# Copepods & spring tails



## Dann (Sep 24, 2013)

Hey guys, I have 15g that I started up 1.5 months ago with some filter seed. The tank holds no live stock, I'm hoping to add shrimp this weekend but I have some concerns. There is a lot of copepods, springtails and little white egg sack things floating at the water column, I know copepods and spring tails are harmless but I see quite a bit of these bugs and I'm worried critters will bring on hydras am I wrong to be concerned?


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## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

Put some small fish like guppies to clean them up. It should take 2 - 3 days to get the number way down. Remove the fish before introducing shrimps. However, they may come back afterward as some may be hiding.

Puffers can be used for snails but that will take a while.


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## Scotmando (Jul 10, 2011)

randy said:


> Put some small fish like guppies to clean them up. It should take 2 - 3 days to get the number way down. Remove the fish before introducing shrimps. However, they may come back afterward as some may be hiding.
> 
> Puffers can be used for snails but that will take a while.


Guppies are great for this job. 
These little critters are great for raising fry if you want to give 'em a good head start.

Randy, do puffers eat shrimp?


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## caine (Aug 19, 2013)

Puffers definitely eat shrimp.


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## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

caine said:


> Puffers definitely eat shrimp.


Yes, they prefer anything with hard shell ;-) So it only works before you add shrimps.


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## Dann (Sep 24, 2013)

I went ahead and bought 3 feeder mollies at .40cents each which is much more feasible than spending $4 a fancy guppy the store had.. Way over priced for fish in terrible condition. The mollies have done quite a good job so far but I'm not sure if the copepods will be gone by the time I pick up shrimp tomorrow


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Wish I'd seen this sooner. I'd have happily come and taken as many as I could have caught to culture ! 

Btw, having copepods & other little critters in the water does not invite hydras. Hydras have to be introduced in some way. In fact, so do all the little critters you might find in the water. They don't just happen by some magical process.. they come along with something else. Water, fish or plants can all bring various hitchhikers with them.

But hydra do prey on small critters like these, so if you have hydra, they will eat any such small beastie that gets too close.


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## Dann (Sep 24, 2013)

I have housed shrimp in my tank for like almost 2weeks now and I'm starting to notice detritus worms and mosquito larvae looking bugs with black heads and beige/yellow bodies floating at the water column. I just want some advice as to how I can remove/reduce the big boom in bugs without hurting the shrimps

Edit: I bought a turkey baster and I plan to remove as much as I can


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## Dann (Sep 24, 2013)

I'm now dealing with planaria and hydras, 2 fire reds dead this week


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Oops. Those detritus worms.. any of them pinkish and swim in sort of thrashing 'S' curves, by any chance ? If so, I'd take as many as I can siphon or scoop out of the tank. Seriously.. I'd come and take them, they may be Dero worms, which I would like to culture.

For hydra, you could use, I think it's Panacur., I checked, and that seems to be the one that does the best with hydra.

Planaria, unless they are the gigantic Asian ones that grow to over an inch long, do not, to the best of my belief, eat or harm shrimplets. They have only a tiny opening on the underside, from which they produce digestive juices. No teeth, no jaws, no claws.. any healthy shrimp can walk away from the native planaria without any damage being done. But they certainly like eating dead shrimp if they find them. Reducing food supplies will reduce their numbers.

I'm not sure about the ones with black heads.. those I've yet to run across. But I'd net them out if you can, as if they are insect larvae, they'll morph into something you won't want flying or crawling around the house.

Edit- only thing I can find that matches a black head and yellowish body might be some sort of water beetle. Mosquito larvae have a habit of darting down when startled, then coming back up. Water beetles can become quite large, so I'd for sure get rid of them.


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## LTPGuy (Aug 8, 2012)

Fishfur said:


> Oops. Those detritus worms.. any of them pinkish and swim in sort of thrashing 'S' curves, by any chance ? If so, I'd take as many as I can siphon or scoop out of the tank. Seriously.. I'd come and take them, they may be Dero worms, which I would like to culture.
> 
> .


If you're really interested in some copepod and other little critters, you can pick up a portion of black worms from from BA Misssissauga. Place the worms with water in your green water culture or your tanks (without) too many fishes, and you will have a blooming ecosystem of critters.

Be warned that there are leeches in the black worms portion. Best way to sort them is to set the worms in a large bowl or plate. Shine lights at them. They will scurry aways leaving the leeches behind. Use a turkey baster to suck up your worms!

As for planaria/copepod/etc, a pair of Chili Rasboras keeps each of my 10G tanks in check. I've got a pair of kilifish which does the same on another shrimp tank. I have not notice them going after the baby shrimps. There are of course a lot of hiding place for the shrimps also.


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