Hundreds of tiny white bugs in sump hole

[stebout]

Hello. I noticed what I thought was white sediment floating in my sump hole today. After looking closer I realized it's hundreds of very tiny white bugs and they are alive and moving. They don't appear to be coming up the sides of the sump pit which is good, but I'm not sure if I should be concerned or not. I've been in my home for 15+ years and never seen this before. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve


picture of bugs

 

[Joe31415]

Is that a sump pit? As in it pumps water out from under/around the house so the basement doesn't flood when it rains? Cuz that's what it looks like.

 

[Joe31415]

Also, if this is your house's sump pit, I'd cover it up with something and seal it as well as you can. I'd be concerned that whatever those are, are going to grow either wings or legs and be *everywhere* in your house.

Also, springtails, maybe?
Remember, don't rule out something just because it's not known to live or breed in water. It's possible whatever those are, were living in the soil and got washed into the sump pit.

Maybe toss some bleach down there to kill them.

Also, just for reference, nearly every reference to 'sump' on this site is about a sump tank for an aquarium, not a sump pit for a basement.

 

[stebout]

Also, if this is your house's sump pit, I'd cover it up with something and seal it as well as you can. I'd be concerned that whatever those are, are going to grow either wings or legs and be *everywhere* in your house.

Also, springtails, maybe?
Remember, don't rule out something just because it's not known to live or breed in water. It's possible whatever those are, were living in the soil and got washed into the sump pit.

Maybe toss some bleach down there to kill them.

Also, just for reference, nearly every reference to 'sump' on this site is about a sump tank for an aquarium, not a sump pit for a basement.

Hey Joe...yes sorry for the confusion. This is a sump pit not sump tank for an aquarium. I tossed some bleach in it and killed them, but not sure if they could come back. I'm curious to know what they are to understand if it's a concern or not. They did not appear to be trying to climb their way out, just swimming around on the top of the water.

 

[Joe31415]

Since you put some bleach in there and killed them, my next suggestion would be to fish them out with a net if it looks like they could cause a problem in the pump, but also, I'd run the pump to empty the sump as much as I could, then fill it back up with fresh water and repeat that a few times. I'm not sure how much bleach you used or how much of a problem it could cause, but I (personally) wouldn't want bleach sitting in my sump pit, oxidizing any metal componants it comes in contact with until the next time it rains hard enough to flush it out.
In fact, that's actually the reason I don't run any of my aquariums' drain pumps to my sump pit even though it would be much easier. I just can't imagine it's a good idea to have salt water sitting in there all the time.

 

[stebout]

Since you put some bleach in there and killed them, my next suggestion would be to fish them out with a net if it looks like they could cause a problem in the pump, but also, I'd run the pump to empty the sump as much as I could, then fill it back up with fresh water and repeat that a few times. I'm not sure how much bleach you used or how much of a problem it could cause, but I (personally) wouldn't want bleach sitting in my sump pit, oxidizing any metal componants it comes in contact with until the next time it rains hard enough to flush it out.
In fact, that's actually the reason I don't run any of my aquariums' drain pumps to my sump pit even though it would be much easier. I just can't imagine it's a good idea to have salt water sitting in there all the time.

Thanks for the feedback Joe. I've had a lot of rain where I'm located so the pump has been running quite a bit for the last 24hrs. There should be no more bleach in the pit. I'm still curious if anyone knows what they might be. For now I will monitor. Much appreciated.