# Parasite/Amphipods/Copepods in shrimp tank?!



## stan

I was so excited to discover tons of tiny!! micro size new born baby shrimps in my 10g shrimp only tank!!
SADLY! that's also when i discovered some microscopic. tiny white dots moving one my glass! they are even smaller then the new born shrimps. so small that I can only observe it moving around on the glass surface!? I can't even see any detail other then a white dot. 

Are they Parasite, Amphipods or Copepods?

What should I do!? are they gonna harm my shrimp?! is there any way of getting rid of them? can I introduce new born guppy baby to eat them? are they gonna eat up the white dots(parasites?) will baby guppy harm my new born shrimps too (my main concern)?!

SOS what do i do!?


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## stan

Looking at it closely again! some of them is a wiggly white line that craws on the surface><!! Some thing called Planarians?? are they harmful for my baby shrimps!?


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## stan

What about Otto Cat or Corydoras dwarf? will it take care of them better then guppy fry? which one is safest for my shrimp babies??


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## plantedinvertz

They could be micro worms


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## bamboo

does the white dots move really fast in a jerking motion?


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## stan

The white dots do jerk when they are not stuck to the glass floating in water! what are the white dots?

While the white lines seems to be Planarians??

No-Planaria | The Shrimp Lab
is this product safe for baby shrimp? or is introducing a predator better?


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## clintgv

I agree with plantedinvertz. Might be micro worm. I had this awhile back. I just did lots of water changes and they all disappeared. And it didn't harm my african cichlids.


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## Petah

they are harmless. the small white dots are a type of copepod. It's from over feeding.


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## stan

good to hear that copepods are harmless!
what about the white lines? micro worm or Planarians? are they harmful in any way?


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## tang daddy

The white dots are a type of organism that are found when a system is healthy and established, I have often seen them on spinach stems further breaking it down with the snails.... The white worms are usually longer and skinny I have found only 1 of these in all 5 of my shrimp tanks and ripped it out because I wasn't sure if it would eat baby shrimp( they're hard to catch)

Planaria on the other hand is a pest and usually arrive when there is alot of uneaten food and overfeeding. They are oval shape and flat and usually found when you feed they come out of the substrate like cochroaches, No planaria is good to use to eradicate these but be aware that it can also harm shrimp, use 1/2 of the recommended dosage and make sure to do a water change 1 day after. Leaving it in the system too long can result in shrimp deaths... I have never had lots of shrimp die when using the medication before but as I said I only use half the recommended dosage. Some people had alot of their CRS population decrease to half when using it and it was because they used too much.


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## ngo911

I found this page very informative: What is that bug in my Aquarium? .:. Various small creatures that can inhabit a Freshwater Invertebrate Aquarium


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## Ursus sapien

ngo911 said:


> I found this page very informative: What is that bug in my Aquarium? .:. Various small creatures that can inhabit a Freshwater Invertebrate Aquarium


good link.

The overwhelming majority of micro life in your shrimp tank is beneficial or benign. Someone accurately mentioned planaria as an exception; they can decimate an apple snail population and just generally make things unpleasant. Hydra can be a problem too, though the green hydra are overrated as a threat.

Typically, these animals are probably present in most fish-stocked aquariums. You don't see them so easily, since the fish either eat or harass the organisms into hiding.


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## stan

seems like as long as I don't get planaria or hydra. I can just leave those other micro life alone...

I suppose without fish in the take.. I can't really drive these micro life away. Otto cat seems to be the only absolutely shrimp baby safe fish. I wonder how well Otto cat would be able to control the population of micro life? since otto has a sucker mouth that's not meant for hunting.

I'm hesitant on introduction small fish, because my new born shrimp are now freely spotted every where without having to hide or feeling threatened

Add Otto Cat?
Add otto Cat and smallfish (galaxy rasbora)?
or not add any fish?


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## Ursus sapien

if you're adding fish just to get rid of the copepods, it's kind of a wasted effort. The copepods will be eaten in two days and then the fish are going to get interested in those baby shrimp...
otos won't eat the micro-creatures, neither will bristlenoses. Dwarf corys will, and they're pretty shrimp-safe.


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## stan

Thanks for the advice guys! I think I'll try to reduce the amount that I'm feeding. Hope it takes care of it!


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