Please ID

[Aquarianna7891]

Hi-

No picture for this one, sorry.

My tank has been up and running for about a month. Today, I noticed a bunch of itty bitty white tadpole looking things swimming in the water and crawling on the glass. These are absolutely minute- I mistook them for air bubbles at first. They look like they have one or two body parts w/a nearly clear tail, but its hard to tell.

I've looked on various hitchhikers websites, and the only thing that they remotely look like are tiny shrimp, if in fact they do get that small.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!!

Anna

 

[Reefguide]

Do you have a pair of shrimp that may have mated? Do you have Live Sand or live rock from an established tank maybe? Could just be sand bed critters !

 

[wade1]

99% probability that they are copepods... its very normal to see them come out first. Once the tank has been up a while longer, they seem to vanish (although likely still there) and be replaced by amphipods.

Its a good sign!

Wade

 

[Aquarianna7891]

Is there any chance they could be fish lice? I don't know if they come in this quantity, and I don't want to take any chances!!

Anna

 

[scavdog]

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[wade1]

No, they are not "lice" as those require a good host in order to grow (they are isopods btw). They are either mysis shrimp or copepods. Both good signs that things are alive.

Wade

 

[Aquarianna7891]

Glad to hear it! Thanks!


Anna