What are these little white things?

[CaraB]

Any clue what these white things are? They appear to be swimming, and they do not look worm like at all. 

[H.K.Luterman]

Do they look like this? It's hard to tell from your picture.

(not my gif)

Little white specks in your tank that swim are copepods of some sort. The ones in that gif are daphnia. Fish love to eat them. 

You might also notice little round dots that swim like drunken bumblebees. Those are seed shrimp, and also are great fish snacks. 

They're all harmless and just part of the ecosystem in your tank. 

[CaraB]

I think so? But not the worm like ones, just the smaller ones. They are so tiny it was hard to capture on camera. At first I thought they were air bubbles or something, like when you add new water and the bubbles get stuck to the glass. They seem to be mostly congregating on my newly added driftwood, which I boiled for a couple hours before adding. I also added two new plants recently. Before today, I didn’t notice them. 
 

any chance they are something to be concerned about? My fish don’t seem to be interested in eating them. I have yo-yo loaches, mystery snail, albino super red pleco, and Glo tetras. I would love to get shrimp, but I think they would end up expensive food for my loaches

[Maggie]

I'm surprised your tetras haven't wiped them out by now! I had worms come in on snails and plants, and my rasboras got rid of them in no time. 

[H.K.Luterman]

Nah, they're nothing to be concerned about. They just pop up from time to time.

[Colu]

It could be Cyclops

[Aubrey]

There is a plethora of micro fauna that could arise in a fish tank. Much of it is not discernable with the naked eye. Some items might seem sterile, but in fact there are some things you simply cannot see. Fish, plants, and decor that have come from another source of water can harbor microscopic organisms.  Biofilm, that slimy feeling stuff on the surfaces of you tank, is a primary food source for a lot of these creatures or the creatures they feed on. Introducing a piece of wood, an organic material that will break down, adds more surface area for biofilm to grow on and more food for tiny water creatures allowing their population to grow. I can't say exactly what you have photographed, but I doubt that they would pose any harm. I bet if you search the forum for posts about "tiny white things" you will be surprised by all the different identified tiny critters.

Just for fun here is a seed shrimp carcass or molt  that is being fed upon by even smaller things.

 

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, Aubrey said:

Just for fun here is a seed shrimp carcass or molt  that is being fed upon by even smaller things.

 

@Aubrey, Your micro-photography is always a pleasure!