What are these?!?

[BleuTheBetta]

There are these tiny little bugs everywhere in my tank, and I have no idea what to do! Please help!!
If these can affect my fishes health I need to know what to do asap, I’m leaving for a weekend trip in an hour or so!

Tank-
5gal betta tank
1 Veiltale betta
2 Anubias Frazeri
A fake wooden decoration
-
Just did a water change for before I leave around 3hours ago, everything went smoothly and I added prime to the water after the wc.
Parameters-
Perfect ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, chlorine (0ppm)
~25 ppm GH
7.9-8 PH

Please help. I couldn’t get a decent photo of the mites, so I took similar looking mite photos off of the web. The last photo is my own tank!

 

[Uberhoust]

Cannot make out the critters from the photo, but almost anything you would find in the tank of that size is not going to cause an issue.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

All I can see in the picture are white specks, which could be anything. It is hard to get a decent picture of tiny, moving critters. Could you post an on-line picture that looks like them?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I agree with Uber, though. It's the critters you can't see that cause the problem. Most things you can see with the naked eye are no threat, at least to adult fish.

 

[BleuTheBetta]

Cannot make out the critters from the photo, but almost anything you would find in the tank of that size is not going to cause an issue.

Ohhh, thank god. I was freaking out.

All I can see in the picture are white specks, which could be anything. It is hard to get a decent picture of tiny, moving critters. Could you post an on-line picture that looks like them?

They look exactly like these copepods, but i wonder how the heck they got into my tank? Are they good or bad?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

OK. Those are completely harmless (some species will eat fish eggs). In fact, they're beneficial because most fish eat them like popcorn. They usually find their way in on plants.

 

[BleuTheBetta]

OK. Those are completely harmless (some species will eat fish eggs). In fact, they're beneficial because most fish eat them like popcorn. They usually find their way in on plants.

Thank you for the help! That’s relieving haha. I saw Bleu picking at them earlier.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thank you for the help! That’s relieving haha. I saw Bleu picking at them earlier.

It'll be an extra food source for him while you're away! I encourage these in my tanks as a food source for my nano breeding fish.
All sorts of micro-critters find their way into our tanks via things like live plants, and freak people out, but the vast majority are harmless. There are a few to watch out for, depending on what you're keeping; like dragonfly nymphs or hydra, but they look very different, and wouldn't be a threat to anything as big as a betta anyway, so relax and have a lovely trip!

 

[BleuTheBetta]

There are a few to watch out for, depending on what you're keeping; like dragonfly nymphs or hydra, but they look very different, and wouldn't be a threat to anything as big as a betta anyway, so relax and have a lovely trip!

Thank you Adora!!

 

[BleuTheBetta]

@WhistlingBadger & @AdoraBelle Dearheart
I give up. They’re multiplying and grossing me out, I hate bugs and they’re all over.
I got halfway to my destination and a blizzard turned me around. I got home and found my tank littered with these stupid things. I swear they’re multiplying.
How do I get rid of them??!

 

[On_a_dishy]

I’d remove your Betta and flubendazole the tank. I use https://www.amazon.co.uk/NT-Labs-NT480-Anti-Fluke-Wormer/dp/B0084JKYT6 and it’s killed hydra (not sure if this was a coincidence, though) and detritus worms. It’ll also kill snails. I don’t know if it would kill your critters but I’m not hardened to gatecrashing wormy or insecty life forms either and so would give it a go!
Be careful with your Betta, though - advice on TFF for me has been brilliant and warned me how flubendazole can affect the liver of my lovely boy when I was wanting to nuke the very possibility of anything gatecrashing his tank. If I remember rightly, when I used the flubendazole for its nuking potential it didn’t take long to clear the tank so you might be able to water change and charcoal the medication back out after 24 hours or so.
That’s all only my anecdotal experience, though - others on here are significantly more experienced and qualified than me! Good luck!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Bleu, I wish I had your problem. I have tried deliberately to get little inverts like this established in my tanks, but the fish always eat them faster than they can reproduce. I love having little bugs in my tanks. Any that you can catch, send them to me!

I'd be very reluctant to use flubendazone or other chemicals to solve the problem. It would almost certainly wipe out your copepods, yes, but it also has the potential to harm your fish. These things tend to balance out over time. If it were me I would drastically reduce feeding for a couple weeks, feeding every other day or even every third day. That will do two things: It will starve out the copepods so they won't reproduce as quickly, and it will encourage your betta to get in touch with his buried, natural instincts and go hunting.

 

[BleuTheBetta]

I’d remove your Betta and flubendazole the tank. I use https://www.amazon.co.uk/NT-Labs-NT480-Anti-Fluke-Wormer/dp/B0084JKYT6 and it’s killed hydra (not sure if this was a coincidence, though) and detritus worms. It’ll also kill snails. I don’t know if it would kill your critters but I’m not hardened to gatecrashing wormy or insecty life forms either and so would give it a go!
Be careful with your Betta, though - advice on TFF for me has been brilliant and warned me how flubendazole can affect the liver of my lovely boy when I was wanting to nuke the very possibility of anything gatecrashing his tank. If I remember rightly, when I used the flubendazole for its nuking potential it didn’t take long to clear the tank so you might be able to water change and charcoal the medication back out after 24 hours or so.
That’s all only my anecdotal experience, though - others on here are significantly more experienced and qualified than me! Good luck!

Okay, don’t want to do that for fear of hurting Bleu. Thanks for the suggestion though!

Any that you can catch, send them to me!

if you still want any when it gets warmer, I’ll send a ton to you if you’re in the US!

That will do two things: It will starve out the copepods so they won't reproduce as quickly, and it will encourage your betta to get in touch with his buried, natural instincts and go hunting.

Great idea. I don’t mind them. I just don’t want thousands of them in my tank haha! Bleu has been picking at them like popcorn. Lucky boy.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

If the numbers are bothering you, it means there's a lot of organic waste the little fellas are feeding on and causing a population explosion. Do some substrate cleaning, remove dead leaves from plants, and water changes as you clean up the substrate. Should be enough to knock their numbers down.

I also wouldn't use harsh meds that will stress your fish for an issue like this where there's no potential harm, and it's just something you find unsightly. Upping the maintenance should do it.

 

[BleuTheBetta]

@WhistlingBadger
I finally got a good photo. Don’t mind Bleu bombing it though
I’ll attach it.
Edit to add- the numbers have gone down 90%. Bleu’s been eating like he’s at an all you can eat