Habitat - Outdoor :: help!

[tinkersumx]

there are tiny jumping dots, reddish in color, skimming the top of my pond. Their some sort of insect, i think. They are much too small to tell what they are.
Mr.T wouldn't go back in the water after basking tonight at 10:40pm. I think it has something to do with these insects. Advice anyone?????

[SpotsMama]

I haven't a clue. Sorry.

[scripta_elegans]

if you can get me a pic, I will try to ID it for you.

[tinkersumx]

They don't show up in photos
I only see them at night when the heat lights reflect off the little insects.
I even got a cup of pond water (skimmed off the top) and caught a few. I could barley see them in my bright kitchen lights.

Super strange.

I don't know if this has anything to do with it but my water turned super green and full of algae during the same time.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Maybe their fireflys? Do they even come in red?

[tinkersumx]

We don't have fireflys here. I wish we did, I bet they look really cool!

These things are about half the size of a grain of sand.... TINY!

[SpotsMama]

Here's a link that talks about bright red juvenile mites.

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/olym ... index.html

Here's another that talks about little red specks that are water mites:

http://www.pond-life.us/pond-life-water-mite-1.html

A UV sterilizer will control algae and bacteria and parasites in a pond. It runs like a filter. Cost around $100. Something to think about.

[tinkersumx]

Thanks SpotsMama! I need a microscope to see if those are the same bugs! Sounds very similar though...

I went to the pond store today and they only had the $189 UV things in, they were all out of the $119 ones, Although I doubt I would have bought the cheeper one anyway! That's defiantly not the kind of money I have right now

I did get this stuff called ALGAEFIX by PondCare. It's supposed to treat the green water issue and maybe the bugs.

[marisa]

tinkersmumx, it sounds like you have springtails. www.whatsthatbug.com/springtails.html (Read especially the post about the tiny red insects.)

They live in wet environments and they're harmless. Tilly (my RES) has some in his tank (they seem to come out from under his basking area and hop around in the warm water near it). Sometimes he just lays on the basking area and sticks his head over the edge to "watch" them.

[tinkersumx]

I think you're right!!! The "Snow Fleas" look just like them only red...

Thanks so much for the help!!!