# What is this?Looks like mites..



## stolik (Sep 25, 2009)

I found them on my substrate..
Thanks for your help!


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## Stormy_87 (Dec 16, 2009)

My guess would be water beetles. Do you have plants in your tank. Cuz sometimes they hitch a ride on the plants. I found quite a few water beetles in my bag of duckweed that I had bought online.


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## stolik (Sep 25, 2009)

I have plenty of plants in my aquarium where i found this...
I was wondering could it be something dangerous to my fishes?
But i would really like to know what is that, i have that + Ostracoda in my tank


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## tex627 (Nov 2, 2008)

they are dont dangerous to fish. in fact, they like to poke their heads out to eat them sometimes. free live food!


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

They remind me of ticks. This ins't a helpful response with a potential ID by the way, I simply coldn't resist since the video was pretty cool. Whatever they are, I imagine most fish would put them out of their misery given the opportunity.


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## stolik (Sep 25, 2009)

Ok now i know they are not dangerous  ..but what kind of bug are they?


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## Noto (Oct 26, 2009)

They do look rather mite-like, but I don't think that is what they are. The water mites I see do not have that narrower body near the head (though some terrestrial mites do) and are never black. I think Stormy_87 is probably correct that they are beetles. Most tiny black aquatic beetles in the US belong to the families Dytiscidae or Hydrophilidae (both these families also contain rather large beetles). Noteridae is another possibility. If they come from outside the US, anyone's guess is as good as mine.

Any chance of a close-up still photo?


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## stolik (Sep 25, 2009)

My camera broke down so i cant take a makro...


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