# Killies Import > Non-Killie Segment >  What are these ?

## Green Baron

I found many of this tiny thingy swimming in my shrimp tank.
What are they ?

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## keehoe

They are USO, Unknown Swimming Object?

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## RRG

I used to have that "USO"  :Laughing:  , but after changing my substrate, driftwood, etc. it disappeared. That "USO" didn't swim in my tank, it moves more like a terrestrial slug. I also had seen my fishes eating on those critters. I once turned on my aquarium light late at night and when the fishes woke up and saw the critters, my fishes ate it. Of course, that "USO" could be different from Gan and what I had before.

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## shortman

> What are they ?


It looks to me some kind of water lice in an early stage of its life form.
But I am too sure about it, Gan can you keep some and see what will they turn into?

Thanks

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## Green Baron

I was tempted to put a few platies in the tank to eat up these little fellas but I was afraid all my cherry shrimp fries will be eaten as well :-( 

OK, I am going to keep them in a separate container and see what they turn into ;-)

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## |squee|

They do look like extraterrestrial objects!  :Laughing:  

How did you manage to catch so many up?

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## Green Baron

> They do look like extraterrestrial objects!  
> 
> How did you manage to catch so many up?


Turkey baster compliments from my colleague from US  :Wink:

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## TyroneGenade

Can you supply some indication of size?

They could be some form of Ostacod or Asselus type shrimp. It is hard to say... Water lice is a option too... Any chance you can get them under a microscope?

tt4n

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## Green Baron

They are really small, ~1mm.

Need to use Kho's microscope to view them  :Laughing:

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## shortman

> They are really small, ~1mm.


I am not too sure at the moment it might not be water lice.

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## keehoe

Kho, use microscope and zap a photo of it. Very tempted to know what it is. My tank have some worm from unknown source also. Tiny like vinegar eel, but about 10 times longer. Dare not put little buffer to finish them off for the same reason..... My cherry. I have added 3 yamato shrimp inside hoping that it will clean that up. Any idea whether that would work?

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## TyroneGenade

Go see http://trem.upper-arlington.k12.oh.u...obimages8.html and pick the crustacean your best resembles. Then it is time to go visit the museum or local Zoology department.

tt4n

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## kc

My shrimp tank also got these creatures. To control them, I put in a fry but once I remove the fry when it grew too big, the problem returned.

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## nonamethefish

Problem??? Thats free food!

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## keehoe

Could that be a form of water flea? Any LFS sell water flea?

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## stormhawk

They're not water fleas, nor are they fish lice. Fish lice aka Argulus, has a disc-like shape with two tiny dots on the top of the shell denoting where the eyes are. (If my memory serves me well that is..  :Rolling Eyes:  )

That said, these appear all the time in some tubifex and even daphnia that we get from the shops or farms. They are eaten by fish as well and are not harmful.

I refer to these as copepods or one of the tiny "pods". Ronnie has a tray full of these fellas and they seem real happy inside that tray.  :Laughing:

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## Green Baron

> They're not water fleas, nor are they fish lice. Fish lice aka Argulus, has a disc-like shape with two tiny dots on the top of the shell denoting where the eyes are. (If my memory serves me well that is..  )
> 
> That said, these appear all the time in some tubifex and even daphnia that we get from the shops or farms. They are eaten by fish as well and are not harmful.
> 
> I refer to these as copepods or one of the tiny "pods". Ronnie has a tray full of these fellas and they seem real happy inside that tray.


I just want to make sure they are not some sort of parasite or pest before I feed them to my fish  :Wink:  we plan to examine them under the microscope this weekend  :Wink:

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## stormhawk

I'll be looking forward to some pictures taken via the microscope.  :Wink:

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