Is there such a thing as water fleas?

[Foxie]

I recently purchased a rack of Java Moss and when I put it in the rinsing tank... I noticed some little swimming things that looked like little fleas. Will the fish eat them or should I just dump them?
Thanks for any info.
Foxie

[Jayoneseven]

There are things called Daphnia, which are macroscopic freshwater crustaceans. They look like this:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=daphnia&FORM=HDRSC2
Is this what you're seeing?

[Jayoneseven]

Will the fish eat them or should I just dump them?
Foxie

Yes the fish will eat them, some people use Daphnia as food.

[dr_lew]

+1 to what has already been said. Daphnia are, in fact, nicknamed "water fleas" precisely for the reasons that you have observed. Before the age of pre-packaged fish foods, daphnia were the major go-to food source for fishkeepers, and even today people will cultivate colonies of daphnia on purpose to feed their fish. I am preparing to try just that, myself.

They will harm nothing in your aquarium, and will probably be eaten very quickly by your fish, for whom they will be a healthy and nutritious snack.

[Foxie]

Thanks for posting your thoughts! I'll just drop them in and see what happens!