Water fleas?

[steff]

upon very close examination of my axolotl tank (due to a new desk lamp! *yay*) i've discovered these water flea-like microorganisms all over the bottom of the tank... what are they? how did they get there? are they bad? how can i get rid of them? *help!*

 

[joan]

Water fleas are daphnia, and what I use to feed larval salamanders. If they are water fleas, they'll just eat detritus in the tank. Keep in mind that every tank is crawling with weird little beasties that you cannot see, and this is completely normal!

 

[steff]

yeah... just freaked out cos i can actualyl see them everywhere! its like this huge population of them! i think i'm just gonna have to be diligent with the siphoning of waste! thanks!

 

[amy]

i know what you mean. theyre a lot faster than traditional daphnia and a bit smaller. they tend to rest on the glass, too. i have them at the moment. a pain in the bum to get rid of but they dont harm your axies. i think they might be a mutation of daphnia because they do kinda resemble them. apparently, the presence of daphnia or these things indicate healthy water. not sure how true it is. good luck with whatever you decide to do with them!

(Message edited by blinky000 on April 30, 2005)