Little white wormy things

Shanna · Post by **Shanna** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 9:46 am

I have these little white wormy things in two of my tanks (one is a shrimp tank, the other is a pleco/guppy tank). They are tiny, like worm shaped peices of lint. They stick to the glass and if I look real closely, I can see them moving. What are these things and how do I get rid of them??

imisky · Post by **imisky** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 9:52 pm

hey Shanna try and see if they kind of slide on the glass, if it does then you have planaria MOST likely, some others move like a worm and are harmless, both is a sign of bad water condition, or becomming bad. small fish cuz as guppy FRY or any fry would keep the population in check, but will not fully get rid of the population. how big are your tanks and are they fully cycled??

Shanna · Post by **Shanna** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 11:21 pm

Of the two tanks that have this, one is a 20 gallon long and the other (shrimp tank) is a 10 gallon. And yes, they slide/wiggle on the glass. The water condition is ok, though. Both tanks are fully cycled and have been around for at least 6 months. The wormy things just showd up a few weeks ago. I want to get rid of them 100%, but I don't want to tear the tank down. What do I do??

imisky · Post by **imisky** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 11:31 pm

planarias live off of decaying things, so if you can clean the gravel good in the 2 tanks and make the Ph drop by .3-.5 then they should slowly start to die off. along with not over feeding etc, fish does eat them as food, but mostly its the condition thats making them live. so getting rid of the enviroment they like will kill them off 100%.

but keep in mind if there are still left over food in the tank, they will come back. planaria usually pops up when the ammonia is starting to rise and thats usually from the left over food, or too much decaying substance in your water

mindbum · Post by **mindbum** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 12:17 am

does it stand to reason the planaria help to alleviate excess nutrients in ways similar to other microorganisms, organisms and flora in a fishtank?

the more the merrier. biodiversity is how to create a working ecosystem. planaria are harmless and lead an interesting life. surely they serve a purpose. and lead a life not like that of mine.

i was happy the first time i saw a planarium. and even happier the first time i saw a corydoras paleatus eat a planarium.

i was delighted the first time i saw a hydra in my fishtank. an asexually reporducing polyp named after a mythological monster. the hydra's head grows back unless you cauterize the wound. the hydra buds a new hydra, resembling a branch, that eventually falls off to lead its own separate polyphood.

Shanna · Post by **Shanna** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 3:44 am

You are totally right. I know biodiversity is a good thing, but I just can't get past how icky it looks. That whole (shrimp) tank looks like CRAP right now, with the planaria and the funky stuff growing on the sand. I can't really clean it because of the tiny baby shrimp.

Bradimus · Post by **Bradimus** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 5:28 am

Nothing (except maybe chemical warfare) eliminates planeria faster than some nice, young Asian anabants. Unfortunately, they will make quick work of your shrimp as well.

imisky · Post by **imisky** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 12:25 pm

using chemical warfare as a last resort IMO, if you can find what is causing the planaria problem then go from there to try and get rid of it, if you have MTS ( malaysia trumpet snails) it will help alot, as the trumpet snails eat decaying things, and also dig into the gravel where most of them hids