Living Things In An Empty Tank?

[Alex.]

Hi guys

Im currently fishless cycling my tank and have just noticed loads of tiny white specs on the glass... And now realised they actually seem to be living creatures?!

Has anyone come across this? I'm about half way through cycling if not more - I've got nitrites showing as well as nitrates and ammonia is being eaten up within 10-12 hours. I dont know whether this could be from the donated media I received? I also put a few small off cuttings from plants in the mature tank in too.

They almost look like brine shrimp when they first hatch but theyre sticking to the glass and buzzing around... Any ideas?

 

[Fishy friend2]

Living things or specimens in an empty tank is highly likely during a cycle, as long as there is some form of food such as decaying matter, plants, or ammonia there will almost always be a certain creature inhabiting the given tank.

 

[CezzaXV]

I got this when I was cycling my tank. Haven't had a problem since I've had fish though, I guess they got eaten.

 

[Alex.]

Ah fair enough - as long as I'm not the only one!

I changed about 60% of the water tonight to try to bring the build up of nitrites down, it's still bright purple so there must have been a serious amount in there!

Hoping that speeds up the processing of the nitrite to zero as there is plenty of nitrate being produced now too...

 

[littlenemo]

alex i had the same mate when cycling white little things but as soon as it was cycled fish loved them yummy the nitrites will stay purple untill nitrate eats it all up. but your nearly there mate if ammonia is 0 ing in 12 hours nitrites will drop lit over night mate

 

[OldMan47]

Alex. try looking up planaria on line. I bet you will recognize what you are seeing.

 

[CezzaXV]

Nitrate will not eat nitrite up. Bacteria will eat the nitrite though and change it into nitrate.