General Care Discussion :: bugs

[roseK]

i was feeding wall-e and on the side of his basking dock was a group of about 10 tiny little brown bugs. i freaked out a bit and got a tissue and removed them, one fell in the water and was bouncing about on top

is this fleas or something? how did they get there? will wall-e be safe?

im itchy thinking about it...

[megcornell]

They might be fruit flies. Fleas don't go for reptiles.

[roseK]

they dont seem like fruit flies, but im glad wall-e wont get the itchies.

maybe the fish will eat them.

[steve]

Could it have been gnats?

[roseK]

idk, didnt look like it.. and i keep like putting tape on them and then more show up later!

they didnt look like they had wings.. just tiny brown dots that went hopping when they fell in the water, they are attaching themselves to one spot on the dock, theres kinda algae on it.

at first i thought it was a strange fungus growth... lol

[Blue Flamingo]

Could be mites, do you keep any plants near by, or is there any kind of dry substrate in the tank? Also did you notice them when the temp dropped outside, some bugs try to find warmer climates when it gets cold oiutside. Just a thought.

[marisa]

What is your basking dock made out of?

[emma]

She posted pics here- http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13159

[roseK]

yea its one of those foam docks.

and the temp has been cold for a while.. and theres no plants in the room except for aquarium plants...

they are weird.

i got pictures. its hard to tell tho from them:




gross huh?

[marisa]

If that ramp was corkbark, I'd have a pretty good idea of what they are. From the pics of them in that last pic, though, they look like small snails...There's nothing wooden that's submerged or constantly wet?

[SpotsMama]

They hop like fleas.

Maybe springtails? Here's a description of springtails:

"While it's hard to say exactly what bugs you have. I have a few thoughts on what they might be. It seems the most common intrusive insect that sometimes happens to get into your aquarium is a tiny bug (about one-thirtysecond of a inch) called a Springtail. Numers of these critters can be seen hopping on top of floating plant leaves or on the water surface. Fortunately they are harmless eaters of Fungus and decaying matter. Springtails can arrive on plants or simply hop in from the garden. There really is no concern to their appearance. But if they bother you getting rid of them could either be by taking a wet-vac and running it near the surface of your aquarium. You might also try a brine shrimp net (cloth net) to trap them."

[roseK]

well they are definitely not snails, and no wood in the water.

maybe it is the springtail things. does that mean the dock is decaying?

[steve]

If they're still there, I'd just to a cleaning...

[marisa]

Springtails would be found where there is corkbark or wood in wet areas (I was initially thinking that's what they were until you said the dock was foam). I doubt that's what they are, though, although there are different species of them. Try cleaning and see if they come back.

[Cramer]

I had these for years at my old house. They would walk on the water surface or up the glass and if the water splashed them in they would hop around like fleas. Eventually they got to the fly stage and would fly around the screen, trying to get out. I'm pretty sure that they are fruitflies (is a Springtail a fly?) they reproduce in water and then grow wings.
After I moved, I never had them again after everything was dried out. I'll probably have them again in the future, but they're not destructive.
I think they must be common to aquariums, but people with fish don't see as many cuz the fish eat them. So, it's a turtle-tank problem.
I know people who have had problems with them birthing from sink drains!