# Small black bugs??



## MELLOWROO421 (Feb 21, 2007)

I have been culturing these since a friend gave me a scoop of them a couple months back and have no clue what they are. They don't jump, move very slowly, stay very small, are always packed tight in groups along the surface of the charcoal I am culturing them in and reproduce really quickly. Can anybody ID these things for me? Is anybody else using them as feeders?


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## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

Are they wet? They look like some kind of mini slugs. Its hard to get a close up.
Jason


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## MELLOWROO421 (Feb 21, 2007)

The charcoal I keep them in is wet. I tried to crop and zoom on this next pic, maybe it will help. I don't have a good macro lens unfortunately, and I cant seem to get much better of a picture than this one.


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## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

Def. not any kind of slug. I have never seen them before but if I were to guess I would think they are some type of isopod.
Jason


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

they look like a kind of spring tail to me.


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## CHuempfner (Apr 27, 2008)

They look like small phoenix worms or something. Are they squishy? or do they have an exo-skeleton?


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

they are a species of segmented spring tails, if you had access to a microscope you can get a better id, but i am %99 sure.


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## MELLOWROO421 (Feb 21, 2007)

Thanks Julio. I noticed a few of them jumping the other day, which I had never seen before so I am pretty sure you are correct. I do not have a microscope, but I am trying to convince my friend to take some pics through his. I'll post them if I ever get them. I have decided not to use these in my frog tanks. They are very slow moving and will completely carpet a viv in very little time. I don't think the frogs see them as food, possibly because of their slow movements. Thanks again everybody for your help.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

You will be surprise, ibet if you put them in your tank the population woudl be wiped out before you know it.


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