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Parasites in aquarium? Or am I over reacting

466 Views 12 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Betta Nerd
I noticed tiny creatures in my tank could they be parasites I'm very unsure and I don't want my fish to be hurt has anyone ever seen this can someone help me get rid of them they're so small I can't get a picture but they're bud like and circular I noticed them while I was about to start scrubbing the algae off the tank do I have to fill out the form even though this isn't a disease it could turn into one there is a lot of them near the corner of my 10 gal the little creatures are eating the algae my first thought was pest snails but where would they come from my next thought was baby somethings whatever they are I don't want to underestimate them for something safe
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They are almost microscopic and they do look like parasites but there not on my fish
Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 10
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes
What temperature is your tank? 77
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? 3 balloon mollies and a african dwarf frog

Food:
What food brand do you use? Fluval bug bites
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Pellets
Freeze-dried? No
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? Twice a day each time 5-6 Pellets

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Every week
What percentage of water did you change? 22
What is the source of your water? Tap
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? Dip
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner?

Water Parameters:
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you. Important: Test your water before the regular water change; not after one.

Ammonia:?
Nitrite:?
Nitrate:?
pH:?
Hardness (GH):?
Alkalinity (KH):?

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? No symptoms
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? Not at all
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? Hiding more
Is your Betta still eating? Ues
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? No
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? No
How long have you owned your Betta? Since July 29 2022
Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? No

They look like parasites I'll try to get a picture Glasses Water Automotive lighting Sky Liquid
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I can't tell anything from that photo, but I do think you're over-reacting. When I think "parasites" I think of those butt-worms that some bettas get. If your boy doesn't have worms hanging from his butt or gills, I think you can relax a little.

There are many small critters that can live in a tank. Hydras, paramecium, detritus worms, etc.. They are natural.

I can't give you any good advice because I can't see anything but a blurry salt-flake in your pics. It'll be okay. Get a better pic of the "Bug" and people can advise better.
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Ok I just found out what they where and it looks like I also have some detritus worms in my tank I've got what looks like copepods they have the whiskers and everything
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I'll second @Maxwedge , it's most likely just a typical aquarium pest that most keepers cross paths with at some point.

I can't tell what it is from the photo, but it does resemble a copepod like you mentioned. I can't give a certainty unless you can get a decent photo for us.

And, as someone who's got both copepods and detritus, they're nothing to worry about. Copepods tend to stay on the glass and munch algae, while detritus live in the substrate and eat leftover food.

Also, just something to remember, you know how most of us tell newer folks not to freak out unless their Betta has a noticable personality change?
Goes the same for parasites. Basically, if your kiddo doesn't actively have anything hanging from them and isn't acting oddly, typically they're fine and it's something else.

These are just my thoughts on this, but I'd wait for Maxwedge's opinion as well just to be safe.

P.S less feeding and more thorough cleanings of gravel (if possible, right? ;)) help to lower detritus populations, if you them.
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Water Azure Fluid Liquid Underwater

My question I'd where did they some from and I saw the copepods eating the algae and the detritus popping out of the gravel and detritus don't come out much but the bugs look exactly like this sorry I can't get a picture of them they are tiny and my camera takes blurry photos if they come out I'll send a photo but after I went mixing up the gravel they hid
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Have you added any new Indian Almond leaves or natural materials in the tank recently? Funnily enough these little Copepod critters appeared in my quarantine tank just yesterday, but the only new thing I'd added recently was a new Indian Almond leaf. That was my best guess where they came from in my situation, so perhaps it's similar for you as well?
No the only thing I recently got was 2 more mollies
I once had an amphipod try to hitchhike with some Amano's I bought lol, so maybe the copepods hitched a ride with the mollies in the water from their bag.
So maybe that was the pile that Storm and Dallie where upsesed with in the bag then that's what probably happened thanks I was about to do an extreme deep clean
I was going to ask you to google detritus worms. They can come in on many things. The dirtier the tank, the more you will have, so if you want to get rid of them make sure your tank is super clean and you are getting rid of any dead plant matter.
From the picture, I‘d say baby pond/bladder snails, but I have no size comparison.

Do they glide along the tank‘s screens?
No they stay and eat algae and I have no snails currently but they could be pests all I know is I'm gonna leave them alone
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