Tiny bugs in Betta tank...

I'm completely heart broken, as my third Betta is now showing the same symptoms as my first two. I left the lights off today to hopefully minimize stress, and when I turned them on to get a better look at him, there were very, very small white bugs running all over the glass. They completely creep me out and I have no idea what they are, but I immediately moved my Betta into a 5 gal Tupperware tub that I had been using to QT my CPD's. Is there a chance that they are what has been killing my Betta's?? This one has been flashing a fair amount. Will I need to throw out the sand, or just clean it out to get rid of them? They are so tiny unfortunately I'd never be able to get a photo.

I'm now treating the Betta with API General Cure, but as I'm not sure what these bugs are I don't know if they are actually causing the illness.

 

Not sure a pic would be nice but from description sounds like it could be from over feeding what are parameters. I can't think of the name do they look like little worms?

 

They sound like copepods. If that's what they are, then they aren't causing the betta deaths.

 

They don't look like little worms. They are really too tiny to make out any shapes, and way too tiny to take pictures of, unfortunately! They seem to come out when the lights are off, if that makes a difference. I'll look at pictures of copepods and see if they're similar. Params are about 0.25/0/0, because the tank isn't filtered. Water was being changed every other day at about 50%.

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Also, I feed maybe one or two very small flakes daily or twice daily, nothing every reaches the bottom. Would they have come in on plants, if they are copepods? And is there a way to get rid of them?

 

Do they move in a "jerky" motion across the glass?

 

It more looks like they are just walking across the glass.. Do you know of any videos that show the jerky movement you are talking about? It would probably be easier to compare it to something.

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Actually, I managed to get a video of them on the back wall of the tank. Some look jerky and some look like they are just walking. I will upload now.

 

Hopefully this works, I can't link to YouTube because I'm on mobile.



I see the jerkiness in the video more than I do IRL haha.



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Yes, copepod. If you watch the one at bottom middle it moves that way

Nothing to worry about! If you don't like the look of them you can always try ghost shrimp, but if your Betta can catch them, he will.

 

Okay, thank you! I think I'm going to have to tear down that tank anyways because I've now had three Betta's all come down with the same symptoms. Unfortunately I believed the first two to just be bad stock, but the third is from a different store... I almost wish it was the bugs that were causing it, at least I'd know!

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Have you tried testing the waters daily for several days in a row or a few times in one day to see if there are wild fluctuations?

 

I noticed you stated the tank isn't filtered. Bettas need a filter of somekind, whether a weak HOB or a small sponge filter. Most likely the lack of filtration is the thing killing your betta. I read in your other thread you started you had a filter seeding in your 10 gallon. Have you thought about getting a breeder net or box, dropping that in your cycled 29, and keeping the betta you plan on putting in the 2.5 in there until the filter for your 2.5 is ready?
Also, the white specks are harmless. I have them in all my tanks. The smaller fish love to eat them

 

My other Betta was kept for a year without filtration and was never sick, never had fin rot, etc. etc, so in my opinion that would not be what is killing the Betta's. (that fish is now in a filtered 10gal) The second fish was in the tank while it was filtered, and both the second and third fish were moved to a filtered QT with no improvement. From my knowledge, keeping a cycle in a 2.5 is very hit or miss anyways.

I totally understand that any fish will do much better with a filter, and the tank has now been upgraded to a 5gal cube with a filter, but I just struggle to believe that just keeping Betta's in a tank without a filter would kill three, all on almost the exact same timeline.

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Most betta I see kept in stores are kept in crud quality containers. Perhaps the first one you got had a disease that is still lingering in the tank. Maybe run the 2.5 with invertebrates or something for like a few months, so anything that infects fish would die off? Disease sounds like a possibility at this point

 

Personally ive always considered strange little insect like animals in my tank to be a good thing. Most of the little critters that turn up in our tanks are actually good for it. the only 2 that seem to turn up wiith healthy fish that I could consider to be bad are are planaria and hydra and neither bother me all that much.

That was a little off topic so ill rope myself back in. Store bought Bettas like most live bearers seem to be highly inbred and Bettas being trapped in their little cups for who knows how long add a whole extra amount of problems on top of this. For me personally if my water conditions were ok any deaths I had with in 6 months of purchase I would honestly chalk it up to stuff outside of your control.