Who Gives A Fish Forums

I've got these tiny bugs on my floating plants, mainly the red root floaters. They jump off when I move the plants, then jump back onto the water's surface. They've been around for about a month now, and I was hoping they'd disappear, but they're multiplying. My pearl gourami aren't eating them, which is weird.

I'm thinking of a couple of things to get rid of them:
1. Leave the lights off for a week - they seem to love basking in the light, but that's not great for my plants.
2. Get rid of the floating plants, but I'd rather not do that.

I've attached a photo.
My tank's a 40-gal, planted with rooted, rhizome, and floating plants. I've got pearl gourami, ember tetra, hillstream loach, and pygmy cory. Water parameters are all good.

Honestly, they're not causing any harm, just ignore them. I mean, they're just tiny bugs and your fish seem to be coexisting just fine.

coltin wrote: ↑Tue Jul 30, 2024 5:41 pm Honestly, they're not causing any harm, just ignore them. I mean, they're just tiny bugs and your fish seem to be coexisting just fine.

Thanks for the reassurance, still pretty annoying though.

Those tiny mystery inverts can be quite the enigma in a semi-natural ecosystem. They add a touch of unpredictability, don't they? It's likely that some springtails snuck in on your plants. I must admit, I rather enjoyed having them in one of my old tanks - they brought a certain charm to the environment.

I've also got them in one of my tanks and I think they're awesome, the fish go wild for 'em.

Wow, they're super small, huh. Like, tiny - the tip of a needle, right?

Those little critters are super tiny, like tiny specks of dust, but they've got some serious jump to 'em.

I think tiny critters like those are a sign of a healthy tank environment. I gave some plants to a friend and she noticed the little guys came along for the ride. I've gotten so used to them, I barely notice anymore. They're harmless, and I figure they'd be there in nature too - just a normal part of the ecosystem.

I've always figured there'd be countless creatures like that in a thriving ecosystem. I'd be happy with a Genus name, or really, any name other than "those tiny hoppers". Tank sprites, maybe?

@graye love the tank fairies name, it's perfect