Sorry, I cannot post any photos because this small white intruder is really too small to get a photo of. I would like help to identify and treat/remove it. Here are the facts: 5 GAL quarantine tank with a 2 wild caught plecos and a sponge filter. Sand substrate. Water temp 80F and medium hardness. PH around 7.6. Other than the plecos, I did introduce some plants within the last few weeks - some Wisteria, Java moss and Java fern. The visitors are small white critters that are visible to the naked eye. They are on all surfaces but I first noticed them against the sponge filter, probably b/c of the color contrast. I've seen them on the glass and sand as well. They generally dash around the glass or water surface in erratic motions - kind of like a newly hatched brine shrimp - but their motions are quicker and longer if that makes sense. Anyway, like I mentioned, I have 2 plecos in this tank - and these things could have hitched a ride on one of them. I also feed live blackworms on occasion so that's a possible entry point too. So hopefully this is enough info that I can maybe get pointed in the right direction to identify/remove them. Fish appear healthy otherwise but I would like to deal with these things now while they are still in my QT process. Thanks.
Help identify an intruder
- Thread starter erik333
- Start date
Sounds like the tiny harmless white worms that seem to appear in tanks that have too big of a bio load for their filtration systems.
looked up planaria and i'm pretty certain that is not what I have. Those are in the worm family and move in a way like a typical 'worm' from what I can tell. These move eratically (sp?) and jump through the water in a very random way. I will get a microscope and see if they might be FW copepods/Cyclops. Any other input welcome.
Seed shrimp most likely. They come in on plants all the time. They're harmless and will quickly disappear when you put some fish in the tank.
If they are wite hairlike worms that swim similar to a spiralling sperm, its commonly mislabeled as planaria. It is a ditritus worm. I have tons of them. No matter what any store tells you, Loachs DO NOT eat these worms. and really they are harmless. it means you have uneaten food or too high of a bioload. Only way to really eridicate them is chemicals which i do NOT recommend as i have tried. doesnt do much. Water changes and feed less. for the next 3 months do bigger water changes and feed less..