Question: worms and little insects in my newt tank

[mallen2121]

I have 2 visible insects in my newt tank and I would really like to know what they are.

One is a little black worm, about 1/8 of an inch long with very fine hairs. You can only really see the hairs if you dry the worm off and hold it up to the light. I beleive it turns into a type of gnat because I've seen these gnats fly out of the filter where most of the worms hang out.

The other insect is tanish and very tiny (1 mm). They scurry on the sufaces of the dry areas of the tank and I recently saw them crawling on my newt. When my newt goes into the water they come off.

My tank is very clean and feel like I can attribute this to these insects balancing the ecosystem. However, I am very concerned for my newt. Can anyone help me identify these insects, so I can find out if they're harmful?

Thanks!!

 

[blckkeys]

Could you possibly get some pictures. It might be easier to ID with pictures. The first worm like critter you described sounds like a larvae to me.

Both in my aquatic and terrestrial tanks I have little things crawling or swimming around. They can actually be beneficial (depending on what they are). They can help create a healthier "system". They can also give you clues about your water conditions. That is if you have ostrcods, hydra, and daphnia swimming around in your tank, then all of a sudden they die off, you could be having some water quality issues.

Sorry I can't help you out anymore than that, but I am sure someone else here maybe able to.

Also here is a link to a good article on tank critters

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Tank_critters.shtml

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Tank_critters2.shtml

 

[vilaash]

I have found the same black worms in my tank too. I dont know what they are. I would like to know where they came from to.

 

[mallen2121]

Thanks for the info. I'll try to get a good picture of the worm/larvae. The other insect is way too small for my camera to pick up. I have had my newt for 6-7 years and I recall seeing a very similar worm when I first got him/her. I'm not 100% sure if it was the same one though. If it is, it's probably not harmful, but I am very curious to know what it is.

Could the other small crawly insects be mites?

 

[mallen2121]

I could get a good pic of the worm on my camera, but I did get it on video. I put the worm, the fly it becomes, and the crawly bug on youtube, respectively:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MCJCjR2FiE


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4iSHJ1Vb48

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQov9cYVt5o