HELP I HAVE MAGGOTS AND FLIES

[Kirk48]

Hi PPL im a new member to fishes and i need quick help! I looked at my filter cartridge and near the top the the filter itself there are little black bugs...like larvae. And around my tank there are little flies too. can anbody tell me why these are forming? i never had this problem and ive been doing great for about a year now.

THANKS! pls help

 

[kuter]

Kirk,
I am very new to fish, but I think the first thing I would do is to dismantle my filter and clean it. Do not clean in tap water as you don't want to kill the good bacteria. Take a couple of gallons of water from your tank and place in clean bucket. Rinse out the filter in this water paying special attention to the filter cartridge. Do not allow the cartridge or bio wheel, if you have one, to dry out.
I don't know what has amassed on your cartridge that would feed the maggots, but flies won't lay eggs where there is no food source.

 

[Mamaschild]

EWWWW Just kidding!

The "Black Bugs".....Are they really black, or red? How long, thick are they? Are the little flies like small mosquitoes? Or like House Flies?

If the Larvae are red, long (~1/4") and skinney, they could be Bloodworms. They would very happily live in your filter media. Look in your gravel up against the glass and see if you can spot some "dirt tunnels". The bloodworms will create these tunnels in your gravel to live in. Some will get sucked into the filter, and will use the media instead of gravel to live in.

If that's what they are, don't worry about it. Your fish will love you for providing a steady supply of live food, and it's FREEE If the flies bother you too much, I don't know what to say, except think about the FREE FOOD part

I had them and the fishies loved them, especially when I vacced and fed them back to the fish. I never got rid of them until I got my Peppered Cories. They dug them out of the gravel and ate them all.......little PIGS

Now, if that's NOT what you have, I don't know...............

 

[Kirk48]

Hi there again ppl.

Well i checked in the filter again and im pretty sure they're not bloodworms. The larvae are tiny, black, and kinda transparent. I have seen some of the larvae's empty shells and i think they turn into those flies ive seen hanging in the inside of my tank. The flies are ash gray and very tiny as well. Im starting to think they are moths. ARE THEY MOTHS? I think they are. If they are, i have no idea how this could happen. This happened last month for the first time and this is my second time seeing this bug stuff. Are my water conditions promoting this bug growth? How can i stop or prevent this? As i said, things have been going great for a year now. If anyone has any ifo please help me..THANK YOU

 

[Opcn]

moths could subsist on the filter media if it were orgainic and is in fresh water
you might try to sprinkle a little bit of salt (AQUARIUM SALT) on your filter now and then.

Opcn