Aquarium worms?

[anglefishgirl]

I have these small almost worm looking things in my aquarium. I dont know if they are good or bad but im looking for information onthese little wigglers and i have no idea what these are. these seems to be multipying and are pink...they seem to apear in large groups like they were layed in big balls!

Can any one help me?

 

[Fruitbat]

anglefishgirl...

Welcome to Aquarium Advice!! Glad to have you with us.

A little more information on the worms, if you can. Are these worms thin and thread-like and living in the gravel or are they free-swimming? Do they appear to be flattened and crawling on the glass??

If they're thread-like, living in the gravel in clusters and pinkish in color then I'd almost suspect Tubifex worms. Sounds a lot like what you're describing.

If they're free-swimming then it is probably some sort of nematode...but they don't usually appear in large groups.

If they're flat and crawling along the glass or other aquarium decorations then you're probably looking at Planaria (flatworms)

In any case...they are probably not harmful to your fish. They all thrive in aquariums where there is a lot of built-up organic matter in the gravel and are often a sign of overfeeding. The best way to rid yourself of these pests...or at least to drop their population to the point of being unnoticeable...is to vacuum your gravel thoroughly and to cut back on the amount of food you supply.

Hope this helps!

 

[anglefishgirl]

Thanks for the advice!...yease they do live in the gravel but latley they have been swimming on the top close to the light. they are thread like. I guess i may over feed my fish sometimes... I usually vacume the aquarium once a month a reall good cacum (changing at least 1/4 the water)

 

[Fruitbat]

Try giving your gravel a vacuuming a couple of times this week and see if that doesn't help bring the population down. BTW....I think almost ALL of us overfeed our fish on occasion...I know that I sure do!

 

[thetmaxx]

I had the same thing, and once i brought their feeding way down, the worms went away... and a few times since, i kinda get lazy and dont feel like waiting for the frozen cube to thaw, so i plunk the whoe thing in, and the worms come right back... so you have to be very careful about that...