Parasites/Worms? - Pictures added

[RZS]

Hi All,

I emptied my 30 gallon tank (which was used a medicating tank during a bout with ich) yesterday.

So today I go to finish cleaning it out before attempting to cycle and use it again for regular use, when I notice very small black things darting around. They are no larger than a pin head, and they are definately moving on their own in what little water (not even a centimetre) there is.

Then, when I looked more closely, I saw what seemed like white worms, thread thickness, jumping around also. I managed to capture a few, and place them in another container, but now I am worried.

How do I insure that they are completey removed, and should I even use this tank again?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Fawke]

Im not quite sure what these black worms are.... perhaps some kind of larvae of some insect, but that just speculation.....

What i would say is that i can't imagine these things can live out of water, if thats where thay are now....
Personally i would empty the tank and give it a good clean (tank and substrate)... i can't imagine the tank is unusable...
Maybe replace the substrate though......

Pics would help, if you can get a decent shot of them?

 

[RZS]

Hi,

I just spent some time trying to grab some pics, and this is what I could come up with.

Thanks very much for your input, I have already decided to dump the substrate, and give the tank a complete cleaning, allowing it to dry fully.

Here are the pics. First two are are couple of the worms. Third one shows what I believe may be dead ones in the tank (where there wasn't sufficient water I presume).

Thanks.

 

[Fawke]

They almost look like a larvae to me....
Have you fed the fish live bloodworm recently? i have had similar things swimming around my tank from mutating bloodworm (the ones that somehow escaped my pictus)...!
My Gouramis took care of them
Just an idea....

Starving them of water should rid the pests....

Anyone else have any experience/input with these things?

 

[RZS]

They almost look like a larvae to me....
Have you fed the fish live bloodworm recently? i have had similar things swimming around my tank from mutating bloodworm (the ones that somehow escaped my pictus)...!
My Gouramis took care of them
Just an idea....

Starving them of water should rid the pests....

Anyone else have any experience/input with these things?

No LIVE bloodworms at all, but I did drop a few freezedried ones in it near the end of use (as a quarantine tank).

I do agree with the larvae opinion. It just struck me as odd that there were, and still are some of them left in there.

The two fishes that came out of that tank are showing no signs of ailment, and have not for over a month.

Thanks for your input again!

 

[Barday]

Rather than throwing away the substrate, just wash it well and boil it a couple of times that will definately kill everything off

 

[RZS]

Rather than throwing away the substrate, just wash it well and boil it a couple of times that will definately kill everything off

A quick update and thanks for the help.

Decided to dump the substrate anyway, and am going to change to sand.

Interesting note though... the worms or whatever they were, DIED when placed in water from my other aquarium.

They started moving around really slowly, and then all three (that I had captured) died.

At least they didn't take any fish with them regardless of their origin.

Thanks again.

 

[turbotiber]

For next time, if there is ever a next time , what you can do instead of dump the substrate is put it in the oven for an hour on 450F degrees, that'll take care of any yuckies, parasites, diseases etc etc. (or so i'm told, I've done it once with substrate from a fish with dropsy and so far so good! )

 

[RZS]

For next time, if there is ever a next time , what you can do instead of dump the substrate is put it in the oven for an hour on 450F degrees, that'll take care of any yuckies, parasites, diseases etc etc. (or so i'm told, I've done it once with substrate from a fish with dropsy and so far so good! )

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind in the event (hopefully not again though) something like this happens in the future.