Blaha Posted May 7, 2022 Share Posted May 7, 2022 (edited) Hi! I noticed these little guys in my tank today. Any idea what they are? If they are a problem, and tips on managing them? I have cory's and kuhlis, but if there is a fish that likes eating these I'm always on the lookout to go shopping for a new friend. The tank: 29G 0 nitrite, ammonia, chlorine <20 nitrate Crazy hard, off the charts. 75-78 degrees, planted, and well established. This is the best pic I could get. My camera is nice, but has it's limits. That's normal sized gravel and the creatures seem to be about 0.5-1mm or less based on my attempted measurements and calculations Edit: They are all in the gravel, near the top of the gravel, but don't get more than an inch above the gravel surface, and they are mostly in jus one corner of the tank where it is the most heavily planted, but also has a sponge filter Edited May 7, 2022 by Blaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a tired fish keeper Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 I am tentatively going say that ther are seed shrimp someone tell me if I am wrong 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tihshho Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 On 5/7/2022 at 8:34 PM, a tired fish keeper said: I am tentatively going say that ther are seed shrimp someone tell me if I am wrong This would have been my first guess at it too. Looks like they have the little stripes, but I can't tell clearly if they are this 100% or not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndEEss Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 Look like seed shrimp to me. Nothing to worry about. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 (edited) They look potentially like 2 different types. The green may be seed shrimp. Can you get a closer picture of the ones I circled in red. I have an idea but I can’t see it well enough to tell (old age/bad eye sorry) edit to add photo I found. the ones in red look like these to me the green look like standard. seed shrimp both harmless. My Guppies eat seed shrimp like caviar delicacy. Edited May 8, 2022 by Guppysnail 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaha Posted May 8, 2022 Author Share Posted May 8, 2022 (edited) I will try to get a closer shot, but compared to what I have tried to look at, and what other fishy places have suggested this seems like the closest to correct. I will do some research into seed shrimp as well to see various varieties or conditions they'd live in. Seed shrimp is the first suggestion I've heard back with this look, anyone else has suggested things with shells or appendages, or flatworms that are round instead of long(but I found 0 sources to say that is a possible occurrence) Thank you! Edit: I've done a bit more research and I think @Guppysnail has it pegged at stonewort seed shrimp specifically, but some kind of seed shrimp if not those. I'm glad because they seem like a benefit more than anything, and the conditions line up. I've hit near self-sustained ecosystem. I only do 10-20% water changes once every 8+ weeks when the water starts to get cloudy from the lily pads, or the sponges need cleaning. I usually need to fertilize because nitrates get used faster than produced. Even when I do cleanings I never gravel vac because I don't want to disturb the plants. It's been about 9 months since the last gravel vac. They eat fish waste and algae and I had an algae bloom last November that took 3 months to temper to a state of slight algae for the hilstreams I have. Stonewort seed shrimp almost exclusively live on or around stonewort, which I don't have, however stonewort is very prevalent around the southern areas of lake Erie and my is pumped and treated from there, so they probably have come into my tank by surviving the treatment process because they are so indestructible. I saw they are even one of the organisms being tested on the ISS as a candidate for introducing life to Mars and survived with little oxygen and 0 gravity for several months. I've always wanted to try live bearers but unsure which, so maybe these just gave guppies the leg up on mollies and platies to be added once my tetras are gone. Edited May 8, 2022 by Blaha Reporting research based on community suggestions 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 On 5/8/2022 at 12:19 PM, Blaha said: I've always wanted to try live bearers but unsure which, so maybe these just gave guppies the leg up on mollies and platies to be added once my tetras are gone. My endlers also love them, and my success with danio fry is probably increased because I keep my fry tanks in healthy parameters for a wide variety or microflora... including seed shrimp. Congratulations! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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