Those tiny white mites/bugs in the EE.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 30, 2010 6:27 pm

I don't remember what they're called. Told the were completely harmless. I just changed all off the EE not 3 weeks ago. Probably less. Replaced it with fresh EE and found the entire tank totally covered in the worse infestation of the white grain of salt bugs. I have never seen it that bad before. I haven't fed them any fresh fruit/food since I changed it, no deaths. By fresh food I mean a piece of shrimp, etc.

Even though harmless, I want them gone. Any suggestion to why they are that bad in so little time? I completely rinsed the tank and wiped it out during the deep clean. I'm pretty peeved that I have to dump an entire new tank of EE. Good thing I only put 3 bricks in this time.

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SebbyCrab · Post by **SebbyCrab** » Sun May 30, 2010 6:35 pm

Not really any getting rid of them if they're booklice or woodlice. Other than smooshing what you can. Eventually they just leave.

Post by **wodesorel** » Sun May 30, 2010 6:58 pm

I tore down my tank completely when I got wood lice - boiled and bleached everything but the crabs, and they got three mega-salt-water baths before returning to the sterilized tank that had 100% sand.

A week later and there were mites all over that tank and another brand new tank! Two weeks after that, and the mites disappeared on their own and I haven't seen them since. They have to be able to reproduce in HOURS! And I have no idea what would make them die off.

Honestly, if you want to tear your tank down then go for it if it'll make you feel better, but understand that they could come right back no matter what you do. They're a real pain.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 30, 2010 7:11 pm

I've had these same little bugs before. But when I changed the tank, they were gone. One time when one of my crabs died, it's tail was covered in these white things. I saw a picture of booklice in a post down below. I don't think that's what these things are. I may have bad eyes, but with lenses on I still have to squint to see these things. Not tan colored at all, but definitely white. I've had this happen in my tank 6 times in about 3 yrs. Which isn't all that often, as I've read booklice won't go away. These ones I have do.
Any help would be appreciated.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 30, 2010 7:13 pm

I bought a huge tank just for my 14 little crabs. I'm seriously thinking about downsizing them because of this problem though. A 10 gallon is much easier to clean.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 30, 2010 7:18 pm

This time to give an idea, the ee on the surface of the tank, looks white.

CallaLily · Post by **CallaLily** » Sun May 30, 2010 8:18 pm

I've had these bugs before, they look like tiny walking grains of sand right? I just made sure to remove fresh foods first thing every morning, wiped down the glass once a day, and clean the extra shells and decorations every now and then (like maybe once a week). I also would remove the top layer of substrate now and then and change the water frequently. Eventually they disappeared. Good luck.

Also, I've had these bugs on sand/EE mix and just sand. In case anyone was wondering if it was just an EE thing.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 30, 2010 10:02 pm

They are never on the glass. So just scoop the top layer of ee once in a while? Until all of it is gone?

Now that I really think of it, the reason why I changed it was because I found a tiny pile of those things. Rinsed & washed the tank out. Everything new & cleaned in the tank. Perfect....

...I forgot to give each crab a bath! This is my fault. Thanks guys!

FYI: I fed them a piece of shrimp. They go nuts for it. But I guess I didn't find all the little pieces of the shrimp left. That's the reason for the bugs. That's the reason why I get these things, or, if I find a dead crab.

CallaLily · Post by **CallaLily** » Mon May 31, 2010 9:06 am

SpaceTrash wrote:They are never on the glass. So just scoop the top layer of ee once in a while? Until all of it is gone?

hmmm, maybe the bugs I've had were different. I would always find them near the food dish, on the glass (mostly the glass near the food and water), and floating dead in the water. I think scooping out the top layer, especially near where you're finding them, will help to keep their numbers down.

jeanninehargrdh · Post by **jeanninehargrdh** » Fri Jun 04, 2010 7:59 am

I always get booklice even when I do everything right. Bathing the crabs, cleaning everything, etc. When I do a deep clean I actually prepare an alternate tank so that when the crabs get fresh substrate it goes into a clean tank that has been airing out and standing empty for a while and I still get recurrences. I have started wiping down the inside and outside of the glass 1x/week with salt water, boiling the extra shells 1x/week, disinfecting the cork log and cocohut 1x/week in the microwave, and swapping out fresh moss 1x/week, and doing a salt water mist 1x/week. This has kept them at bay, but I have no hope for a complete elimination. Athough my last weekly clean was Monday and I still haven't seen one since then. When I have them I see them on the glass, on the lid (inside and out) and in the food and water dishes. I only offer food at night and remove it in the morning, and I change my water dishes out every other day. Oh, and when I clean I also leave my thermometer/hydrometer in my freezer overnight.