worms in water trough, what are they?

Question

I hope someone can answer this one. I seem to have a problem with the water in my horses water trough. I have cleaned it out repeatedly and small black worms keep appearing in the water, like they are breeding there or something, lots of them. they are short. and when you put your finger in the water they swim to the bottom and come back up when you take your finger out of the water. they don't look like the horse hair worms that I have heard of because they are short in length and don't coil around. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Oh yea and if you know what these are do you have any idea how to keep them away?

ibbibud · Accepted Answer

These would be msoquito larvae. The best way to solve this problem is by adding some gold fish to your tank. They love to eat these and cause no harm to the horses who drink from the trough. We dump them into a large bucket for tank cleaning, feed them nothing extra. The come up to nibble around the horse's whiskers and love to dive bomb while the tank is filling. We keep about 6 of these guys in a 100 gallon tank. Get really little ones to start with.

passman · Answer

Red Worms In Water Trough

Anonymous · Answer

It may be bloodworms. I had them in my horse's water when I first moved into my property. As said above, give the trough a really good clean out and allow it to dry in a dry warm place for a couple of days. That way anything growing in the moisture will die. Clean with boiling water if possible, that will also kill all the germs. Hope this helps and good luck!

brisbys_mom · Answer

Sounds like mosquitos to me too. I know here I have to dump my water almost every day in the height of the season with only a few horses drinking. I have heard rumors of a product you can put in your stock tank to protect against them but I can't be sure of what it is or the safety of it. It never hurts to check with your vet and local livestock equipment dealers, either may have ideas you can try.

creede_horse_lover · Answer

This is really weird.  I guess that I just live in a cold enough climate that nothing can really grow in our water.  I would suggest that you empty your tank completely and wash it out and let it set in a dry, warm place for a few days, then fill it again and see if they are still there.  If they are you need to call you local vet to come check it out.

mysticgraystar · Answer

They are mosquito larvae; just add some goldfish or black mollies to the water and they will eat them-just make sure you don't let the water trough go dry or your fish will die.

westerngamergirl · Answer

i've noticed these also, and i looked really closely a them and they have wing- like things like a dragonfly. i finally figured out that they are the larvae of mosquitoes! whenever you see them, clean out the water quickly so that the horse(s) don't drink any more of them. i don't think there is any way to keep them away that is not poisonous to horses.

Boxer Lover · Answer

mosquitos are what they are, be sure to scrub the trough at least once a day.  I'm guessing your in a wet humid area wher eyou would have more of problem then other people

Tamitay · Answer

Mosquitos...unfortunately we have them too..and green algae..Gold fish do work, but remember when filling the tank, goldfish cant take the clorine, and if there is too much clorine, the fish will die within minutes..As for the algae, A vinegar rinse when cleaning your tank works wonders...

hwinnum · Answer

I agree with the others.  Mosquito larvae.  Drain your trough and refill it on a regular basis.

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worms in water trough, what are they?

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