The tank is still clean but I looked at it a few minutes ago and it has what I thought were bubbles but when I got close they are little bug looking thing in the water. Does any one know what this could be! It is pretty gross and I don't want it to kill my fish. He seems fine. Help!
2007-03-14 11:35:57 · 8 answers · asked by Nattie 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
They are little bug looking things. They are free swimming and stuck to the side. They are a grey color. What are they and how did they get in there?
2007-03-14 11:45:39 · update #1
Well either they are larvae or some sort of zoo-plankton. It and of themselves they a likely harmless. (If they get big enough the betta will eat them. Bettas love mosquito larvae.) The fact they are in your tank often indicates you are over feeding your betta. Other wise the little guys should have starved to death.
You should feed your betta 5-6 times a week. Only about as much as his eye ball. As he'll happily eat himself to death. As for cleaning you should clean a 2.5 gallon tank by replacing 20-30% of it water once a week. A 5 gallon every 2-3 weeks replace about 20-30% of the water. Cleaning should be done by using a gravel vacuum/siphon. Of course if you over feed, or have tank mates you should be clean the tank more often.
2007-03-14 12:58:46 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
See if either of these photos match your bugs:
http://www.wildbasinoutfitters.com/images/adult%20midge.jpg - midge, less than 1/4 inch long - these lay their eggs in the water and will hatch into a free-swimming larvae that will look like a white or red worm (what magicman referred to). Only way to keep these out isto use fine-mesh net over the tank & filter to keep them from reproducing
http://www.ento.psu.edu/ImageGallery/Images/FlatGrainBeetle01.jpg - grain or seed beetle, less than 1/4 inch - may have infested the fish food or grain product elsewhere in your house - if in the food, freeze it to kill them and keep the fish food in the refrigerator to prevent future infestation (will help fish food to last longer as well - fish food loses nutrients quickly and shouldn't be used after 6 months after opening).
As adults, both are terrestrial and will drown in time in the tank.
If not these, could you post a photo through a photo-sharing website or give more description?
2007-03-14 12:25:12 · answer #2 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
More info on the bugs. Are they free swimming? Are they bug-looking or worm-looking? What size, what color? If they're bug-looking, they won't hurt your fish. And even some worm-looking things won't hurt your fish either. But then, some will.
Oh, and you still need to do a 25% water change weekly, even with a filter.
2007-03-14 11:42:35 · answer #3 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even though there is a filter, regular water changes still need to be done. The bubbles could be a bubble nest, but I don't know what the bug thing is.
Sorry I'm not much help
2007-03-14 11:38:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would bet on them being the larvae of some type of small fly or gnat. That would be totally harmless to the fish and in fact the fish would probably eat them. Watch for the next two or three days to see if they change, dissapear or what. Also watch around the tank for small flying bugs.
MM
2007-03-14 11:59:23 · answer #5 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Could you explain what the bugs look like? Do you feed your betta any live foods? How often do you feed him and how often do you do water changes? They most likely are harmless but we really need more info to make sure and to let you know where they could have come from.
2007-03-14 11:43:37 · answer #6 · answered by Nunya Biznis 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
what size tank is it and how long has it been set up for? Shaz
2007-03-14 11:39:46 · answer #7 · answered by Shaz 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
please clean your tank at least every couple of weeks.
2007-03-14 12:21:49 · answer #8 · answered by tma 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋