FAQs on Freshwater Worms of All Sorts, Compatibility/Control

FAQs on Freshwater Worms of All Sorts, Compatibility/Control

Related Articles: Invertebrates for Freshwater Aquariums by Neale Monks, Choose Your Weapon: Freshwater Fish Disease Treatment Options by Neale Monks,

Leech... all parasitic

Planaria snail control ? 5/29/13
I'm ashamed to admit it but carelessly let some pond snails into the tank with a plant introduction. It's not a huge problem, just occasionally get some baby pond snails on the glass which I scrunch out by hand. It's never become as much of a problem as I feared and maybe this is the reason, but I've never read about this anywhere else? While watching the tank through a magnifying glass the other day, I saw a planarian. I know at least one lives in there but as long as it's just a couple I can live with that. In fact, it turns out to be good, maybe …
<Maybe…>
Anyway, watching it and suddenly zoom ! this guy/girl kicks into overdrive and rushes across the tank and throws a boa-constrictor hold on a tiny incipient pond snail pest. They can actually move pretty fast. Why it chose that one is another mystery, there were a few others in between that he/she ignored. I watched while it wrapped around and around the baby pond snail, then eventually the snail was gone. The juvenile pond snail looked to be bigger than the planarium but eventually it vanished. Then I went to the reference shelf of the world and found that the mouth of a planarian is in the middle of its body. That explains the wraparound.
<Indeed it does.>
I don't imagine most people would want to introduce Planaria into the aquarium to keep down the snail population but I found it fascinating, and now like the Planaria more than previously :) The world is pretty interesting, yes ?
<Quite so, and I've never seen this behaviour nor heard of it. As you rightly point out, people who dislike snails probably won't want to add a bunch of flatworms, but it's good that your aquarium seems to have some sort of ecological balance. This is something marine aquarists strive for, but freshwater aquarists rarely consider. Thanks for writing in with this interesting observation. Cheers, Neale.>

Please Help with these worms 9/10/11
I could really use your advise with these worms in my aquarium. I have read through hundreds of other posts and answers on here, and just when I think it may be one type, I get thinking it sort of sounds like another. I have a 35gal freshwater tank, with only 6 neon's and a little feeder fish. I have always had an aquarium, but got this one up and running with these specific fish nearly 6 months ago, and have had no problems at all. A few days ago while feeding, I noticed little black worm type things. They are about this long (---) and very thin, so too small for me to see legs or anything, and just squiggle around.
The ONLY place I see them is on the top piece of glass of the tank, like the lid...but the inside of it. (So stuck to the inside of the glass lid, hanging above the water, squiggling around). None are actually in the water itself. I did a nice little scrub, and there were no signs of anymore, but then were back again today. Not sure what these are, where they came from, or how to get rid of them...any suggestions?
<When you have the tank drained down a bit for water changing, just take a white paper towel or napkin and wipe them away.>
Thank you for your help,
Teresa
<These may be some sort of Tubificid or even insect larvae... but doubtful they are dangerous to your livestock or you. Bob Fenner>
Please Help with these worms, Neale's go 9/10/11
I could really use your advise with these worms in my aquarium. I have read through hundreds of other posts and answers on here, and just when I think it may be one type, I get thinking it sort of sounds like another. I have a 35gal freshwater tank, with only 6 neon's and a little feeder fish.
I have always had an aquarium, but got this one up and running with these specific fish nearly 6 months ago, and have had no problems at all. A few days ago while feeding, I noticed little black worm type things. They are about this long (---) and very thin, so too small for me to see legs or anything, and just squiggle around. The ONLY place I see them is on the top piece of glass of the tank, like the lid...but the inside of it. (So stuck to the inside of the glass lid, hanging above the water, squiggling around). None are actually in the water itself. I did a nice little scrub, and there were no signs of anymore, but then were back again today. Not sure what these are, where they came from, or how to get rid of them...any suggestions?
Thank you for your help,
Teresa
<Hi Tessa. These worms are probably free-living nematodes. They're harmless. They're feeding on tiny particles of organic detritus and thrive in damp conditions. So keeping the hood dry, improving ventilation, and cleaning away any detritus like algae and food particles should reduce their numbers. Cheers, Neale.>

strange worms in my guppy tank 11/13/10
Ok I have these tiny little white worms in my male guppy tank but let me give you some background. I recently bought some very pretty fancy males and introduced them into my 60 gallon tank. After a bit of a go at my females I placed them into my 5 gallon "male" tank with my other males.
<Too small a volume for these fish>
Within a month some of my females along with some platys in my tank began to swell and look like a pinecone and die. I looked it up and dropsy was what I found.
<A descriptive term, summat like "colds" in humans... Of various etiologies... causes>
Right after dealing with that and dealing with my last case of dropsy I noticed one male in my small tank mysteriously died. It was one of the pretty new males. I assumed it was killed by the other males and dipped him out and thought nothing of it until a couple days later I noticed a tiny cone shaped snail in my male tank. Within two weeks of that my male tank had many snails. Just today I looked in my male tank that I had not looked closely at for a couple days and was shocked to find thousands if not hundreds of thousands of very tiny little white worms that you have to look hard at to even notice. I also noticed a dead male in the bottom of my tank. Since then my males have acted strange. Just sitting there, not very
interested in eating when they are usually ravenous. I grabbed an eye loupe 10x magnification and looked closer at the worms and they were so tiny I had to grab another and stick them together and then I could see that the worms appeared segmented, grayish splotchy white, and have flat heads. The swim through the water like snakes and inch along the glass like caterpillars. They also seem to distress the snails greatly, they will stick onto the snail and the snail will shake its shell violently
<?!>
until the worms are detached. A month before this I had white apple snails that ALL died mysteriously. I have battled these little buggers before and the only way I defeated them was to take out my fish completely break down my tank and pour boiling water over my gravel and let it sit and dry in the sun for a couple of days. I never saw them again until just now with the strange appearance of snails and they are only in the male tank that has the snails they seem to be contained there. I don't know if they have anything to do with the dropsy
<Doubtful... but the dead, dying fish likely provide/d food for the worms>
I figured I would mention it just in case. I tried to take a photo but the worms are so tiny they would not photograph at all. So far three dead males that died without any physical deformities and six dead females claimed by dropsy most of which are guppies. I currently have 4 tanks: my large tank, my male tank, a Betta tank with a single Betta, and a fry tank. I now fear for my tiny fry for a snail just showed up in their tank as well as my Betta tank, all of the small tanks are side by side. Please tell me what these aggressive worms may be, how to get rid of them, and what danger they pose to my fish. Also please note I have treated my tank with malachite green and it did nothing.
<Not useful here>
Under the advice of a very prolific fish breeder I loaded my tank down with aquarium salt which did no harm to the fish but also none to the worms. I have vacuumed the gravel just to have to worms return to great numbers within a week, I have tried parasite clear when I had the first case years ago and it didn't help but I am not entirely sure these worms are the same.
Please help.
<The worms can be easily killed... Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/AnthelminthicsFWF.htm
and here re Guppy disease:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gupdisf4.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Please Help! Worms Swimming in the Water 2/25/09 Hello, I have a serious problem. There is some sort of parasitic worm in my tank and I searched and searched on line for what it could be but it doesn't look or sound like ANYTHING I hear!! I don't know what to do. I've had the tank now for a little while and I'm just starting to have this problem. Its a normal 10-15 gallon tank (I'm not quiet sure the size exactly) I have about 7 or so fish and one recently had babies not too long ago. Unfortunately only about 10 survived. They are growing well, all the fish are eating well, some have gotten a little fat but no "bloated". None seem to be swimming weird, none have spots or anything on them...but yet I see little worms, almost impossible to see, swimming in the water from time to time. They are very thin, almost as thin as a human hair, are a whitish color, and seem to be the same size from front to back. They don't seem to be bothering the fish, they tend to hide in the gravel and only come out when I have left the light out over night, or disturb the gravel. At first I thought it was the water, but I put conditioner in my water & let it sit for 24-48 hours to dechlorinize before adding it to my tank. Then I thought it was maybe from the baby fish that died or excess wastes at the bottom, so I cleaned the gravel (as best I could) and treated it with a "fizzer" tablet for parasites...Obviously nothing has worked so I started my search on line & hopefully will end it with you. PLEASE HELP! Thanks, Ariel < If these worms were parasitic then you would see them on the fish. Your question actually states that they are not a problem with the fish. They probably came from the gravel or from some live plants. They can be easily eliminated using Fluke-Tabs.-Chuck>

Re: Please Help! FW worms... ridding though unnecessary 2/25/09 "<If these worms were parasitic then you would see them on the fish. Your question actually states that they are not a problem with the fish. They probably came from the gravel or from some live plants. They can be easily eliminated using Fluke-Tabs.-Chuck>" Using Fluke-Tabs On Swimming Worms Thank you very much for your prompt response. I am new to having a fish tank although my mother has had a 55 gallon tank of freshwater tropical fish since I was a small child & I was beginning to get very concerned for my fish. I will most definitely try that, but I have just one more question. How long after the parasite treatment tabs should I wait to use the Fluke-Tabs, or can I do it immediately? Thank you again for your help, I appreciate it deeply. (Now I can rest at ease a little more knowing my poor little fishies aren't going to die from some wiggly worm) =]Ariel < Do a water change and then treat with the Fluke-Tabs-Chuck>

Red Worms In Aquarium, FW, /driftwood 1/7/09 Dear WetWebMedia Crew: After searching through dozens of answered questions on your site, I have not found an exact answer to my "problem." If the same question has already been asked, I'm terribly sorry! So here's my tank issue(s): Tonight I came home from a two week vacation to find some dreaded snails--the small, tiny ones that reproduce like rabbits on steroids--in my 37-gallon freshwater tank. I realized they must have come in on the driftwood that I had purchased from a LFS just before I left for vacation. I mentally kicked myself for not quarantining it. <Okay... not the end of the world... I assure you> In an attempt to rid myself of some of the snails, I removed two of the three pieces of driftwood and soaked them in cold tap water, hoping that maybe the chlorine might kill them off <Need a higher concentration... http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/rkwdusefaqs.htm> . After soaking for a few hours, I removed the wood and drained the water only to find these tiny red worms wriggling in my sink! They were thread-like and only about a 1/2 centimeter or so in length. There is no way I could have taken a clear picture of them with my camera. I'd need an DSLR camera to zoom in that closely! <These also are likely not much of a problem> I immediately rushed to the computer to figure out what they could be. Most sites and postings I found seemed to think they were harmless nematodes <More likely Annelids but still, not likely a worry> that could be kept under control with water changes and gravel siphoning. However, I came across some postings that warned of the Camallanus worm. <Are definitely not these... would have to come in via a fish host> I searched for pictures of this said worm and found some disturbing photos of red worms hanging from the vents of fish. This would not have been a concern since none of my fish seemed to have any sort of anal issues or visible worms, but then it hit me. A week before I left, I had returned an Australian rainbowfish to a LFS that seemed to have a rectal prolapse or something. Something (that was not feces) was protruding slightly from its anus, and two, very thin red lines (spikes almost) came out of the vent as well. They looked almost like blood vessels, but I returned him just in case it was an illness. I had kept him, along with two other Australian rainbowfish, in a quarantine tank when I initially bought them. I returned the odd one because I didn't want to introduce him to my big tank just before I left on vacation, only to return to find everyone belly up! (I apologize for the novel...) So my questions are: What exactly could those red worms that I found in my driftwood be? <Most probably species of roundworms... not pathogenic/parasitic> Could they be harmful? <Very doubtful> If so, what should my course of action be? <Just usual maintenance... likely siphoning your gravel will remove most, and those that might remain are very likely of more use than deleterious.> And if what that A. rainbowfish had was indeed a Camallanus worm infection, could he have infected my other two A. rainbowfish that are now in my 37 gallon tank with everyone else?? <Mmm, a possibility, though again, quite remote> Unfortunately, I have found no information on the Camallanus worm's life cycle. <Is posted about on the Net...> I have read that if the fish are doing well, any worms you find probably aren't harmful, but I'm paranoid--I love these guys! Also, I do have a few live bearers in my tank (one plumetail platy, one blue platy and two of her babies, three guppies, and a balloon belly molly). I read on your site that the Camallanus worm is not uncommon in livebearers purchased in the US... <Correct> I really appreciate your time and effort! Thank you in advance, Chelsea <Thank you for writing so well... lucidly, completely. I assure you that your situation is not dire... There is very likely nothing to be overly concerned about here. If this were my system, I would do nothing overt here. NOT move these fishes, NOT place a chemical treatment. Bob Fenner>

Help! Little wormy things 9/25/08 Hello, I just realized that in my baby guppy tank that there are these hair like worms that I can barely see. They are always vertical and they squirm around like a snake. Umm...they are white and they are about 1/8 of an inch. Are there any medications? I don't want to lose all of my baby guppies. Please reply quickly! -Sarah <Almost certainly harmless nematodes of some sort. They do thrive in dirty tanks, so seeing them is more likely a warning that you don't keep your tank clean than anything else. Cheers, Neale.>

"Slash" our Oscar, concerns w/ "worms" in the tank 8/12/08 we got an Oscar about 4 months ago, and he has come around pretty quick! he is an amazing fish, as he is our first Oscar. he has had these little "worm" looking things on the inside of the tank, they are extremely small, and move around. they have not attached to him, and don't seem to be bugging him, but they are driving me absolutely crazy!! we feed him a high grade pellet food, and about 1-2 times a week he gets frozen treats like meal worms, or brine shrimp. he is in a 55gal tank, with a power filter for 50-60 gal (up grading to a canister filter), we also do about a 30 % water change weekly. I know its hard without seeing it, but what could these "worms" be? and how the heck to we get raid of them!? thanks for the help!! Desiree, Todd and "slash" <The "worms" are most likely Planarians, in other words flatworms. They feed on the food you've given the Oscar. As you know, Oscars are very messy fish. The fine particles they produce get everywhere, especially if the tank is inadequate and water changes are infrequent. In both regards, you're at fault here: cichlids need BIG filters, and you should be using a filter offering NOT LESS than 6 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. Forget about the rating on the box telling you X filter is for Y sized tank... these estimates are based on best-case situations where a tank contains few, small fish, Neons for example -- not Oscars! You also should be doing AT LEAST 50% water change per week, with the gravel cleaned on a regular basis. It's the stuff you're not removing that the Planarians are eating. While harmless in themselves, they're a "wake up call" telling you of an underlying problem. Long term, excessive nitrate in the water will lead to issues such as Hole in the Head that are a real bother to treat. So please, upgrade your tank (too small for adult Oscars), upgrade your filter, and step up the water changes. Do this and the Planarians should fade away in time. Do see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/oscars.htm Cheers, Neale.>

Mystery FW Worms Hi Guys. This is Alvin here. I am currently keeping a Scleropages jardinei together with a Pleco in a 50 gallon tank( inclusive of a sump tank). My feeding has been kept to minimal and no leftovers are noticed. However, I noticed a population of white crawling worms which I suspect are Planaria. Any ideas of how I can get rid of them? I use only Filter wool and Biohome in my sump tank. Thanks. <Mmm, Planaria are flatworms... flat, not circular... and move in a distinctive gliding motion... these are likely annelids (segmented worms)... and very likely not dangerous to your livestock... in fact, perhaps helpful in keeping the tank clean... And their numbers are best kept in check through careful feeding, regular vacuuming and water changes. Bob Fenner>

Mystery Worms - 01/14/2005 Hi. <Hello.> I have a 10 gallon fresh water aquarium. It contains 4 female guppies and one baby. <No problem there, that's for sure.> I just recently noticed small white skinny worms. They wiggle and move and the guppies seen to not even notice them. I don't know what to do. <The short answer: Nothing. The long answer: These are probably harmless nematodes or Planaria. Many freshwater aquaria will have such creatures. They rarely ever become a nuisance unless the tank is overstocked (which yours is not) or overfed. Be very cautious of how much you feed the guppies, and if you're not already, I highly recommend that you start testing your water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. If your nitrate is over 20ppm, chances are that you might be overfeeding and/or not changing the water often enough - start changing the water more often and you should notice the worm population recede. But to put your mind at ease, these worms are very likely completely harmless to your fish, so chances are that you don't need to fear for the well-being of the guppies.> Please help me soon. <All should be well. Let us know if anything further is amiss or if the worms appear to be giving the guppies any problems.> Thanks, Lena <Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Worms in Freshwater Tank I sent the email earlier about the worms in the goldfish tank. <Ok... For future reference, if following up on a previous Q&A, it is always best to send along the original query and response. We get 30-60 emails daily and really need all the correspondence as we have six different people answering to keep up with the volume of mail we get.> I've just read your posted questions and answers. Based on your responses I wanted to note that the high population level of this invertebrate has not been caused by inadequate filtration or gravel siphoning. I have an optimum filter as well as gravel filtration, and I change their water one to two times a month via gravel vacuum. I also had only three inches worth of fish in a twenty gallon tank when these things appeared. So, I really would like to know exactly how I can control their population level, if you do not have enough information to identify them. <My best guess is that you have experienced a bloom of a Tubifex like worm. They are not pathogenic to your fish, but I can categorically state that they are always seen in instances of excess food or fish waste. I understand that this is not the response you wanted to hear, but it is the truth. They feed off of the waste material and uneaten food. If you have neither, they could not live, let alone reproduce to a plague level. Basically, they have to be eating something. A couple of big water changes, thorough vacuuming of the gravel, and a dose of a copper based medication should knock them out for you. Note that the copper is not safe for other invertebrates.> Your time is appreciated! Thank you. Sincerely, Courtney <Have a nice day! -Steven Pro>

Weird Worms!!!!!???? We have tiny, clear (almost white) worm-like things on the inside of the glass in our freshwater aquarium. We were told that they are anchor worms <your counsel was grossly mistaken... parasitic anchor worms would never be observed living on the glass without a host... many non-parasitic worm and Planaria populations do occur in tanks that are overfed, overstocked or lack adequate gravel siphoning. I suspect that is the case here. And although they are harmless, their presence indicates a level of pollution in the tank that is harmful to fishes> and have treated the water with CopperSafe, but the worms are still there. I don't know if they are really anchor worms or not. <they are not> Several fish have died. Some of them had white spots and/or fin rot. <mitigated by water quality perhaps> We moved all of the fish into a bowl (filled with fresh, treated water) and drained the tank, but now there are tiny worms in the fish bowl. Before moving our surviving fish back into the big tank, we want to be rid of the little nasties crawling around on the glass. HELP????!!!!! <consider if you are overfeeding. Fish food should be consumed at the surface of the water and caught if necessary midwater (some species). Food should never hit the bottom of the aquarium as a rule (even the bottom dwellers learn to feed at the surface). Keep the fish stable in the main tank and do water changes to maintain water quality... the worms will wane naturally on their own as nutrients are controlled. Best regards, Anthony> -- Thomas Kennedy

Little White Worms In Cichlid Tanks - 05/20/2006 Hi, I have a problem, well about a million little problems. First let me say that this web site is very helpful, and well put together. So, about my problem. I have a 60 gal, 50 gal, 45 gal, and a 20 gal, all freshwater aquariums. Most of the tanks have South American Cichlids, with the exception of the 60 gallon, which has my African Tigerfish and a Raphael cat. About three months ago I noticed these little white worms about 1 centimeter to 3 centimeters long. They pretty much stay out of sight, until I do a water change, or disrupt the gravel. Then the tank is full of them. I cleaned the 50 gallon out with bleach, changed the filters, and even bought new gravel. Then a week later I notice that they were back!!! They have spread to all of my tanks now due to my constant rearranging of plants and decorations. Please help me with this, are they good, bad, or does it matter? I also noticed that my Jaguar Cichlid in the 50 gallon acts sick when the worms are swimming around. < They are probably harmless but go ahead and treat all the tanks with Fluke-Tabs. This will kill all the invertebrates in the tank. These worms may have come in with the gravel.-Chuck>

White Worms on Glass 7/23/06 <Hi Valarie , Pufferpunk here> I have enjoyed browsing through your site and have a question if you have time. I have a 90 gallon freshwater tank with no new fish added for over a year. The fish are all fine, but I have noticed a white film on the tank sides. When I look at the film, there are very small (worms?) no longer than 1mm that are slowly moving. I clean the tank, and have used parasite products with no change. Any ideas? Your help is greatly appreciated! <Harmless--generally comes from overfeeding/not enough water changes. Wipe them off, do a good-sized water change (should be done weekly 25-50%) & feed less. ~PP> Valarie Ikerd

FW... Planaria 8/28/06 Hello <<Hi, Shannon. Tom with you.>> My friend's mother's tank has white flat worm type of bugs/worms in the tank. <<Planaria. Harmless to fish.>> One day there was none. Next there was thousands. It's a freshwater tank. Any ideas to remove them? <<Yes, Shannon, but you'll have to slow down a little. (I'm correcting more punctuation, etc., than offering advice. (hint, hint) :)>> They are starting to freak her out. <<Well, we can't have that! Your friend's mother needs to vacuum the gravel at the bottom of her tank. Planaria feed on the "gunk" that's left over from feeding, pooping,...well, you get the picture. Clean gravel? No little white worms.>> It is a fresh water tank also. <<You mentioned that. Take a deep breath, Shannon. :)>> P.S. They attack the live worms they feed the fish when they fall to the bottom of the tank. <<That's what Planaria do, Shannon. They're "opportunistic" feeders. If there's no "opportunity", they die and/or disappear. In short, the tank's dirty. It needs to be cleaned...thoroughly. Recommend that your friend's mother purchase a gravel vacuum from a fish store. Once she figures out how simple it is to use...Bingo! Sayonara to the little white worms!>> Thank you Shannon <<Happy to help, Shannon. Tom>>

Worms? Hi Robert, <<Tom here, Lisa, "disguised" as Bob.>> Today I just noticed A LOT of worm looking things in my tank, many on my glass, some 'swimming' around. They are white, I don't see anything on my fish yet... There are quite a few long ones (1/2 or more) and many small ones. ( have to look hard) I really don't know what it is! <<Planaria, Lisa. They're a type of flatworm and aren't harmful to your fish though they're indicative of poor water quality.>> I had my tank for about year and a half (First tank) Recently I added new fish to my tank, it was about a couple weeks ago, but my biggest one ate them. I don't know if that had to do with anything. <<Your biggest one, what, Lisa? This wouldn't have had anything to do with the Planaria but it was certainly rough on your new fish.>> Right now I only have 3 fish. <<Thanks to your biggest one... :)>> I am thinking that I need to do a water change and clean the tank really good. I'm not sure. <<Absolutely what is called for here, Lisa. I'd do a couple of 20% changes a few days apart and vacuum the substrate, if any, thoroughly and deeply. Do this in sections, though. You don't want to vacuum all of substrate at one time since we want to keep the beneficial bacteria residing there as intact as possible.>> Your advice would be great! <<You don't mention whether, or not, you have a water test kit, Lisa. If not, I'd recommend purchasing one. All of your tank's parameters are important to know but, after having been established for a year and a half, nitrates are going to be the big issue. These should be kept below 20 ppm to avoid letting the tank get to the point where Planaria present themselves again.>> Sincerely, Lisa Scott <<Good luck, Lisa. Tom>>

Re: FW Worms? Tom, <<Hi, Lisa.>> My biggest one, my biggest fish, ate the 4 fish I just got... (I was thinking that I got it from the new fish). It's a silver dollar. The pet store said it was a peaceful fish! Obviously not!! It ate a crab too!! <<Silver Dollars are "herbivores", which makes this all the more strange. (Yours apparently didn't get the memo!) Kidding aside, other than being notoriously "nervous" fish and wreaking havoc on live plants, I've never anything "bad" about these fish. Quite the contrary is true. They (typically) get along with other fish so well that they're recommended as tankmates for a rather broad spectrum of other species.>> How often should I do a water changes? I was doing them about once a month. <<I would cut this time frame in half, Lisa. Perform a water change every couple of weeks.>> And I just put a new Filter in - it wasn't very dirty at all before I saw the worms. <<A dirty aquarium isn't really what it sounds like. "Dirty" refers more to water conditions/parameters than it does to visible "unsightliness". The two, particularly in the case of nitrates, can go hand-in-hand but, without testing, you really wouldn't know for sure. Out of curiosity, did you leave the old filter in place or, put some - or all- of the old filter media in the new filter, when the new one was installed? If not, your aquarium has to completely re-cycle, leaving your fish to deal with the inevitable spiking of ammonia and nitrites. You'll absolutely need to keep a close eye on this.>> The one thing that does not help the nitrates is that the tube for the filter is really far up from the ground. I need an extension tube ( I guess I better go get it). <<Save yourself some money, Lisa. Nitrates aren't removed by the filter. These are removed via water changes. Extending the pick-up tube won't help in any discernible fashion.>> I just bought a siphon so I can get the stuff in the rocks. I can admit I've been kind of neglecting them. (I have been REALLY busy since school started). <<Ever wish there were more than 24 hours in a day? :)>> So those worms won't harm my fish at all? <<Nope. They're not interested in your fish, just what your fish leave behind, particularly uneaten food.>> On Monday I took two of my fish out and gave them to another person (not knowing or seeing the worms). So they won't transfer to the other tank? I'm really worried about that! <<They could "transfer" with the water from the tank but not on the fish. Strictly non-parasitic critters...>> And no'¦ I don't have a nitrate testing kit (I know I should have known better). <<But, then, we wouldn't have had this opportunity to chat. :) >> Thanks for your help, you're a fish saver! Lisa <<Best regards and good luck with school. Tom>>

Planaria - On The Menu for Plecostomus? - 10/19/2006 <<Tom here.>> Do Plecos eat Planaria? <<Not without mustard and ketchup. Actually, I suppose they will but Planaria sure wouldn't be a Pleco's first choice off the menu. If you're experiencing a Planaria "outbreak", better to give your aquarium a good cleaning, particularly the substrate, and keep nitrate levels to a minimum, i.e. below 20 ppm. Tom>>

White Worms In Tank... not punks on dope 2/6/07 I have had my two Oscars for about two and a half years now and have had no problems with them until now. I was gone for the weekend and came back to little white worms the size of hair swimming around in my tank. I cleaned out the tank and scrubbed everything really good. When I put the fish back in the tank they were still there. What do I do? <Nada... these worms are not deleterious; will "go" with improved water quality, maintenance on your part. Bob Fenner>

FW Plant Leech 03/23/07 Hi Crew! Hope all is well with you, you've helped me so much in the past. To make a long story short, I have a 10 gallon tank that has been used as a plant refuge for when I thin plants out of the aquariums. I throw them into this tank. At one time the tank was a failed attempt to raise daphnia, I never cleaned it out after that, just started throwing plants into it. After a few months I was given some cherry shrimp that were too small to go into the main tanks, so I put those in there. When I added the shrimp I put in a sponge filter and heater. I don't perform routine water changes on this tank. This tank has been a fascinating biological experiment of sorts because it has a blanket of live blackworms now that must have accidentally come in there on plants. (I feed the fish live blackworms a couple of times a week.) The tank is full of shrimp that have bred like crazy and hitchhiker snails. The water is green, and amazingly there is no algae in the tank, whatsoever. However, it is time for me to transform it into a usable tank and I was thinking of putting a couple of killies and a group of sidthmunkis in there, of course making sure the parameters are good first. I really wouldn't want to see all of this "food" go to waste. Sound like a good idea? Probably not... But anyhow, I also have these in my tank. Do you have any idea what they are? Are they good slugs/flatworms? Or bad slugs/flatworms? Should I just forget my dream of giving some lucky fish the feast of their lives and clean the tank out before I introduce any fish into it? Thanks! Take care, Mary. < This is a typical FW plant leech. Fish don't eat them but they really aren't much of a problem.-Chuck>

FW Plant Leech 03/23/07 Hi Crew! <Hello Mary!> Hope all is well with you, you've helped me so much in the past. To make a long story short, I have a 10 gallon tank that has been used as a plant refuge for when I thin plants out of the aquariums. I throw them into this tank. At one time the tank was a failed attempt to raise daphnia, I never cleaned it out after that, just started throwing plants into it. After a few months I was given some cherry shrimp that were too small to go into the main tanks, so I put those in there. When I added the shrimp I put in a sponge filter and heater. I don't perform routine water changes on this tank. This tank has been a fascinating biological experiment of sorts because it has a blanket of live blackworms now that must have accidentally come in there on plants. (I feed the fish live blackworms a couple of times a week.) The tank is full of shrimp that have bred like crazy and hitchhiker snails. The water is green, and amazingly there is no algae in the tank, whatsoever. <Because it's balanced. In balanced tanks, the rate of algal growth is checked by the growth of plants and predation by algae-eating animals. In aquaria (and ponds, and eutrophic waters in the wild) the balance is lost, and often the algae prosper because their natural limiting factors are taken away.> However, it is time for me to transform it into a usable tank and I was thinking of putting a couple of killies and a group of sidthmunkis in there, of course making sure the parameters are good first. <You'll lose almost all the fun, I suspect. To reach a balance with fish, you need a *lot* of water volume per fish. Look for a copy of the excellent book "Dynamic Aquaria" for a scientific (and highly detailed) investigation of balanced aquaria with complete ecosystems. Certainly possible, but very challenging if you include fishes, miles easier with just inverts.> I really wouldn't want to see all of this "food" go to waste. Sound like a good idea? Probably not... But anyhow, I also have these in my tank. Do you have any idea what they are? Are they good slugs/flatworms? Or bad slugs/flatworms? Should I just forget my dream of giving some lucky fish the feast of their lives and clean the tank out before I introduce any fish into it? <Those are small leeches, annelid subclass Hirudinea. Now, the vast majority of leeches are predators on invertebrates. Very, very few are bloodsuckers. But obviously those that are can be very damaging to fish, particularly very small fish. Identifying leeches to species level is difficult, and definitely a job for your friendly neighbourhood freshwater ecologist or parasitologist. Identification beyond subclass level is below me, I'm afraid! In the meantime though, don't kill it out of hand. Leeches are lovely animals, and if you can encourage it to go swimming you will be treated to one of the most beautiful little spectacles in the animal kingdom. They also have a very cute "inchworm" mode of walking. The sucker at the front (blunt end) is armed with teeth with which it catches its prey, and most species suck up the "juices" of whatever they've caught either directly or through a neat little stylet. You can also see the digestive system quite nicely in your photo, too. All in all, charming, if weird, animals.> Thanks! <No problem.> Mary.

Worms in my tank 4/10/07 Hello, I have been reading your site and it has been really helpful, but to be sure I just wanted to explain my situation and see what you thought. I have a 75 gallon freshwater tank with one Jack Dempsey cichlid and a algae eater (not sure of the real name) <Algae eater is probably Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, a nasty son-of-a-gun and a Jack Dempsey is one of the few fish that would be able to handle it. Big (30 cm), greenish fish with distinctive spiracle (opening) above each gill slit.> They both seem very healthy, very vibrant in color. I was looking very closely and I saw very thin hair looking worms that didn't really move. The only reason I new they were living things is because I poked one with my finger and it squiggled. There are only a few of these worm things and I was wondering if it was a parasite from my Jacks stomach. <Unlikely. If parasitic worms sometimes come in with wild-caught fish, but they don't wiggle about in the gravel. If you see a swollen belly and/or worms protruding from the anus, then parasite worms are possible. Otherwise these are harmless nematodes or oligochaetes that have (for example) come in with live food.> The only reason why I'm concerned with this is because lately he hasn't had and appetite. Any thoughts on this? <Try using garlic to stimulate appetite. You can even buy ready-garlicked frozen food! Also try starving the fish for a few days, and then offering something new. Maybe some seafood or a bit of whitebait instead of the usual flake and pellets. One thing aquarists often overlook is dried food loses its savour after a while. Though safe to use for months after opening, after about 4 weeks it doesn't smell strong enough and many fish ignore it. If you buy big tubs, divide it up, freeze most of it in a dry container, and remove only a portion at a time. Maybe check for constipation (yes, happens to fish too) a remedy by offering green foods such as cooked peas.> Thanks for your time, <No probs. Cheers, Neale> Jennifer

Tiny worms in my pool! 7/10/07 I have dozens of tiny dark colored, short and skinny worms swimming in my above ground pool. Are they dangerous??? <Mmm, highly unlikely to be so> My kids want to go swimming, but I am holding them back until I can make sure they aren't some kind of parasite. They tend to curl and uncurl to move around in the water. I picked one up and it was soft and squished in my hand, but we are all afraid to swim with them now, even in this hot weather. Please let me know if I should dump gallons and gallons of water out of my pool or not. I tried household bleach, but maybe I didn't use enough, because they are still alive and squirming. Yuck! Help! ~Thank you, P. Carris WA <Mmm, maybe a good idea to have a "real" poolman/person come on out and hyper-chlorinate (and possibly drop the pH temporarily) here... I'd "kick it up a notch" (Bam!) to 2.0 ppm free Cl... to kill all... allow the free chlorine to

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