Are these Copepods??

[TallPaul]

I had noticed what I had thought was just little microscopic flecks of dust floating about in the tank.

After a while I noticed that they were on the glass. Under further observation I saw them moving around the glass and even avoiding each other. Clearly not flecks of dust.

My question is... Are these Copepods or some other sort of plankton? Are my Otocinclus eating these? After an initial diatom outbreak my tank seems incredibly clean with not a speck of algae to be seen, but my Otocinclus all have nice full bellies and seem to ignore anything else I put in with them.

 

[Colin_T]

You are going to have to provide a better picture of them because the current pic doesn't show much.

Copepods in freshwater usually look like small white Y shaped things that flick about on the glass and in the water.

 

[TallPaul]

I'm struggling to get a good shot, they are microscopic. Maybe less than a millimetre in size. Generally they are floating about in the water and crawling about the glass, they can move incredibly quickly and can zip across the glass at some some speed.

I will try to capture a better image with my proper camera later.

 

[TallPaul]

Hi. I uploaded a quick video to YouTube. They are super difficult to see but you can catch one shooting across the tank on the bottom right.

 

[Colin_T]

Sorry can't tell. There is a picture of a cyclops (copepod) at the following link. See if it looks like what is in your tank.
https://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2006/11/cyclops-are-these-freshwater-copepods.html

 

[TallPaul]

Sorry can't tell. There is a picture of a cyclops (copepod) at the following link. See if it looks like what is in your tank.
https://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2006/11/cyclops-are-these-freshwater-copepods.html

Hi, thanks for trying to help. Unless I can grab a sample and get them under a microscope it is going to be impossible to identify them.

I am now leaning on the assumption that they are detritus worms. I had a think about what I had done before I noticed them and I had attempted to feed my Otocinclus an algae wafer. They totally ignored it and my betta fish went on to just destroy it and scatter particles all over the tank.

I am thinking that perhaps these microscopic worms have appeared because of an abundance of particles of unbeaten food. On top of that I STILL have leaves from cryptocoryne parva melting away after a month and they are so delicate that I struggle to remove them without uprooting them.

I just think I need to keep up with my twice weekly big water changes and very gentle gravel vacuum until they bed in and I will abandon trying to feed the Otos algae wafers. They are all looking well fed with nice round bellies so there is obviously plenty for them to eat. The tank otherwise looks immaculate.

 

[Colin_T]

If the crypts are rotting they probably have a damaged rhizome. They also should settled in after a month, which also suggests a rotting rhizome. If you can carefully remove the gravel and if you feel the rhizome you should be able to find out if it is rotting. Look for black on the ends and any soft parts, the rhizome should be firm and have no soft squishy bits. If the ends are rotting you can use a sharp clean knife and cut the rotting bit off and replant it. Add a liquid plant fertiliser at half strength every day or full strength every couple of days for 2 weeks and see how they go.

I use Sera Florena, which is a liquid iron based fertiliser, but there are other brands out there too. If the crypts haven't shown new healthy growth with 2 weeks of daily feeding they are probably dying.

Depending on how long the light is on for, you could increase that by a couple of hours per day while feeding them more often. The extra light and fertiliser will probably get the algae growing but that can be wiped off with a clean soap free sponge. If you get lots of green algae just try to deal with it for the 2 weeks and then decrease lighting and fertilizer if the crypts still haven't grown new leaves.

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Detritus worms are harmless and normally stay in the substrate. If they come out and swarm over the glass and through the water there is usually something wrong with the water quality.

 

[TallPaul]

Generally the crypts are doing well. I think this one was accidentally uprooted and it seems if that happens I get a bit of melt. The substrate is JBL Manado which I would not buy again, it's just too lightweight and the slightest disturbance lifts it away.

I am quite methodical with water changes, I change 30% then 50% every week. I do believe that the exploded algae wafer has led to a bloom of worms. I'm also confident that I will remove a tonne of them with a water change.

I will continue to add fertiliser and perhaps a little more than usual. I've been impressed in how quickly my hygrophilia polysperma has grown. In 6 days it has doubled in size and has reached the surface of the tank. I will now be able to take cuttings and propagate it around the tank.

I have water spangles too that have exploded in growth and I regularly just dispose of some when I do water changes and it clings to my hands or the siphon.

Java fern is super slow growing though. I don't think it has done much in the 6 weeks it has been there.