Tiny white worms

[JuniorMonsterKeeper]

Hi fellow MFKs I ve got makes me feel like a rookie question. As this issue is a first out of all tanks I ve kept and happens to be happening in my 4th and largest tank. Today I spotted blowing around in my water a small tiny worm. It had the body of a earthworm with that tiny ring closer to one end than the other. It forced me to sit down and really eye ball my tank over (6foot 125 gal bichir african cichlid tank)

Here’s a few photos I tried to capture the worms in the center of the photos so you don’t have to look to hard. I found most of them on the sponge filter

 

[jsodwi]

You need to do more water changes and slow down feeding. They will disappear if your tank is clean.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; look up hydra.

 

[JuniorMonsterKeeper]

Hello; look up hydra.

It’s definitly not a hydra. It resembles an earthworm but just white and tiny. I ve been doin 50% water changes every Sunday I’m goin to do a more thorough cleaning this weekend and remove all stones and stir up the substrate as well and add bottles to my power heads with filter floss to help clear the water column. It’s a bichir / cichlid tank and I find that the cichlids through moving the sand as much as they do and the bichirs swimming across the bottom result in burying a lot of bichir poop.

Feeding wise i feed small increments of pellets and as soon as I see 1 pellet hit the bottom i stop feeding. I have so many so I have to drop pellets in diff areas so that all can get some.

 

[kno4te]

The third photo does resemble hydra. See some tentacle looking arms.

Whether it’s hydra, planaria, or detritus worms. It suggests there’s some leftover food or some nutrience keeping these things alive. You’ve been given some good advice. Keep the water changes and gravel vacuum etc etc. It should go away.

 

[Eloturtle]

It looks like a parasite or a bacterial worm .I think you can use an anti bacterial liquid.

 

[skjl47]

It looks like a parasite or a bacterial worm .I think you can use an anti bacterial liquid.

Hello; some things to consider before doing such. The infestation may clear up with care about excess food by reduced feedings and perhaps fasting days.
Another is that throwing an anti-biotic before knowing the true nature of the infestation is risky. The medication may not work on "worms" but likely can wipe out the beneficial bacteria (bb) of a tank.
By the way I do not know of "bacterial worms". Never heard of such.

Also there is nothing so far to suggest these worms are a parasite. Tanks do get infested with hydra and some non parasitic worms. If the OP has a fish die soon then an inspection of the gut may answer that question.

 

[Eloturtle]

Sorry if i am wrong but somthing like this covered my goldfishs and kois bodies. I m not sure is the same thing but they entered even in theirs mouth and gills and blocked their brathing.Most of fishes died.it can be a parasitic worm.

 

[skjl47]

.it can be a parasitic worm

Hello; Yes such parasites do exist. So far the OP has not reported the worm like critters being attached to the fish.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

Looks like just a detritus worm. Same as most everyone else has said, feed less. I probably wouldn't change anything, the odd one is pretty normal.