# Swimming white bubbles with feelers?



## Guest (Aug 8, 2005)

Ok, these THINGS appeared in the water-side of my paludarium, they look like little oval-shaped white bubbles with teeny tiny antennae at one end. They are less than a millimeter long. They appear to have a mind of their own and swim around from place to place rapidly, then when they get somewhere, stop and rest for a while. I haven't been able to photograph them because they are so tiny. I was wondering if they might be bug larvae? Something that has a swimming stage? On very close inspection, their white bubble-like exterior looks a bit spotted or mottled, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it looks like a shell. There's an inner part to their bodies that looks like a vertical line down the center of the white oval bubble, where the antennae or "feelers" or whatever they are appear to branch off like a little "Y". They're definately not snails, and surprisingly, my betta fish wasn't trying to eat the ones I saw... I'm flabbergasted, I couldn't even begin to guess what they are or how they got there. Anyone have a clue what these might be? Could they be dangerous?


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## Grassypeak (Jun 14, 2005)

Based on your description I’m going to guess that you are having and Ostracod bloom. Ostracoda is a class within the subphylum Crustaceae (The subphylum of Arthropoda that includes crabs, shrimp, pillbugs etc.) They are harmless scavengers (although they can damage plants and snail shells). Many fish will not eat them, as that shell that you are seeing is probably quite hard to chew. They could also be Daphnia or a related genera. Daphnia swim by moving their antennae. This causes a characteristic jerking swimming motion. Ostracods swim with a smooth gliding motion. I doubt your Betta would leave Daphnia alone though.


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2005)

OSTRACODS??? :shock:  COOL! 

Well, now that I know they aren't going to morph into big nasty insects of any sort, I feel much better!  

And did you say-- dare I repeat it-- that they may actually harm snail shells? 
Bestill my beating heart. I have been looking ALL OVER for something non-toxic to combat those things! How harmful are we talking? How is this harm effected? I would love to know. My betta won't even eat the farking pond snails (though he loves FFs!) They clog my water system and make me very frustrated. They are EVIL! ^&*@ EVIL!! $#!* EVIL!!! @(*& :evil: 

Seriously though, thanks for all the help. 8)


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## Grassypeak (Jun 14, 2005)

With Ram’s Horn Snails they tend to gather in the center most spiral of the shell, where they chew through the shell and eventually cause the death of the snail. They are not very effective snail killers though. There are a number of fish that are good snail killers. Unfortunately for you, Betta splendens is not one of them.


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