|
Grrrr
Jan 7, 2006 19:52:02 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 7, 2006 19:52:02 GMT
Well I'm not a happy bunny. I was just putting my new hygrometers into the tanks and taking some pics, I did the margie and dimi tank no problems but when I got to the iredalei and smithii tank I noticed Carson had loads of "things" crawling on him!! Now I know there are loads of mites posts, but I need precise instructions lol. I am assuming they are mites. They were teeny tiny and some were brown, some were light (they got on my camera too!! !!) I don't know if gnat/fly larvae is like this? I still have the damn things in my room, I just haven't noticed them in the snail tanks since I covered them again. Whatever they are I need to get rid of them obviously. Now, I know to clean the snails and the tank (I'm only doing the one I have seen them in tonight as doing them all this late will kill me) but what do I put back in? What they have is capillary matting, moss (on the floor and in a tub), some fake plants, a bowl and that hamster house thing. Should any of that go back in? Should I throw the moss and matting away? Or can I just wash the mattting? You guys who've mites, did you do anything else? Thanks all Ugh now I keep thinking they're on me still. Ugh. P.S Does anyone know if they can pass to other animals?
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 7, 2006 20:00:33 GMT
Post by sonicsnail on Jan 7, 2006 20:00:33 GMT
but what do I put back in? What they have is capillary matting, moss (on the floor and in a tub), some fake plants, a bowl and that hamster house thing. Should any of that go back in? Should I throw the moss and matting away? Or can I just wash the mattting? I would throw the moss away and the matting. All I can think of is to put new clean matting and moss back in. I would also pour boiling water on to the fake plants and bowl etc. Once, within one day loads of mites appeared from nowhere! OMG it was scary lol! They weren't just inside the tank, they were on the furniture near the tank! OMG I was freaked out lol, I thought I was going to be infested with these mite things. I cleared them up and used loads of bug spray on the shelves nearby the tank. Bearing in mind this was like 4 years ago, that has never happened again...thank God for that! Also, bath the snail every day to make sure all the mites are gone.
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 7, 2006 20:04:41 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 7, 2006 20:04:41 GMT
That's what these have done!! I took pics of Carson, Roberto and Francesco the other day and there wasn't anything on them! But now poor Carson is covered! I didn't hold the other two long enough to see, but if they're on him they will probably be everywhere else. ....... @ on the furni. That really makes me feel better! Rofl. That better not happen to me 'cause I can't use any sprays in here!! It's a good thing I bought the big lot of matting I'm not sure if I want to put more moss in incase they breed in it, I think other people have had that happen? Ugh *itchy itchy* stupid icky things.
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 7, 2006 20:19:49 GMT
Post by sonicsnail on Jan 7, 2006 20:19:49 GMT
Ugh *itchy itchy* stupid icky things. Are you saying that they are on you?!?!?! Oh, as for the furniture, the mites only went on a shelf. However, who knows what could have happened if I didn't discover them then! They could have overrun the house! Then taken over the world! ....Ok maybe not that, but still! How are you going to clean them out? Like do you do them outside? Isn't it going to be a bit dark outside? Also, I forgot to say, if you are only doing one tank tonight then don't put it anywhere near the other tanks, they may be infested.
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 7, 2006 20:42:49 GMT
Post by sezzy5889 on Jan 7, 2006 20:42:49 GMT
one of my margies became infested with mites once they looked almost like minature versions of ticks but about 1mm and they were only on one snails ven though there were 3 others in the tank too
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 7, 2006 20:57:15 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 7, 2006 20:57:15 GMT
They got on my hand, but I squished them (and have washed with 2 hand washes now lol), but it's just a feeling people get when they talk/see something like mites/fleas/head lice etc. They feel that they're on them and feel gross and itchy even if they're not on them lol. Rofl @ the world. I wonder if they would have though.. I don't know what they need to survive so they might just die out on furniture? Well that's one tank cleaned and boiled lol. I put the matting and the moss in the bin and ran everything else under the boiling hot tap (except the snails lol I don't like escargot ). It's made the humidity in the tank go sky high lol. I clean them out in the bath tub, it's way too cold outside -all- the time for me to stand there cleaning out snails lol. Unfortunately the tank -has- to go back near the others, the only space for them is on the wavy shelf unit (Or wavy snail unit as it's sometimes called lol) I didn't see any on the margies or dimis thankfully and I didn't go into any of the other tanks after I'd found them in this one, but I'll do all the other tomorrow anyway. Some might get to the other tanks anyway as they hitched a ride on my camera when I put it back on the shelf All they have now is matting, I don't want to risk anything else. And I'll bath them again tomorrow. I have to say this matting from Focus is GREAT! It's so much softer than the stuff I had before and it takes the water in quicker and easier too. It's lovely ;D I would think Carsons shell was rough because of these things, but it's been like it for -ages- and these things have only just appeared. Hopefully it wont take too long to get rid of them. If they can appear as fast as lightning lets hope they can go just as quick Sarah, did it take long for those to go? I didn't notice any on the smithii. I didn't hold them for as long as Carson and they do have dark shells so might have been hard to see, but none came off onto my hand. These are long and about 2-3mm. They're gross whatever they are I really hope they can't pass to dogs or anything
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 7, 2006 21:04:55 GMT
Post by sezzy5889 on Jan 7, 2006 21:04:55 GMT
Yes mine where gone after i cleaned the snails and their tank out, and yes that matting is lovely isn't it, it's the same stuff as i use, it's white on the bottom isn't it? :-)
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 7, 2006 21:13:18 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 7, 2006 21:13:18 GMT
That's good to know ;D Maybe this will be the same *Crosses everything*
And yep that's the stuff! ;D Oooh it really is lovely lol. Rofl @ me going funny over matting. Hahaha. No seriously, it is GREAT compared to the stuff in the other tanks and what I threw away. That was just like.. carpet without the rubber backing I would say. It held water, but compared to this stuff it was crap lol.
Now I might be able to get my tanks as wet as yours and Lisa's lol. Ooooooo maybe Freddie will stop randomly sealing himself on this stuff too!
*Excited about capillary matting* Lmfao.
These mites/things have really p**sed me off though. I'd just gotten rid of the flies from my tanks (having them in my room still I can deal with) and then these sh**ty things come along!! Grrrrrrrrr
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 7, 2006 21:15:15 GMT
Post by sezzy5889 on Jan 7, 2006 21:15:15 GMT
rofl @ you and the matting, hehe
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 8, 2006 0:05:28 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 8, 2006 0:05:28 GMT
Well so much for a quick ending. I just checked the other tanks and they're in there too. Well, all but the fulica tanks (rodatzi & normal) I must have jinxed myself earlier as I still have the stupid gnats in the fulica tank. But only that one It's covered like the others but they've left the others and not this one. They never went into the rodatzi one though, even though it's uncovered. Could these things be baby gnats? Could some have stayed in the tanks, laid eggs/whatever and then died/escaped? There were LOADS on the cuttlefish. They were on the panthera too but not the retis, and not on their flowerpot. On the cuttlefish they were all black ones, and on the panthera there was small light brown ones and then bigger brown ones and black ones. I would think they're on the dimis too now as they were sat on the cuttlefish before I picked it up to look at. They weren't on the flowerpot in that tank either though. As far as I could see, and I did only look very quickly, the fulica tank only has the gnats. I couldn't check the cuttlefish as they don't have any, they have the tunnel instead, but that was smush so I couldn't check that either. I also had a quick look in the rodatzi tank and there isn't anything in there that I can see, crawlies or gnats. I will be cleaning all the tanks out tomorrow anyway as I said, but does anyone have any idea what these might be? Paul, (or someone else with bug knowledge lol I never remember who's answered what, sorry!) could they be baby gnats? The only thing I remember reading about them is that they like damp substrate, which is how I know they started in my plants. (I always over or under water, and it's normally over ) The only other reasons I can think of is that they're from the food as they've all had the same (cabbage then lettuce, red cabbage and carrot from a bag -all- washed), or that the cuttlefish has "gone bad" BUT why haven't the rodatzi got anything? If I find some in the rodatzi tank tomorrow then both those theorys might be true lol Anyway, will clean everyone tomorrow and let you know what happens. Grrr. The novelty of the matting has been worn away by grumpyness rofl
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 9, 2006 9:14:19 GMT
Post by Paul on Jan 9, 2006 9:14:19 GMT
I'm not sure what they are because your descriptions sound like a few different things. As you have found them on otherwise healthy snails they do sound like mites. Fly larvae, those weird tick things a few people have had and springtails tend not to get on the snails.
The mites I have seen are fast moving and really, really small, like fullstops. I tried to squash one with my fingers but it survived, that's how small and tough they are. They can look different colours depending on how they contrast with their background. Knock some onto some white paper to see what colour they really are. You mentioned varying sizes and that strikes me as odd for mites. They obviously do come in different sizes but they are so small any difference hardly stands out and yet you mentioned it.
Cleaning is the only way for now, and showering the snails. Bathing won't work if they are mites because they can and do swim back to the snails, I've seen them do it. Sterilise everything. The mites will probably come back a few times because they can hide under the collar of the shell and inside the pneumostome. The only sure way to get them all is to get some Hypoaspis miles predatory mites. I haven't tried a weak solution of melafix on the mites, I had none then, but during the illness, I tried bathing them in melafix, made slighty under the strength suggested for aquatic life. It caused them no problems at all so if you have some try it on the mites. You never know, it may just kill them and you can use it to cleanse your snails.
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 9, 2006 12:27:07 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 9, 2006 12:27:07 GMT
Thanks for that Paul. Hopefully I can explain things a bit better.. I'll try anyway lol. They were bigger than fullstops definitely, but they were still tiny. For the "real" size, the closest thing on the keyboard to it is the equals sign = the biggest were about that long, and the smaller ones on the cuttlefish were about the size of this dash - Not much difference but they were definitely smaller. I saw them in 3 different colours, and the cuttlefish is white so can I not do the paper thing lol? *Really doesn't want to have to go near them again!* They were black on the cuttlefish and brown and light brown/cream on the snails I saw them on. Everyone was cleaned out yesterday and got run under the tap (with the flow strong) before I cleaned the tank and then again before I put them back into it. I quickly ran them under it upside down too in case there were any on their bodies. All they have is the matting except the rodatzi tank which has part of the hamster house in. There were still some "strange" things though. There definitely wasn't -anything- in the rodatzi tank when I cleaned them out yet they've always been uncovered and then the fulica tank only had the adult gnats still. There was also still a gnat in the panthera and reti tank when I opened it to clean. They were still only on the cuttlefish and panthera. No where else. (And before I cleaned their tank out they had been only on the iredalei and not the smithii) Yet the dimis had been sitting on the cuttlefish with the black things before I changed it! There were also still none on any of the flowerpots or plants that I could see. I thought they might have been the gnats because of the dampness mainly. There were none in the fulica tanks and both of them are much dryer than the others so it kinda makes sense that they wouldn't lay eggs in there, -but- it doesn't make total sense as there weren't even adult gnats in the rodatzi tank**, but there were still loads in the fulica tank. I read that their larvae are clear or white with black heads, but what they eat can be seen through them, so I thought their different colours could be to do with that. I thought they might be eating the moss or something as they're meant to eat plant roots. I didn't see them really really close up though so couldn't see if they had black heads. But the way the larvae looked they couldn't move like these did. And you said they don't normally go on the snails, so that stuffs it really lol. That might explain why they weren't all over the tank though. Maybe lol. I also wondered if it was to do with the cuttlefish being too damp or something. The fulica tank had the tunnel instead and the rodatzi's cuttlefish stayed drier. So that kinda fitted too lol. Can anything like that happen? To me these things looked like tiny caterpillars that moved like flies. Don't know whether that explained anymore or just repeated my confusion from before lol. I checked everyone again last night around 8pm and there wasn't anything on any of them so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. I've given them part of the calcium fun tunnel for now until I've checked the cuttlefish out properly. I just want to exclude that as a cause also. I do have melafix though!! Huzzah the expensive stuff comes in handy lol. How much weaker did you make it? If I can get a picture, would you be able to identify them? Oh and for the sterilizing, can I do it the same way we do the fish stuff? In a bucket with a sterilizing tablet? And a good wash off of course. **Edited to add, I just looked and saw a gnat in the rodatzi tank. But they hadn't been in there before. I swear they do this just to p**s me off *Will now be covering that tank too*
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 9, 2006 17:49:40 GMT
Post by eric2 on Jan 9, 2006 17:49:40 GMT
did they have forked tails because when i first bout the panthera there were whit things pretty big compared to mites crawling all over them but they dissapeared after two days
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 9, 2006 18:14:24 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 9, 2006 18:14:24 GMT
I don't think so. Were the tails obvious without looking really close at them?
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 9, 2006 18:17:17 GMT
Post by eric2 on Jan 9, 2006 18:17:17 GMT
yes they were big though about _____ that long
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 9, 2006 18:36:07 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 9, 2006 18:36:07 GMT
I don't think so then. I said in the other post that these were about = and - long. I couldn't see anything like that from about 2" away.
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 9, 2006 18:40:40 GMT
Post by eric2 on Jan 9, 2006 18:40:40 GMT
i thought that yours could be babies? because these mites are in the tank everytime i go down
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 9, 2006 18:44:42 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 9, 2006 18:44:42 GMT
But why would they only just show up now? I bought the panthera from you ages ago.
Even if it's not to do with the panthera I still don't know why they suddenly appeared. It's very annoying lol.
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 10, 2006 23:32:56 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 10, 2006 23:32:56 GMT
*Does a quiet happy dance* *Also whispers quietly incase they hear her* . So far so good. I haven't been bathing them as I wanted to see if they would come back (and I didn't want to have to lug everyone downstairs again if they didn't need it!), and yesterday and today when I checked them there wasn't a single thing on them ;D. Soo... maybe I've been lucky and they're gone totally now? I hope so anyway. Still no idea how they got there though.
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 11, 2006 15:50:47 GMT
Post by sonicsnail on Jan 11, 2006 15:50:47 GMT
Maybe they had eggs that didn't hatch until now???
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 11, 2006 16:06:51 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 11, 2006 16:06:51 GMT
Mmm I thought of that, but what I meant mostly was if they're not the gnats then how did they get in there? The only things that went into all the tanks in the days and weeks before I found these things, was food. And all of it was washed properly. So how do these "things" just randomly appear?!
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 11, 2006 16:35:25 GMT
Post by Paul on Jan 11, 2006 16:35:25 GMT
I've been wondering the same thing. These worm things keep appearing now. They seem to be found the most on any food that it starting to turn. It baffles me how they get there. I clean everything, bin the substrate, sterilise the tanks and start again, and they appear again. I know mites can be brought in on air-currents, perhaps the eggs can come in on us or food going into the tanks.
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 11, 2006 16:37:47 GMT
Post by sonicsnail on Jan 11, 2006 16:37:47 GMT
OMG! Maybe they are on the furniture! Like what happened that time ages ago, but maybe you haven’t noticed?? They could escape the tanks and on to surrounding objects then go back in to the tanks and so on.
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 11, 2006 16:44:15 GMT
Post by section8angel on Jan 11, 2006 16:44:15 GMT
Well I think I'd notice if they were on the furni in mine as it's mainly all covered with other stuff that I touch and look at and pick up etc nearly every day lol. The cabbage I put in for mine had been in there a few days, it wasn't going off which is why I left it there. I wanted them to at least try and eat some of it, which some did in the end. The other cabbage and the lettuce and carrot I took out the next day though. What they'd left of it that is. But these were all on the cuttlefish, and then 2 out of the 16 snails. That's it. No where else (They might have been on the moss but I didn't check it I just binned it) And the cabbage was still in there but there were none on it I'm still baffled as to why the fulica tanks still only had gnats and not these things. Could it have been because they were drier?
|
|
|
Grrrr
Jan 11, 2006 16:48:36 GMT
Post by sonicsnail on Jan 11, 2006 16:48:36 GMT
Ok, well the furniture idea may not be true. How about the mites or whatever they are being carried by the snails. If not the actual mites then maybe the eggs? Or could they be inside the snail, like inside the breathing hole thing?
|
|