Earthworms In My Fry Trank?

[hotpink143]

At least, I think it's an earthworm? It looks just like a baby earthworm would look. When I turned on the light this morning, there he was, wriggling around, maybe around a half inch long, pinkish/reddish in color. Where did he come from? All the plants are real, maybe he was in the roots of one of them?

Anyway, my main concern is my fry, should I take the worm out, or will he provide something beneficial? Or maybe they'll just eat it?

 

[loraxchick]

sounds like a tubifex worm that was a stow away in your plants. there is a lot of conflicting info on them being "harmful" in that they can carry disease, but from the load of research ive done on them, in a healthy tank with regular maintainence, they are fine (it is that they can and ARE found in all sorts of filthy places like waste affluent...this does not mean that these are the ONLY places you will find them...they are even found in clean running streams). my fish like to eat them. live foods
interestingly enough they can help you assess your water quality...if the population of the worms dies rapidly, something in your cycle is amis.
if i were you id just let it be and consider yourself llucky to have a live food source!
so look up tubifex worms and see if thats what youve got.
(ive had mine for over a year and not one fishy death- and they eat them all the time)
good luck and cheers

 

[hotpink143]

Thanks so much for the reply! I did look up a Tubifex worm, and it looks just like them. Yay! I'll keep my eye on him and see if he lives. Hehe maybe the babies will have a snack.

thanks again!

 

[hotpink143]

Came home for lunch and I don't see the worm anymore. Guess the babies ate it.