jvelasco1985 Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 Hello everyone, I've recently noticed this bug swimming around in my aquarium, so far I've seen two. Has an interesting pattern and is next to the plant not the poop haha. The fish don't seem interested in eating them I have guppies and Betta. I'm sure someone else has run into them I tried searching but couldn't find anything too similar. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 Looks like a limpet. (Sort of a snail). Helps keep your tank clean. Harmless. Your has a very pretty pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeg Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 On 5/19/2022 at 10:09 AM, Guppysnail said: Looks like a limpet. (Sort of a snail). Helps keep your tank clean. Harmless. Your has a very pretty pattern. I would be confident in this answer only if the topic didnt say swimming. At first I was thinking a clam of some sort because those can kind of swim. The only time I heard of a limpet swimming was during when snail does, when it floats on a bubble lol. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvelasco1985 Posted May 19, 2022 Author Share Posted May 19, 2022 Yeah it doesn't seem to be swimming constantly like a fish. but can get from on side of aquarium to other in a ten gallon fairly easily it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrencher_Scott Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 aha yes, swimming snail. I just got creeped out! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 On 5/19/2022 at 1:14 PM, Keeg said: I would be confident in this answer only if the topic didnt say swimming. At first I was thinking a clam of some sort because those can kind of swim. The only time I heard of a limpet swimming was during when snail does, when it floats on a bubble lol. Good catch. I totally missed the swimming part . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrencher_Scott Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 On 5/19/2022 at 10:24 AM, jvelasco1985 said: Yeah it doesn't seem to be swimming constantly like a fish. but can get from on side of aquarium to other in a ten gallon fairly easily it seems. Does it have legs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 I'm wondering if it's a large copepod (also healthy for the aquarium)? A few freshwater species can get to 17 mm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvelasco1985 Posted May 19, 2022 Author Share Posted May 19, 2022 Now I've had a chance to take a better look it doesn't seem to have legs and looks like a clam. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L_goodei200 Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 Ostracod! One of the larger, showy species. I have the same or a very similar species in one of my guppy tanks. Completely harmless, and a great cleaner 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Matt Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 I looked up Ostrocod and found this! https://inaturalist.ca/taxa/85531-Myodocopida 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted May 19, 2022 Share Posted May 19, 2022 On 5/19/2022 at 2:39 PM, Dancing Matt said: I looked up Ostrocod and found this! https://inaturalist.ca/taxa/85531-Myodocopida ORD this is a great image! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrencher_Scott Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 I looked it up too and found they can attack prey in groups. Kind of scary. I wouldn't trust it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 On 5/19/2022 at 7:23 PM, Wrencher_Scott said: I looked it up too and found they can attack prey in groups. Kind of scary. I wouldn't trust it! Yes, but what was the prey? Ostracods are a very important part of the overall web of life. https://uwm.edu/field-station/ostracods/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrencher_Scott Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 On 5/19/2022 at 8:51 PM, Torrey said: Yes, but what was the prey? Ostracods are a very important part of the overall web of life. https://uwm.edu/field-station/ostracods/ Fish. It said they will attack the mouth and anus. What a way to go huh? These things sound like bad cockroaches to me. I would get it out of my tank. Oh, and a group attacked a diver in Panama. Crazy. https://www.biwahaku.jp/smith/facts.html#11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotope Biologist Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 it's an ostracod. Please be aware ostracod and copepods are quite a large and diverse class and subclass respectively. There are some in both these groups that are ecto parasites and both are considered by the common term "fish lice" but I do not believe the species you have here (most likely Cypridopsis vidua) is a parasite. Likely instead feeding on algae, cyanobacteria, and biofilm. Interestingly, the ostracods can pass through the digestive tract of some fish unharmed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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