Creatures

About a week or 2 ago my axies started scratching at their gills quite alot. I panicked and thought my cycle had crashed but testing the water it hadnt (ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 20-40). Since then ive done some water changes but they're still scratching.
I was convinced there was something in the water so last night i shone a light in the tank. I found that theres lots of tiny tiny miniscule, about a milimetre big, creatures. They look white. Some look like little balls with a tail, some look like a ball and then 2 balls underneath and they almost jump around in the water. Sorry for bad description too small to take any photos. They were all on the glass, on the fake plants and swimming around my axies which im sure is why theyre itching.
Im hoping they are not harmful but are clearly irritating them. Im going to do more frequent water changes. Will this get rid of them, or do i need to do something else? Any idea what they could be. They dont look like worms.
Thanks

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rc...D6CqrrLAsygFhq1cGC7JrfXQ&ust=1411208261477463




Did they look like this? They are copepods, and harmless to your axies - in fact you can buy them as fish and baby axie food. However, gill scratching is a general sign of irritation, and could be caused by any number of things. Have you checked for chlorine? And you pH?
I would do a few big water changes - this will reduce the little bugs and ensure water quality.
You could also try tea to sooth sore or itchy skin - just add a couple of mugs of cold plain (no milk) tea to your tank.

auntiejude said:

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rc...D6CqrrLAsygFhq1cGC7JrfXQ&ust=1411208261477463




Did they look like this? They are copepods, and harmless to your axies - in fact you can buy them as fish and baby axie food. However, gill scratching is a general sign of irritation, and could be caused by any number of things. Have you checked for chlorine? And you pH?
I would do a few big water changes - this will reduce the little bugs and ensure water quality.
You could also try tea to sooth sore or itchy skin - just add a couple of mugs of cold plain (no milk) tea to your tank.

Click to expand...

Yes thats exactly what they looked like!! Thank you!
No i havent thought about the ph recently, i will test it when i get home later. Why, can high/low ph affect these creatures?
I will do some more water changes as well and put some tea in there. Apart from the scratching they are all fine and eating and they're skin doesnt look sore so hopefully the tea will soothe them.

pH has nothing to do with the copepods, but a change in pH could irritate your axies' gills.

auntiejude said:

pH has nothing to do with the copepods, but a change in pH could irritate your axies' gills.

Click to expand...

Ahhh right ok i thought you meant ph has something to do with the copepods.
Yeah i will check the ph and chlorines tonight.
Do you know where these things come from? Do they just come in the water source? I dont have any real plants apart from a moss ball that i got months ago

They can come in anyhow - on a worm or from eggs in thier digestive tract, in the water, brought in on a fly etc.