Wtf is this
- Thread starter beau1990
- Start date
Hopefully it's a detritivore or snail-eating planarian/flatworm, but with that colour I'd guess gut-parasite.
If so it's interesting that the fish are pecking at it, though; does the cat ever sit atop the aquarium?
If so it's interesting that the fish are pecking at it, though; does the cat ever sit atop the aquarium?
Mmmm, suspiciously like an earthworm that has spent months under water to me. Try removing it to a container and checking how it fares out of water, maybe add some soil at one end of the container.
Things arguing against planarian (free living flat worm) -
- Not flat, that thing is round!
- It appears to contain spherical, separately walled things inside, like capsules. Could be egg/embryo cases. Not a free-living flatworm.
- Could be a taenia-like internal platyhelminth.
Things arguing against roundworm (nematode) -
- Very large, only possibility something like an earthworm
- It appears to contain rounded, separately walled things inside, like capsules. Could be egg/embryo cases. If this is the case, then no earthworm, as those have specific areas (clitellum) where eggs are produced/stored prior to release.
Actions suggested:
Remove & fix in a vial with alcohol, for later examination.
Keep an eye on fish, or appearance of similar things on tank bottom
Treat all tank with internal parasite treatment.
- Not flat, that thing is round!
- It appears to contain spherical, separately walled things inside, like capsules. Could be egg/embryo cases. Not a free-living flatworm.
- Could be a taenia-like internal platyhelminth.
Things arguing against roundworm (nematode) -
- Very large, only possibility something like an earthworm
- It appears to contain rounded, separately walled things inside, like capsules. Could be egg/embryo cases. If this is the case, then no earthworm, as those have specific areas (clitellum) where eggs are produced/stored prior to release.
Actions suggested:
Remove & fix in a vial with alcohol, for later examination.
Keep an eye on fish, or appearance of similar things on tank bottom
Treat all tank with internal parasite treatment.
Just felt that if you zoom in you can still see the rings which are formed from the muscle of the worm which after a while under water with little food have smoothed off somewhat.
Obviously earthworms would not die underwater as they do not have lungs and instead breath through their skin oxygen directly into their bloodstream, so as long as the tank has good dissolved oxygen content the worm would not drown.
Also thought that if you zoom in you can also see the saddle of the worm at the leftmost end of the worm.
But it could of course be any of the other mentioned things.
Obviously earthworms would not die underwater as they do not have lungs and instead breath through their skin oxygen directly into their bloodstream, so as long as the tank has good dissolved oxygen content the worm would not drown.
Also thought that if you zoom in you can also see the saddle of the worm at the leftmost end of the worm.
But it could of course be any of the other mentioned things.
