Dumb Question about Copapods

[MajorMediocre]

I've had a bloom of what i think are copapods in my 10 gal, and I have what I imagine is pretty stupid question.

Can they leave or survive out of the water? Or are they fully aquatic?

I only ask because I've previously had insects as pet, and had a problem or two with soil mites leaving the tanks.

 

[Seisage]

Nope, they are fully aquatic crustaceans and will die outside of water. They are not similar at all to mites or insects, except for the fact that they're all arthropods. Copepods are much more similar to shrimp, although they're still a very distinct lineage of crustaceans in their own right.

They're also pretty harmless in tanks. If you have fish, they will probably love gobbling them up, and you may not have many copepods for much longer.