Little itty bitty White Worms!

by **2tall** Thu 17 Feb 2011 - 5:22

I was looking at my cycling tank a bit ago and saw a mosquito floating on top. It was dead and to my surprise I saw a few white worms about 1/4" long. Where did they come from as the only living thing is the bacteria in the filter. It was used gravel, but had been sitting for months before I rinsed it off with dechlorinated water several times. Then I baked it in the oven at 325 F. for 30 or so minutes.

Are these the ones I read somewhere that starts with the letter P? I netted four and two were sucked up by the filter. Watching for their return in case they make it through the filter!

by **KalandraJane** Thu 17 Feb 2011 - 6:28

Planaria... basically, the answer is that the water that comes out of our taps is never truly clean and the eggs of these things can survive out of water or on your moss ball or whatever... after all, where would the bacteria come from that colonise a brand new filter? I don't think it will be your gravel if you heated it for a considerable time.

It's just because there's excess nutrients in your tank while it's cycling that they've been able to flourish, they'll soon die off once levels stabilise.

by **liz2** Thu 17 Feb 2011 - 8:49

They arent nice to look at. My tropicals used to eat them....

by **Better than Betta** Thu 17 Feb 2011 - 23:44

Would they be a good food source for fry or would it be better to eradicate them ?

by **KalandraJane** Fri 18 Feb 2011 - 0:19

They're harmless and small enough to be eaten, so yes, if you dislodge them gently from the side with a paintbrush or something fry should gobble them up.

by **2tall** Fri 18 Feb 2011 - 4:21

I imagine any leftovers will be eaten by the fish then.

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