Red Worms?

[duke33]

Again I searched the forums and found no answer to these. I just did a gravel vac on a recently vacated frog tank(10g). Anyway there were a s-load of skinny 1/2" or so red worms, like baby earthworms. I put a couple angels in temporarely<sp. Should I get them out of there? What are these worms? Where did they come from?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

They sound like bloodworms to me;

http://www.xerces.org/aquatic/Columbia_Slough/Chironomidae_bloodworm4_600.jpg

They are harmless, just clean your substrate a bit more often and they will go away, your fish will eat them too if you feed them to the fish

 

[duke33]

they're not segmented like that. I'll try and get a pic. O.K. That's one right up top.

 

[mothernature]

Wow, we need to find out what that is!

 

[SiApA2]

looks like blood worm to me. they like to multiply in gravel. ive had bad experiences when i was young. You should be ok they are harmless

 

[SiApA2]

the picture tokis-phoenix has is one that is magnified.
blood worms come in all sizes and specie types.

this is probably a crappy picture but this lizard is about to munch on a blood worm. does this look like type you found?

cheers

 

[duke33]

Yeah...kinda...But how did they get in there? I have to pay for the dried ones!

 

[Bderick67]

Blood worms are a larve, so they cannot multiply in the substrate.

Here is a link about blood worms;

http://aquaweb.pair.com/forums/archives/loach2/index.cgi?read=12841

 

[SiApA2]

are you sure they dont multipy even depending on the environment of the fish tank? i remember droping around 5 in a small tank and some how there were over 50 new ones either they grew long and somehow divided or just got their freek on...i just dont know lol

 

[duke33]

They were hidden down in the gravel. But like I should have said, I have never put live worms in that tank. I put crickets in it before.