Anyone know what this is? (non newt question) blackworm kids?

[steve]

I seen today on my zaire tree root (covered with algae) some blackworms (white in color) moving about the root. ALSO, I seen these little "sperm like" clear/whitish things moving "looks like almost walking" around too. Any idea what these are? Are they blackworm kids something?

here's two photos (large to show the little "sperms")

steve

 

[jarid]

I'm not positive, but they look like cyclops.

 

[steve]

(if jarid is correct) where did i get these from? This is a older tank and Ive never bought cyclops. Could they of been stowaways in a blkworm shipment i bought? Also: do they hide away in the gravel and only seeing them now, because i moved a algae tree root into the bottom?

These must be young then because I read they are "red" in color, also, they are crab-like and could hurt smaller fry/fish/etc..?

steve

 

[rob]

I agree with jarid, the smaller dot ones look like my cyclops culture. As for the worms I have no clue...maybe blackworm/tubifex worms?

I don't think the cyclops would harm any fry or anything...they're pretty small.

 

[john]

The small animal is a species of Cyclops. I haven't seen blackworms in person so I can't tell you what the worms are, but you seem to know already. Cyclops are nearly impossible to avoid in any tank, except one full of small newt larvae because they get eaten. All of my tanks have Cyclops in them. Most Cyclops species you'll encounter are harmless, and the ones that aren't are way too small to harm adult or juvenile newts.

 

[jarid]

Here is some information about cyclops.
http://www.thekrib.com/Food/cyclops.html
I have heard they can also damage small eggs.If you got any new plants they could have come into the tank that way.

 

[jennifer]

Any healthy "old" tank setup will be crawling - literally - with micro-organisms. With a microscope, you can totally gross yourself out (or be fascinated, depending on your inclination). Most of them are too small to see, but a few can be seen with the naked eye (like those in your picture). They arrive in many ways - in foods, in new plants, as spores carried in dust from outdoors, etc. They are almost always harmless. Often, they will "bloom" (suddenly there are tons of them) but they usually go away or decrease without any effort, except for keeping the tank debris cleaned up.

Here is a nicely-organized page with links to photographs of many of the micro-organisms that show up in aquariums:
http://microscopy-uk.org.uk/pond/index.html

 

[edward]

Hi All,
There are some species of copopods that can and will predate upon larval fish (both fresh water and marine). While keeping this in mind they still make wonderful food for many small newts and salamanders. The smaller dots are copopods.
Most of the worms look to be a type of nematode but there are a couple that show annulations which would mean that they are not nematode but annelids. It is unlikly that the nematodes in the picture are parasitic as most of these do not spend significant amounts of time out of the host as active adults.
The copepods can come in from many sources including dust particles. If you used soil, mosses, or plants in the enclosure this is the most probably way for these animals to appear in the mix. It is also possible that they were introduces via the blackworms or any other live type food items.
It is very common for large numbers of small organisms to become established in aquariums over time, particuarly if there is a good cover base for them such as your algae and a sufficent organic food source.
Ed

 

[kaysie]

get a microscope n see if you cant catch one and look at it..... my favorite are the Tardigrades, or "water bears" they're really cute.

 

[kaysie]

i was thinking last night, tardigrades seem to crawl along the substrate they're on, and can be up to 2 mm in length. but get a microscope, see what you've got.

 

[kaysie]

i was thinking last night, tardigrades seem to crawl along the substrate they're on, and can be up to 2 mm in length. but get a microscope, see what you've got.