Help! I'm freaking out, there are worms in my tank!?

I've had them before and they are a real pain to get out but I'm not generally sure if we're talking about the same thing! A picture would help. I have to also suggest a serious gravel vac and a filter clean.

It was most likely a harmless nematode that lives in most fish tank. These nematodes float in the current or swim with a vibrating motion. There are harmful nematodes, but if you were able to see this without using a microscope, it wouldn't likely be one of the harmful types.

It might be the larvae of an aquatic midge (insect) as well.

Neither is harmful to your fish, so don't worry about your angelfish getting a little snack. As long as you only see a few of these, you wouldn't need to do anything - the nematodes usually live in the gravel, and about the only time you should see them is after a gravel vacuuming. If you see either in large numbers, it's usually an indication of overfeeding or too much organic material in the gravel, which is what they feed on - just do more frequent cleanings so they don't have as much food available, and their numbers will go down (and as you saw, your fish will be happy to help keep them under control).

If you suspect it is attached to your fish, if the vacing doesn't eliminate most, then I would treat to rid the tank of them.

The real trick is to improve the quality of your tank. They feed on all the crap left over from food and lots of fish.

Take out all ornaments and really clean the gravel. Then make sure to change your water at least once a week. It is a lot of work but thats the only way I got rid of them! Good luck!

heey

well i had the same problem with worms in my fish's tank but they were white and they didn't swim around; they just stuck to the glass of the tank.. so i'm not sure if it's the same porblem in anyway.

but the thing that was causing the worms in my tank was that there was a really big build up of like old food particles in the tank and so the worms form.

hope this helps

:)

x