Microscopic, quite a few ticks? (6)
I believe the answer is:
minute
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'microscopic' is the first definition.
(synonyms)
'quite a few ticks?' is the second definition.
(60 seconds)
(Other definitions for minute that I've seen before include "Very small, like unit of time" , "Little -- 60 18 across" , "It's not very long" , "60 seconds; tiny" , "Brief jotting" .)