Found a Worm?

[raeven]

I was checking out my 55g today, and just out of the corner of my eye, I saw what looked to be a small piece of hair floating about in the current. But then I look closer and saw that it was actually squiggling about on it's own, stopping, then going about again. I -believe- I fished it out with the net, but it's so small that it's very possible it simply slipped on through without me even noticing.

My biggest concern is that this might be a parasite of some kind? I did recently pick up two angels from the store the other day, and I'm wondering if this worm-like thing came in with them. They look perfectly fine, and I haven't noticed any issues with any of my other fish.


So I have to find a way on how to make sure there aren't any more of those things in my tank, and if there is, then I need to find a way to get rid of them.


I was thinking of changing my gravel soon anyways into a different color (maybe even going to sand). Should I just pull it all out and toss it? Also, should I medicate my tank? I'm very hesitant on using anything in my water, as I had a very bad experience with melafix a few months ago, having killed off all but one of my barbs.

Just as a side note, this worm was quite small. Not even a cm long, and kinda clearish-white. It honestly could have passed for a small stringy piece of fluff or something, if it weren't for the fact that it looked like it was trying to swim.

[Ursus sapien]

They're pretty common in still-water tanks, or tanks that get a lot of leafy greens. Small fish and fry of most species will eat them. (They're one of the reasons I keep white clouds in the bristlenose tanks.)

I've never positively Id'd them, or even managed a decent photo, so can't say for sure if they're an insect larvae or (probably) a worm . They're not harmful, though. A few extra water changes and gravel vacs should controll the bulk of a bloom.

[BelieveInBlue]

Generally, if a worm is large enough that you can see it with the naked eye, and it's not attached to a fish or some other animal in some way, then it's harmless. In addition to the gravel vaccs, I suggest feeding less, as worms and other unwanted inverts are often a sign of overfeeding.

[qyrus]

http://theaquariumwiki.com/Nematode

Probably a nematode worm. Its harmless and will give your fish something to eat but they are a sign of overfeeding/organic mulm.

Jim

[Ursus sapien]

they feed in the biofilm (aufwuchs) so you can have them even in tanks that don't get prepared foods , but as a general statement, the more waste, the more worms.

[raeven]

Excellent. Thanks so much for the help. Thankfully, it wasn't attached to any of the fish. Just swimming about on it's own and riding the current. I'm due for a water change today or tomorrow anyways, so I'll do a good gravel vac and hopefully any other get eat by the fish.