Aquarium bugs

[esoxlucius]

My own thread has made me think even more about this now. Let's take fish out of the equation so we can't be accused of promoting poor living conditions for them. Let's say we set up a tank with plants and there's a regular ammonia source added, and the tank's allowed to cycle and mature. Maintainance on said tank is virtually non existent. Whatever's going to happen we just allow it to.

First of all we'll get detritus worms, planaria and such. Hydra usually makes an appearance too. The glass and substrate will be rife with them. I think we've all been at that stage at some point in our time in the hobby. But what next? Without maintainance how many other species of these critters will just miraculously appear, seemingly out of nowhere, just like detritus worms, and how many will not naturally appear unless they're manually introduced, for example as hitch hikers on plants?

 

[Arthur11]

Detritus worms thrive in aquariums. They are a natural part of the ecosystem, so there should really be no worry over their existence. However, their rapid growth in numbers is a common indication of inadequate aquarium sanitation.

 

[C. Breeze]

I’m not so sure the ecosystems being described are harmful for fish.

I don’t really do any maintenance on my outside vats other than pull water down in advance of rainstorm or top off with the hose. They are choked With fry and plants and the fish grow faster than they do in conventionally filtered glass “grow out” tanks. Maintenance on this vat will be pulling out about 1/3 of the plants. It looks full enough that it doesn’t need more water.

 

[SourAngelfish]

I've noticed in my tanks lacking smaller grazing species very healthy when it comes to microfauna. I am a big fan of having mulm and leaf litter layers in my tank as it has always added to the tanks look and stability. My tanks are mostly populated by limpets and copepods which I'd assume are healthy? Water quality stays great and no other adverse side affects to the fish.

I do seed my tanks a lot as well, over the summer I will often set pieces of rock outside in one of my ponds, let them grow algae and then eventually infusoria which I add back into the tank. For tanks with small fish they love to pick on these rocks.