things floating in my tank

Question
I have a tank with  guppies in it, and we have 1 fry in a breeder  tank and we noticed these little ball things attached to a peice of food in that part of the tank. Then looking closer at the rest of the tank they are floating EVERYWHERE. Guppies do not lay eggs and the only other fish we have in there is a Chinese algae eater. I took a clear cup adn dipped it in the water,and they were all over the side. So I took a napkin and wiped off the cup to look better at the little things. They are like a light tan/gray and are about the size of a needle point. They appear to have little brown speckles on them. I looked from the bottom of the cup where they are attached to a piece of food. They appear to be moving. when you press them, they crunch like they are hard. Can you help? what are they and will they harm mo fish and how do I rid of them???????

Answer
Hi Amanda
Sorry, but I have no clue what those are.....Are you sure they're not baby snails?  They do look a bit different when they're young.  And, that would make sense since it's eating the leftover food, which snails commonly do.  
Here's a few links I have on different critters found in tanks and ponds you can look through.  Most have some microscopic close ups, so maybe you can find something to match what you're seeing:
(this first one, scroll down for some pictures of copepods and such)
http://www.planetinverts.com/what_is_that_bug_in_my_aquarium.html

http://www.pond-life.us/pond-life-crustaceans-1.html

http://members.aol.com/larval1/critters.htm

To get rid of them, I wouldn't recommend adding any chemicals or such until you can figure out what they are.  Most bugs in aquariums are harmless.  Dont' leave any uneaten food in the tank, and that may help cut down on their populations as well.  

Good luck!

Christy