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Are there mites in my tank????

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:11 pm
by Winter1
So I was looking in my tank this afternoon and I saw a bunch of little white/gray dots moving around with little legs.... And this fast moving thing that was a light brown color. I'm so freaked out. Are these mites? And most importantly, HOW DO I GET RID OF THEM? I've always been grossed out by tiny tiny bugs. :shock:

Re: Are there mites in my tank????

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 4:46 am
by wodesorel
... So yeah, they're likely harmless mites... And they came from your house... So... yeah. There isn't really any getting rid of them. You can sterilize your tank top to bottom and more will move in within a few days. (I have tried this.) You could try to nuke all of them in the area by - don't kill me - buying predatory mites that will hunt down the other kinds and eat them and who will then die off themselves. Otherwise they're a 'fun' part of crab keeping. :anon:

The bigger ones are probably springtails. That there's no cure for, they're native as well and too big for mites to really get rid of. They eat poop and decaying matter and make awesome little tank cleaners. They even eat mold.

Re: Are there mites in my tank????

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 8:19 am
by Winter1
Oh well in that case it's ok I thought they would hurt my crabs. Thanks! :D