I've got a very odd pest of some sort in my tank

[DaPrawf]

Very small critters that seem to move by opening their upper and lower shells and flapping them closed to propel themselves. Not sure what they are. Any ideas? (Sorry for the quality but these guys are really small.)

Video:  

 

[TheSwissAquarist]

It think its some kind of insect larvae. 

Try netting it out or introducing a surface orientated fish (African Butterfly Fish, etc)

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I'm kinda wondering if they are baby scuds?

I've never had any so I don't know what they look like in person.

[TheSwissAquarist]

@CornAndCrawlers can tell you what a scud looks like (he’s trying to catch them with some turkey i think 😂)

[Odd Duck]

On 10/11/2022 at 11:25 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I'm kinda wondering if they are baby scuds?

I've never had any so I don't know what they look like in person.

Baby scuds look like big scuds but smaller and a bit less “shelled” when extra tiny.  I have no idea what those are but I can’t imagine that most any fish that eats from the surface wouldn’t munch them.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 10/11/2022 at 12:25 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I'm kinda wondering if they are baby scuds?

I've never had any so I don't know what they look like in person.

@Guppysnail

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 10/11/2022 at 7:11 PM, Odd Duck said:

fish that eats from the surface wouldn’t munch them.

Would you 🙃!

[Guppysnail]

If you’re talking about the little teeny tiny white things that are opening and closing their shell to move or so it looks it’s probably copepods or ostracods seed shrimp.  
my eyes are so bad the only thing I see in that video is what looks like a miniature cheese puff floating on the top🤣

90% of the small microfauna  that you can see it’s completely harmless fish food I wouldn’t worry about it unless your critters are showing some type of distress

Edited October 11, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 10/11/2022 at 1:30 PM, Guppysnail said:

the only thing I see in that video is what looks like a miniature cheese puff floating on the top

@DaPrawf help us solve this mystery and taste it to see if it tastes like cheese.

(This is purely for scientific purposes)

[DaPrawf]

On 10/11/2022 at 10:30 AM, Guppysnail said:

 my eyes are so bad the only thing I see in that video is what looks like a miniature cheese puff floating on the top🤣

LOL

[DaPrawf]

On 10/11/2022 at 10:30 AM, Guppysnail said:

If you’re talking about the little teeny tiny white things that are opening and closing their shell to move or so it looks it’s probably copepods or ostracods seed shrimp.  

Thanks. I think they must be ostracods https://www.biwahaku.jp/smith/ostracod_carapace.html

[KittenFishMom]

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea I never met a cheese puff that tasted like cheese. It they taste like cheese, then they can not be cheese puffs

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 10/11/2022 at 2:57 PM, DaPrawf said:

I think they must be ostracods

That's actually pretty cool.

[KittenFishMom]

@Pepere How are you stocked?

Everytime I cut back on the fish food the snails attack the plants. I have been baiting the snails with an algae wafer in a long handled ladle with holes in it. I let it sit a few hours or overnight and pulling the snails out on the ladle. It makes it clear that those snail come for a lot of fish food that didn't need to go into the tanks.

[CornAndCrawlers]

 It is not baby scuds. When scuds have babies it’s very similar to when a neocaridina shrimp has a baby—it’s just a mini-me. 

I’ve got a tank with tons of creepy crawlies but nothing in mine moves like that and on the surface of the water. 

Edited October 12, 2022 by CornAndCrawlers