Wtf? Wiggly Things?

[InaneCathode]

I was watching my awesome tank of water (cycling) and noticed what looked like a piece of debris.
It wasnt.
It's this tiny tiny tiny wiggly thing. If i was to name it, i'd call it a tiny tiny tadpole. It's just cruising around wiggling rapidly and flowing where the water goes.

What the hell is this thing? The tank should be sterile, and flooded with ammonia. What could possibly live in there, more over, how did it get there?

I really dont know what to say other than, WTF?

I'll name him carl.

PS
He wiggles and wiggles, then stops and cramps up into a Q shape, then continues wiggling.
He looks (i think) like a tiny eel, head and tail arrangement.

 

[Anita]

Planaria worms are tiny, thin, milky white, parasitic worms which can appear in tanks that are overfed and when ammonia levels rise.

http/freshaquarium.about.com/cs/qa/f/faq0050.htm

Anita

 

[InaneCathode]

Planaria worms are tiny, thin, milky white, parasitic worms which can appear in tanks that are overfed and when ammonia levels rise.

http/freshaquarium.about.com/cs/qa/f/faq0050.htm

Anita

Theres no fish in this tank, just water and ammonia. Water from the tap, plastic plants and decorations from the store. Everything brand new, i don't even know how anything could get into my tank yet.

 

[anvil63]

Planaria are not really parasitic and are not harmful in any way. And I don't know how planaria get into "clean tanks" such as yours, but I have witnessed it as well. I would guess it it is through the tap water.

Interesting fact
The acceptable level of Giardia lamblia protozoa in New york city water is actually higher than any of the levels obtained in over 200 water samples from mountain streams in colorado taken in a 1994 study.

Moral is tap water is clean, but it is not distilled and it is not sterile.

Carl

 

[InaneCathode]

Planaria are not really parasitic and are not harmful in any way. And I don't know how planaria get into "clean tanks" such as yours, but I have witnessed it as well. I would guess it it is through the tap water.

Interesting fact
The acceptable level of Giardia lamblia protozoa in New york city water is actually higher than any of the levels obtained in over 200 water samples from mountain streams in colorado taken in a 1994 study.

Moral is tap water is clean, but it is not distilled and it is not sterile.

Carl

I have well water, and it comes from 700 feet under ground at around 35 degrees farenheit, i didnt know wiggly things could live in those conditions

 

[sharkbaitwoohaha]

theres always stuff living in water from the tap. the planeria come in times of high levels of ammonia. i still have them in two of my tanks but my betta thinks its goo cos its a good supply of food for him cos an article i read said it was safe for hm to eat them. in my other tank my barbs sort them out.

 

[Squid]

I was watching my awesome tank of water (cycling) and noticed what looked like a piece of debris.
It wasnt.
It's this tiny tiny tiny wiggly thing. If i was to name it, i'd call it a tiny tiny tadpole. It's just cruising around wiggling rapidly and flowing where the water goes.

What the hell is this thing? The tank should be sterile, and flooded with ammonia. What could possibly live in there, more over, how did it get there?

I really dont know what to say other than, WTF?

I'll name him carl.

PS
He wiggles and wiggles, then stops and cramps up into a Q shape, then continues wiggling.
He looks (i think) like a tiny eel, head and tail arrangement.

No need to worry about them, i had them when my tank was cycling. I had to do a big water change half way through the cycle because the cycle had halted due to a PH crash. I didn't see them again. Just seem to be part of the fun (yeah right) of fishless cycling.

My guess is that when you do the big water change at the end before adding fish, they will be gone before you know it. If there are any left when the fish go in, i doubt they will be there for long ..

In summary, dont worry!

Squid

 

[InaneCathode]

Update:

Now theres more than 2 wiggly things. They're icky and they creep me out

They're somewhat entertaining to watch though, they move so rapidly and so much yet barely move at all, they seem to be trying to get to the surface. When they get there they just hang by the water surface and float around till they get pushed under by my filter.

 

[InaneCathode]

Update:

Looked around in the tank a bit and discovered tiny rafts of floating dead wiggly things. Apparently theres been alot in there recently, and either they've been molting or dying off.

Another important thing to note is that now theres 2-3 tiny (i mean tiny) fruit fly lookin bugs stuck to the glass above the water line in my tank!