Black Bug Just Found. What Is It?

[WasteMan]

Hi, first post here.

Anyway i was cleaning my tank recently and found a 2cm black insect (it was about 1cm wide, its body consisted of a head and large abdomen) clinging to a plant, i didn't do anything to it but I want to ask if it might cause any problems for my fish. I cant provide any pictures since my cameras to crappy to take any clear pictures.

Here is my tank info:

10 gallon, with airstone, heated, filtered, live plants and all water params are normal.

Fish:

1 Betta
1 BN Pleco
8 Neon Tetras
2 Micky Mouse Platys
also got a small snail infestation, i can see about 5 ramshorns

Anyway thanks in advance for any advice, currently the insect is just walking around on the gravel, fish arent paying any attention to it.

 

[SlyPolak]

Look here ---> Hitchhikers to see if anything matches your mystery bug........... and you should know that an airstone will only displace your C02 and slow plant growth if not causing deficiencies...... as long as your filter makes small surface ripples its more than enough to oxygenate the water

 

[WasteMan]

Look here ---> Hitchhikers to see if anything matches your mystery bug........... and you should know that an airstone will only displace your C02 and slow plant growth if not causing deficiencies...... as long as your filter makes small surface ripples its more than enough to oxygenate the water

Thank you very much, the bugs hiding at the moment so ill try to match it when i see it again, also I'll get rid of the airstone, I was wondering why my plants weren't growing.

Thanks again!

 

[SlyPolak]

You adding nutes,??

Are you sure their true aquatics?? Many, MANY petstores(petco) sell house plants labeled as "aquatic" which will only rot

 

[WasteMan]

Yeah I'm pretty sure they're aquatic, checked it against plant species on the internet. They still grow, albeit very slowly compared to when I had no airstone.

As for nutrients I don't use any, I got a bottle of PlantMin but that seemed to make no difference.

 

[the biffster]

Yeah I'm pretty sure they're aquatic, checked it against plant species on the internet. They still grow, albeit very slowly compared to when I had no airstone.

As for nutrients I don't use any, I got a bottle of PlantMin but that seemed to make no difference.

was it anything like
this

 

[WasteMan]

Yeah I'm pretty sure they're aquatic, checked it against plant species on the internet. They still grow, albeit very slowly compared to when I had no airstone.

As for nutrients I don't use any, I got a bottle of PlantMin but that seemed to make no difference.

was it anything like
this

Kind of, the head was exactly the same shape as the bug in your pic, the rest of the body was much wider though, and it was all black.

 

[the biffster]

more like this one

 

[Carlovel1]

Did it look like this

 

[WasteMan]

more like this one

YES! that's it!!

Thanks and should i be worried about it being in my tank?

 

[the biffster]

more like this one

YES! that's it!!

Thanks and should i be worried about it being in my tank?

its a dragonfly nymph they
are capable of catching
and eating small fish fry i would
say it would be better out than
in

 

[flix_cw]

and you should know that an airstone will only displace your C02 and slow plant growth if not causing deficiencies...... as long as your filter makes small surface ripples its more than enough to oxygenate the water

Hey, i've not heard this before.

What's the mechanism behind airstones affecting CO2?

 

[SlyPolak]

The rising of bubbles creates a lifting effect within the water column and this moves the less oxygen-saturated water up near the surface where it may more easily give off CO2 and take on oxygen. The agitation of the surface film by the bubbles further assists in the exchange of gases. So you are actually speeding up the process of gas exange 20 fold, than you would compared to a HOB, external, internal etc....

 

[Vin Swords]

What's the mechanism behind airstones affecting CO2?

like a can of coke.. more shaking.. less co2