Bugs in a fish/reptile tank, what are they?
by Aquaboy on Thursday, May 13th, 2010 | 4 Comments
I have a chinese box turtle in an aquarium with peatmoss, a lil container with water, and some fake plants to hide himself in. We noticed a lot of little tiny flies like gnats or aphids and went to go check the turtle and found TONNES of little white bugs crawling in and on his tank. None were on the turtle but they covered the aquarium. What are these bugs?? I put the entire tank outside and put the turtle in the sink making sure he is rinsed and clean. I checked the area where the tank was and made sure there were no more bugs, from what I can see they are all outside with the tank now. Does anyone know what those bugs are, why they sit in the turtle tank and how to permanently get rid of them?
Other articles you might like;
- Is These Pellets Healthy + More Qs-?
- Would This Hurt The Guppy Fry?
- 90g Reef Aquarium Setup Day 5
- Ideas On Fish For Freshwater Community Aquarium?
- Work Experience Melbourne 2011?
I don’t know what they are,but I had them in my turtle tank,too.They won’t hurt the turtles,but I don’t like them.I would just dump everything and start over.Did you know that Chinese box turtles are semi-aquatic? They love a water container large enough to walk around and soak in,and they even like to swim,They’re also highly carnivorous and will eat fish,dog or cat food,earthworms,crickets,etc.But just wash the tank with very hot water and start over.This gets rid of the bugs.
Cant say for sure, but probably one of 2 things- mites or springtails. Hope for springtails(Thats my first guess also).
Mites are reptile parasites- they live on reptiles and feed off their blood. They can cause health problems. They are usually dark colored, sometimes red, but might be other colors. They will often be mostly on the reptile itself, especially by the mouth and eyes.
Springtails are tiny bugs that live in moist environments. They are not usually harmfull, as they feed on decaying plant material. They are often whitish or light colored. They will not typically be on the reptile.
You will need to seach “reptile mite” and “springtail” on google images, then compare to one of the critters you have. You may need to use a magnifying glass. Pay attention to the number of legs, number of body segments, and overall shape.
Frequent cleaning is the best way to control springtails. You may also be able to freeze your new bedding in bags for a few days, or bake it in an oven at low temp, to kill the springtail eggs, as this is where they originate.
Mites (if thats what you have)will take more action. There are several treatments available made by reptile product companies- including reptile relief and provent-a-mite. Follow instructions on the bottle.
I occasionally get springtails in cages that have bark for bedding, if I dont clean the cage often enough. They thrive in moist areas.
It is also possible that they are a type of aphid or similar insect. Many types of small insects can thrive in warm moist moss. Just make sure they arent mites.
fruit flies…… from letting fruits and veggies sit too long. Good luck getting rid of them. You have to replace the substrate, sterilize everything in the enclosure, bathe your tortoise (box turtles are actually tortoises) and put fruit fly tape at the top of the enclosure to catch the rest. they lay aggs as they walk and fly… 24-7… The best way to get rid of them is to never get them in the first place. Avoid leaving fruit and veggies in over night, change water daily, clean enclosure weekly, and make sure the enclosure has plenty of ventilation.
good luck
The flies are fruit flies, attracted to the rotting food and moisture in the tank. The white things are fruit fly maggots. You will need to throw out your bedding and clean everything very, very well. Once you get everything set up again, make sure you remove the uneatten food before it attracts anymore flies.