Thin White Worms On Glass!

[B13]

Hi all,

While admiring my tank after a clean and a water change, I noticed that I now have a large-ish crop of tiny white worms clinging to (and inching their way up) the glass!!

They are about three quarters of a centimeter long and about the width of a hair.

My water stats (which I have very cleverly left at home...) are within normal parameters (From memory: ammonia = 0, pH= 7.5, Nitrite = (can't remember, but it's blue on the API test card) and Nitrate around 25-ish).


I've got a horrible feeling that these may be some kind of intestinal worm because I also noticed that one of my danios is producing white, stringly poo...

HELP!!!!!

 

[Colin_T]

They are probably planaria and normally live in the gravel. If you use medications, or do a massive water change they sometimes come out and swarm all over the glass. They are harmless to fish but are often associated with lots of gunk in the substrate, and lots of meat foods being fed to the fish.

Do a partial water change and gravel clean each day for a week. They should go back into the gravel pretty soon.

 

[B13]

Ah!

Phew!!

I was getting worried there!!



That makes sense because I did a MASSIVE Spring Clean in the tank today (much to the annoyance of my poor fishies!) I took everything out, scrubbed the lot in hot water, stirred up the gravel, vacc'd it, did a 40% water change, cleaned the pump ...and had to rescue a stoopid coolie (with a net and a teaspoon) after it decided to launch itself straight out the tank and nearly under my foot...

Silly creature!!




I guess all that must have brought the worms out of hiding.

 

[Colin_T]

if you use a gravel cleaner each week, you can leave a tank set up for years and never have to do a spring clean on it. This means less work for you and less stress for the fish