Worms?

[HaliHostility]

My little sister has a 10 gallon turtle tank.
I put a 60 gallon filter to keep it real clean, or so i hoped, because turtles can get pretty grody.
P.S, THE FILTER IS not DOING IT'S JOB. The tank is really cloudy right now, it was clear enough to DRINK for like a month.
She has 3 small turtles and a pleco and a small spotted perch [which i keep BEGGING her to take out and put in mine so he doesn't die from all that turtle poop and nitrates but she won't... i might just take him anyway, because i really like perches and i don't want one to die at the hands of a selfish 11 year old.
But anyhoo, there are these litttle teeeeny tiny white things attached to the glass in one corner and i think they're moving! I've never had any problems with worms or anything and i have NO idea what to do! What are they? Why are they there? How do i get rid of them? Will a simple water change work? WHAT DO I DOOOO?!
I've had microscopic snails come in a few times but i don't mind them at all they're just baby snails that made their way into my tank from plants and stuff.
But that's DEFINATLY not what they are this time, there's no shell, just a tiny white line.
Litterally smaller than a 16th of an inch its not even 4th a centimeter its SO small.
help mee:[

 

[onidrase]

Chances are they're harmless. I'd just scoop them out, if anything.

On a side note, I don't think the tank is big enough for the turtles, pleco, or a perch. 10 gallons is teeny, not only are turtles messy messy, but so are plecos. for 3 turtles, taking a rough guesstimate since I don't know turtles well, I'd say like 40 gallons would be a good bet.

Chances are the tank water is gross and cloudy because of how small the tank is, and how many messy creatures are inside of it. Have you been doing water changes with it? Regardless of how heavy your filtration is, a water change of 20% or more should be taken place at least once every two weeks, I'd do even more with that thing.

 

[HaliHostility]

Chances are they're harmless. I'd just scoop them out, if anything.

On a side note, I don't think the tank is big enough for the turtles, pleco, or a perch. 10 gallons is teeny, not only are turtles messy messy, but so are plecos. for 3 turtles, taking a rough guesstimate since I don't know turtles well, I'd say like 40 gallons would be a good bet.

Chances are the tank water is gross and cloudy because of how small the tank is, and how many messy creatures are inside of it. Have you been doing water changes with it? Regardless of how heavy your filtration is, a water change of 20% or more should be taken place at least once every two weeks, I'd do even more with that thing.

I do like a 20-30 % change but I keep telling her theres to many turtles for that tank and she doesn't listen to me She says she has this extra tank at her dads that he might give to her, I hope he lets her cause i like watching the turtles i don't wann have to give them back to the shop
But then i gotta get another filter..
And she only has the pleco to help clean the sides of the tank, he does clean still, he's a baby so he spends all day cleaning instead of hiding out like the big guys...
Im gonna go get that perch outta there though..
Thank you:]

 

[onidrase]

Chances are they're harmless. I'd just scoop them out, if anything.

On a side note, I don't think the tank is big enough for the turtles, pleco, or a perch. 10 gallons is teeny, not only are turtles messy messy, but so are plecos. for 3 turtles, taking a rough guesstimate since I don't know turtles well, I'd say like 40 gallons would be a good bet.

Chances are the tank water is gross and cloudy because of how small the tank is, and how many messy creatures are inside of it. Have you been doing water changes with it? Regardless of how heavy your filtration is, a water change of 20% or more should be taken place at least once every two weeks, I'd do even more with that thing.

I do like a 20-30 % change but I keep telling her theres to many turtles for that tank and she doesn't listen to me She says she has this extra tank at her dads that he might give to her, I hope he lets her cause i like watching the turtles i don't wann have to give them back to the shop
But then i gotta get another filter..
And she only has the pleco to help clean the sides of the tank, he does clean still, he's a baby so he spends all day cleaning instead of hiding out like the big guys...
Im gonna go get that perch outta there though..
Thank you:]

plecos produce loads and loads of waste which promotes algae growth, which the pleco then eats. It's an endless cycle. Pleco's don't really help clean the tank, they're just kinda there. And when the tank is only 10 gallons and is populated by a couple turtles, being there is exactly what it shouldn't be doing.

 

[shi24137]

I was told that the "white worms" on the side of the tanks were a form of algae, I dosed the tank Tetra Algae Control and it killed the worms and cleared everything up, and yes, they were moving, it's actually gross.

 

[HaliHostility]

VERY. Gross.
They turned into flys and there were a few dead ones stuck to the glass where the water was low..
I'm gonna change her water, ditch Mr pleco [He'll be ECSTATIC to get into my tank], and get some algae remover...
Hopefully that will help..Thank youu.

 

[Mowbz]

Sounds more like mosquito larvae if they got out and flew.....

 

[shi24137]

did the algae remover work?

 

[colleen0309]

I don't think this is an algea problem. Planaria. Little white squiggly thread like worms. They are harmless, but they are a sign of a dirty tank. With 3 turtles, it is a dirty tank. I don't care if you do daily water changes, it will not be enough with 3 turtles in a 10 gallon tank. What kind of turtles are they and what is their shell lenght? When I was a kid(a very long time ago), we used to go to the pet store and buy painted turtle hatchlings. Now it is illegal to have a turtle with a shell of less than 4" in the US. Something to do with kids putting them in their mouths and getting samonella poisoning.

 

[StandbySetting]

Probably Planaria or Hydra, both harmless.

 

[Sask Aquarist]

The white worms your seeing are indeed planaria. Normally they are not overly dangerous to your fish and generally go away on their own in small infestations. The general cause of planaria is overfeeding and lack of sufficient water changes when your overfeeding. Overfeeding dirties your water at a higher rate then normal. There is a few possible remedies. One change your water and adjust the amount you feed. Option two is buy a small school of guppies which love to eat planaria. depending on how much there is the guppies would clean it up in less then two days. Based on tank conditions you described it sounds like it could happen again. Hope this helps if it ever does =)

 

[HaliHostility]

I don't think this is an algea problem. Planaria. Little white squiggly thread like worms. They are harmless, but they are a sign of a dirty tank. With 3 turtles, it is a dirty tank. I don't care if you do daily water changes, it will not be enough with 3 turtles in a 10 gallon tank. What kind of turtles are they and what is their shell lenght? When I was a kid(a very long time ago), we used to go to the pet store and buy painted turtle hatchlings. Now it is illegal to have a turtle with a shell of less than 4" in the US. Something to do with kids putting them in their mouths and getting samonella poisoning.

They're all less than 4''. I did a water change and they're gone.
I know the tank is dirty. I keep telling her that they're gross animals but she just wants em and doesn't listen.
She says her friend is gonna give her another little 10 gallon so we'll see what she does with it.
I just can't believe even with a filter that's 3 times the efficiency she needs doesn't work..