Ladybugs

[fish 'n crays]

I always find them on the surface of my tank and stuck to the powerheads. I doubt there are any problems caused by the ladybugs, but they can be a real nusiance. I have glass covers on the tank now, but i would probably remove them if i get metal halides. Are there any ways to keep the ladybugs out of my tank? has anyone else had this problem? They might just be attracted to the lights. They can get really annoying now, and it's not even summer.

[aquaman67]

I watched one drop into my tank and my clown fish ate it.

She spit it out and then I scooped it out.

Use a vacuum cleaner to get them out of your house. Go one ladybug patrol for several days and anytime you see one.

[nemofish2217]

man....thats funny....i seem to have the same problem.....i will look in my tank or sump every now and then and low and behold, a lady bug....i dont really worry about it....just get it out if i can...if i cant, well, im sure something in the tank will eat it....

[SVTour]

I see them in my overflow filter bags every now and then. Hopefully this doesn't become an issue, since my fish room is a converted porch.

No problems as of yet though...knock on wood.

[atkinsg]

And here I was thinking I was the only one with ladybugs in the tank. We should form a support group :)

[cutsupremetrib]

lol ihave them all the time lol

[masson]

Just saw one today in my tank , I have no idea how it got in the house or where it came from, its 27 degrees out and the highs are around 45.......

[jwedehase]

Weird! This must be an east coast thing. I've never seen anything like that land in my tank. I've actually never seen a ladybug inside a house, ever!

This makes me wonder what other sorts of oddities we all deal with that other regions take for granted.

[sunfish11]

I also have this issue though they aren't ladybugs, they look like them, but they are Japanese beetles. They swarm in the fall and hide in nooks and cranny's during the winter. As soon as the weather warms up even a little, they wake up and comit suicide in the tank. I only worry because A. they smell bad B. they bite and C. I worry about toxins they may release into the tank. I just try to get them out when I see them. I have also had some box elder bugs crash land in the tank.

[Dubbin1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6813369#post6813369 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquaman67
I watched one drop into my tank and my clown fish ate it.

She spit it out and then I scooped it out.

LOL I had the same thing happen with my female GSM clown.

[Dubbin1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6814294#post6814294 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sunfish11
I also have this issue though they aren't ladybugs, they look like them, but they are Japanese beetles.

Whats funny about this is that my daughter and I were discussing these nasty little creatures just a few hours ago.

[codybug]

No ladybugs - but alot of crickets. lol

[huladaman]

Its a strange problem with some different types of beetles. Usually after the first cold night in October, they will congregate on a warm area looking for a place to overwinter.... This is usually a crack or overhang somewhere on your house. While most of them basically hibernate throughout the winter months, some will still stay active because of the warmth of the house..... these are the ones that end up somehow popping up in the oddest of places. They do have a chemical they excrete for defensive purposes, but it shouldnt have any effect on your aquariums. My old house had hundreds of them on our windows about that time and they would somehow work their way inside where a vacuum works the best..... unless you are a bug dork like me who practices catch and release. They are great for your garden and will eat all kinds of pesky insects.

[schristi69]

I had a cricket end up in my tank once. A hermit half its size made short work of it. I don't know where that crab put it all but it ate the whole thing.

[Leviathan]

They are a huge problem every year around this time here in central Alabama as well. Before I moved here i lived in Myrtle Bch. SC, and they were never an issue. But since moving here I dread this time of year because of them. I typically find a lot inside the hood or in the tank daily for several weeks. Then as quickly as it started it stops.

Good luck with them!

[coralsandbar]

We had a lady bug invasion down here in Georgia. I've found several in the sump or floating on top of water.

Hasn't hurt my tank at all.

Rob

[integlikewhoa]

Damn. You guys should try moving you tank indoors. I keep mine in my living room. LOL

I dont have any problems with anything here. Do you guys have screens on your windows and doors? I just cant picture them flying around inside.

[Leviathan]

No matter what you do,,,they get in here.

[coralsandbar]

My tank is indoors in the front room. I imagine the ladybugs get in our air vent (near the roof) and slowly migrated downstairs.

We had thousands of them. Same thing happened at my work when I lived in Indiana.

[alten78]

ha, sunfish11 is right on...those suckers bite like a mother too. Hate smashing them cuz they do stink so bad. Always have them around the house, but when I had my quad if i stopped for a second in the field id get swarms biting like crazy.

[magnum420]

We get them pretty bad here in NC... The farmers out in the country release them in their fields to control other bugs. No matter how well you seal your house they still seem to get in.

They will spend the winters in the houses around here. On the bright side, they do not eat wood do they so not do any damage to you house, but they sure do bite.

I've seen them in my tank from time to time and they have never been eaten, or done any damage.

[fish 'n crays]

My tank's in the basement with one door and no windows...they must get throught crawlspaces under the porch and come in... then in the spring and summer...everywhere...i think its the japanese beetles that bite...