fresh water tank bugs

Question
hello my name is susie,
I have a to fresh water tanks one is a 10 gallon and the other is a 100 gallon and in both of the tanks I have little round like bugs their the size of a sewing pin head and there is alot of them in both tanks and the fish seem fine and it looks as if they are eating them and the only fish that I have are guppies
I would like to know if you might know what they are and how to get rid of them I clean my tanks all the time maybe three times a month or when I see a tiny little bit of alge
Thank you very much
susie

Answer
Hi Susie!
These little bugs are commonly seen in aquariums. There are many different species and its hard to pinpoint exactly which species, but copepods are similar to the description you have given. Most all aquarium bugs are harmless scavengers and don't do harm to your fish. But their presence can mean that the aquarium needs a little more frequent water changes and gravel vacuuming. A big population will thrive when the waste level in the aquarium is high enough to support them.

So the best thing is to do more frequent water changes. Do at least daily water changes of about 30% at least (with thorough gravel vacuuming) to deplete the bugs' food supply and remove excess critters. Later, when the bugs are gone. You may need to up your regular water change schedule to prevent this from reoccurring. Something like 30-50% every week would be great.

I hope this helps and best of luck!
Karen~