Tuesday Tank Talk: (Non-Aquatic) Bugs!

I think I've found a fly or box elder bug once or twice and various beetles on a few occasions-maybe a June bug in early summer, imported longhorn weevils in mid-late summer and Asian beetles in early fall. I usually remove the bugs when I notice them.
I vaguely recall losing some SW fish in college (~20 years ago) or at least worrying about it because my roommates were intentionally catching flies and trying to feed then to my fish.

 

This spring I had a trail of ants coming through my foundation into the stand around the sump. I treated for ants around the parameter of my home outside and it stopped the brigade but ended up with a bunch of dead ones in and around my sump. I think a lot of them died when they got into the salt creep before I treated.

 

The only bugs I have found in the tank that haven't been eaten are box elder bugs - the fish don't like their flavoring, I guess.

I used to live in an apartment that had a centipede problem in the utility closet - those would get grabbed and tossed into my FW tank where the Buenos Ares tetras would gobble them up.

 

My tanks are all covered so I really have not found any bugs in them. I did find tiny little black bugs in some salt I had in the garage. I have no idea what kind of bug would be in salt? I will make sure the container is closed tighter from now on. I usually put the lid on the bucket and it is fine but this last time the bucket came cracked to pieces.

 

When I was living in Fort Dodge, I'd get box elder bugs in my tank almost daily. Fish never touched them, however! In my crappier apartment in Urbandale, I'd get all sorts of critters falling in the tank. But that's because I pretty much lived in the basement. It wasn't uncommon to catch a centipede, millipede, or spider in the tank on the regular.

Edit: When I kept dart frogs, I'd raise fruit flies. They got in one of my tanks also, but the fish ate them!