mite like bugs in tank

Question
Hi, my tank has what looks like small white mites. They are on the filter, driftwood in the rocks and side of the tank. They remind me of dust mites but with a tourch you can see them jumping around on the driftwood. There is a breeding pair of angels and a catfish in the tank. I havent look at the tank as closely as I normally do for a few days because the angelfish were spawning and they get very aggresive so I was just feeding them and walking away they ended up eating the eggs on the 4th day again. What should I do compleatly clean the tank out or try a chemical. Do they harm the fish I have looked at the fish with a tourch but cant see anything on them.
Thankyou.


Answer
Hi Michelle,
There are many types of bugs that can get into our aquariums. Most are all scavengers, feeding off of excess nutrients and leftovers in the aquarium.

They may be Copepods.

While they themselves are not harmful to the fish, their presence usually means that the aquarium needs more frequent water changes.

The best way to get rid of them is to start at the source of the cause. I'd start doing daily 30% water changes + gravel vacuuming to siphon away the bugs and clean the tank bottom. I would repeat this until you can no longer find any bugs. It may take a while, but it will work.

Preventing their recurrence is just a simple matter of making sure water changes are done a bit more frequently to keep the bugs away and their food supply low.

I hope this helps and best of luck!!
Karen~