Bug on Driftwood

Hey guys,

I just setup my tank that was standing dry for a while.

Added water and a piece of drift wood that was also standing dry.

Running now with water for about 2 weeks.

Last night I noticed a small bug running on the drift wood in the water - I haven't added any fish yet, haven't even conditioned the water as yet!

I have a pic but it is terrible- does anyone know what this is?

Thanks,

 

Looks like it may be an insect larva - I can't tell exactly which from the pic. Some forms are predatory, but only really to small fish species and fry.

 

Uhmm... Looks a bit like some form of Copepod... Those are safe...should get gobbled up by hungry fishies... Maybe @BugMan could have a look as well...

 

How do they get into the water though?

and can they live both in and out of water?

It does look like a insect larva!

 

Count the legs if you see it again - insect = 6, copepod = 8 being a crustacean(front pair is generally held up against body)... Copepod eggs go into dormancy when dry and hatch when conditions are right again...

 

Definitely 8 legs, so I am guessing copepod and now that it went into water it has hatched - so does this mean my water is ready for fish ? :bigsmile:

 

Nice ID azurekoi: it is definitely a copepod... Really nice to find them... never caught one myself though... But it is harmless to fish... Like azurekoi said: its fish food...

 

i had them in my tank once, got them from a LFS plant, they did not last 2min in the tank!, Endlers and Lemon Tets had them for lunch!