i hava freshwater tank which i had for a while at my house its a 55 gallon so right now i hav cichlids and a grammy but i realized yesterday there were these small white worms on all sides of the galss. The one thing i canthink of that caused that was aboout 3 months ago maby 2 we fish die from something it could of been parasites or the other cichlids iting at it. Yesterday i realized it couldnt hav been this cause everyonce in a while i see the fish come up to eachother and bite at eachothers body to protect there territory they make in the tank. But i really want to kno is there any way i can treat this parasite worm like things, cause i stay on top of my water changes lik everyweek all the readings r fine but i jus dont kno wut the worms are or how to treat them .... so if u guies can answer this and tell me if there is a way to kill them off or some type of treatment to prevent it from spreading...
Unknown wormlike parasites
- Thread starter FlipIconic010
- Start date
Tiny whitish flat worms that stick to the glass? As long as you don't see them actually feeding on the fish they are almost certainly planaria so you can breath a bit easier. This time of year they seem to show up a lot. I think it is because people tend to slack off on tank maintainance in cold weather. There are a lot of species of these little guys but they share some characteristics.
They are NOT parasites, just unsightly.
They feed on organic waste such as bacteria, fish poop, and leftover food.
Most tanks have at least a few in the filters but unless you get a population explasion you just don't notice them.
Don't medicate for them, Although any anti-fluke or tapeworm med tends to kill them. Unless you cure the cause they will be back.
Clean your tank thoroughly, including wiping out your filter housing. Do a good gravel vac, esp. under the edges of decorations and structure like driftwood. Be careful not to overfeed, and don't let fish poop accumulate. This will reduce the population quickly and by keeping up on your maintainance the population will drop so that you don't see them any more, It is also good for your fish.
If you breed egg layers they can be a problem as they are known to eat fish eggs.
They are NOT parasites, just unsightly.
They feed on organic waste such as bacteria, fish poop, and leftover food.
Most tanks have at least a few in the filters but unless you get a population explasion you just don't notice them.
Don't medicate for them, Although any anti-fluke or tapeworm med tends to kill them. Unless you cure the cause they will be back.
Clean your tank thoroughly, including wiping out your filter housing. Do a good gravel vac, esp. under the edges of decorations and structure like driftwood. Be careful not to overfeed, and don't let fish poop accumulate. This will reduce the population quickly and by keeping up on your maintainance the population will drop so that you don't see them any more, It is also good for your fish.
If you breed egg layers they can be a problem as they are known to eat fish eggs.
I just had the same thing happen in my wild caught Moba tank where some left over frozen krill got underneath some rocks and started rotting .What was really wierd in my case my alpha had the planaria all over his snout looking almost like 5 oclock shadow 
As long as they aren't out of control its probally best not to medicate like guppy said .All I did was a major cleaning underneath all the rocks and the substrate and also cut back on their feedings and within a few days things were much better
As long as they aren't out of control its probally best not to medicate like guppy said .All I did was a major cleaning underneath all the rocks and the substrate and also cut back on their feedings and within a few days things were much better
guppy said:
Are you kidding? I do MORE tank maintainance in cold Weather, I'm inside more, get bored, clean a tank or 2 or 8.
At any rate, yeah...it does sound like planaria. Perfectly harmless. If anything it might be an indication of overfeeding and like guppy said, a lack of tank maintainance. I had them once upon the time, I actually got rid of them with a paradise fish who loved to eat the things, not something I would advice though if you have larger aggresive fish. I cannot think of any other worm that slides across the glass.
without a doubtdanny boy said:guppy, its advice like that that really rates you at the top. the scene needs more guys like you on the internet..
I have the same problem and was very worried until I read this thread. Thanks for the great info.!
I also have/had the same thing. They dont seem to affect the fish so just like eevrybody said keep up on the tank maintenance and they will reside. Mine are starting to clear up a little with weekly gravel cleaning and water changes! Hope you got your answers! Mike
thanks for the info.