larva? I have scuds in the tank too....

[Mzungu]

I've never had a problem with cyclops and anything else in the tank. They're pretty small and harmless, IME.

[nacra99]

They are pretty tiny.... i think even smaller than newly born cherry shrimp, so i think the shrimp are fine.
Don't know about the copepods though....

[lilmissruffcountry]

I've never had a problem with cyclops and anything else in the tank. They're pretty small and harmless, IME.

Either way, I added 2 Sterbai cory to the tank, let them play and eat for a few days, then put them back in the 55 when I don't see any copepods