Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought some floating cork bark at a local reptile shop in North San Diego county. I put it in my 55 gal tank and noticed hundreds of tiny jumping creatures on the surface of the water. They have been there for months. When I siphon the tank they jump off of the bark and cling on the sides or float on the surface until I put the floating bark back. My turtles don't seem to be harmed since the insects don't seem to dive or cling on the turtles underwater.
What are they and how do I get rid of them?

Did you ever find out what they were??? I was curious about this post but I see you havent gotten any replies.

No they are still in there. Been there almost a year now. They just float on top of the water and hop like fleas. When I take the floating wood out, they stay on the waters surface or cling to the side. They are so small that the turtles don't pay them attention or try and eat them. I don't think they harm the turts but I'm afraid they may find their way to the snake cages.

I cant think of anything that they could be...Maybe you should get a rubber maid tub to temporarily put your turts in... take the tank and cork board and every thing else associated with them and clean it good... then leave it out in the sun to bake dry... I would leave the cork board out even longer than eveyr thing else to make sure it gets thoroughly baked. then...Clean the turtles with a soft toothbrush just to make sure they dont have any stowaways.... Make sure every thing is cleaned and started over?? I am thinking that if they are some type of water bug they will either leave or die in the sun. Good luck and let me know how it goes??
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Slow and Steady wins the race...

I used to answer this question on a weekly basis on the amphibian forum. They are either springtails (Colembelids) or, more likely, "booklice" (Psocids). Both are very primitive insects that thrive in moist terrariums and are totally harmless. In fact, they are good food for smaller amphibians. Both hop around, but the springtails have a small spring-like spine under their body to propel them. Look them up on your browser. One state university entomology/insect pest site (forget which one) has actual good photos of the Psocids. Look at them under a high power nagnifying glass to see which they are. I am familiar with both (I have a springtail colony) but I find the Psocids are the most common in terrariums

Hi --

just happened on your post. These are called springtails. They are harmless little bugs that are in the substrate. You can probably eliminate them (at least temporarily) by using fresh substrate in your environment. They are harmless though and just unpleasant to have hopping all over the tank!!

Steve