Bugs in my tank...

Question
Hi there...I have noticed a lot of little tiny bugs in my fresh water aquarium...You have to get up really close to see them...They also "Jump"They are in the water and also on the sides on my tank walking around...What are they? How can I get rid of them? And will they harm my fish?  

Answer
Dear Kimberly,
There are many kinds of bugs that can get into your aquarium. There are Ostracods are one crustacean that can suddenly appear in a aquarium, these one-eigth inch critters are shaped like a clamshell like carapace on the outside and are shrimp-like on the inside.
Now Copepods are another crustacean that appear as tiny white dots moving jerkily across the glass they often resemble the ich parasite but they are harmless, if you look close you may notice they have a tear-drop like shape. Copepods arrive on plants and the water in fish bags brought home from the petstore. They are harmless scavengers and part of the natural zooplankton, they even make good food for fry! You can ignore them, but if there is a large amount, it could mean you are behind on your aquarium maintenance schedule. A good gravel vacumming and water change will reduce their numbers and likely make them unnoticeable.
Springtails are insects that typically live on the surface and can arrive on plants or from the garden. If you have a wet vac that is the best way to get rid of them, simply vacumm them up and hose it out. Spring tails are very common in aquariums, fortunately they are harmless scavengers of fungus and decaying matter.              

Even if the bugs are not any of the listed above. Most all tiny bugs found in aquariums are all harmless scavengers and most all can be removed wtih a good water change and gravel vacumm or two.

Best wishes and Happy Holidays!
Karen~