Horrible mites and hypoaspis

[vicki]

Hey!!!

I was looking in my tank a few months ago and found maybe 4-5 little white things that i saw moving accross the wall of my vivarium....... i cleaned out thinking it was mites etc and everytime i clean out i find more.... a few nightds ago i found HUNDREDS in my tank.... all in the snail poo, on the food, on the shell, on the glass etc etc........... these are about a pin head size and are smooth movers ... are these mites?

I ordered some hypoaspis thignys from defenders website and they came today ..... ill change all soil etc and give snails a bath .... but im worried incase i add these mites and then suddently all my snails die for some reason due to these little things im adding into my tank! i HATE the thought of bugs in my tank, but will someone please reassure me that my snails will be safe with these in the tank with them!

What if one gets lost inside my snails breathing hole?

It may sound stupid but im so worried about using these!!!

[vicki]

and.... will it do any harm to my snails if they arent mites and the hypoaspis were added to the tank?

[aerliss]

If there's no food source for the hypoaspis they'll simply die off. They eat other small critters and don't seem to bother the snails at all. They're used both by snail and reptile keepers to clear up a variety of infestations; www.petsnails.co.uk/documents/hypoaspis_miles.html

[coyote]

I understand your concern, but I really think your snails are safe if you put the hypoaspis in the tank whether or not the critters you saw are parasitic mites.