White hair thick little worms that wiggle like snakes!

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CTC

CTC

Black Skirt Tetra
MFK Member
Jun 4, 2018
32
20
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30
Have you tested your water?
Yes
If yes, what is your ammonia?
0
If yes, what is your nitrite?
0
If yes, what is your nitrate?
20
If I did not test my water...
  1. ...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.
Do you do water changes?
Yes
What percentage of water do you change?
41-50%
How frequently do you change your water?
Every week
If I do not change my water...
  1. ...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.
Hi,
I have always had these white worms in my tank that wiggle like snakes through the water column. They only come out when I disrupt a sponge filter or stir up the tank in some way.

They have never been an issue before, but now I have a new Jack Dempsey spawn and it seems like the fry are dying off slowly. Becoming lethargic, pale, and stop eating.
I always thought they were detritus worms and were just feeding on leftover food. Are they killing my fry? And more importantly, how can I treat for them?! Even one of the parent Jack dempseys has stopped eating
I attached a picture of the worm, and a baby with white stringy poop.

91C1A298-ECE5-4D61-A27C-4746BF75D30D.jpeg

444F1E55-34A6-4DB2-A279-39E4D236EED7.jpeg

30CA5CC9-B879-4220-94C9-E027D7D4047D.jpeg

9FB5C77C-789C-44AA-8507-A3DD8521F8A0.jpeg
 
Detritus worms, I have them in most of my tanks. No harm, the fry will eat them
 
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Most likely detritus worms. Feed less and do more water changes. You could probably treat with a dewormer but that could cause an ammonia spike if there’s a ton and they suddenly die off.They pretty harmless.
 
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Hybridfish7 said:
Detritus worms, I have them in most of my tanks. No harm, the fry will eat them
Click to expand...

my male dempsey is not eating either though. Could he also have an internal parasite? Or maybe it’s because he’s fathering the fry?
 
phreeflow said:
Most likely detritus worms. Feed less and do more water changes. You could probably treat with a dewormer but that could cause an ammonia spike if there’s a ton and they suddenly die off.They pretty harmless.
Click to expand...

I have no explanation for the fry dying then. They become fatigued and stop eating? Seems like a parasite. Maybe the detritus worms are not the cause, but a different parasite is killing them?
 
You’re probably over feeding and there is a parasitic or bacterial problem. It would be better to put they fry in a smaller tank with a bare bottom and add some snails, shrimp, and dwarf cories to help eat uneaten food.
 
phreeflow said:
You’re probably over feeding and there is a parasitic or bacterial problem. It would be better to put they fry in a smaller tank with a bare bottom and add some snails, shrimp, and dwarf cories to help eat uneaten food.
Click to expand...
80% of the fry are in a bare bottom tank.
out of the 150ish fry in the bare bottom I see about 4-5 that won’t eat, look pale, and hover near the bottom. The remaining fish are fine
 
Hybridfish7 said:
Detritus worms, I have them in most of my tanks. No harm, the fry will eat them
Click to expand...
Do they live inside fry? I cut open a fry whose head was bulging and dying and there’s a worm inside!!

ED6B81B7-08EB-42C4-82E8-75CF8E5949E2.jpeg
 
Gross! Are you sure those aren’t the guts? Was the “worm” moving? If so, you might want to treat with API General Cure or Fritz Expel depending on what type of parasite that is
 
Yes it would very slowly curl up and looks the same as the word in the water column.

how do I know what type of work it is? Are those medicines safe for fry?
 
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