Evil Planarian that eats blackworms?

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BullFeathers

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Feb 16, 2015
Messages
16
Okay, I bought some blackworms from Pet World (I know, first mistake). And I noticed these big white blobby things in with the worms. When rinsing them out, I noticed one of them started to move. Um. What?

I tried to find information online but all I could find fitting my description were planaria. I don't know, maybe it's a type of planaria. However I've not seen a single picture or video that convinced me that's what it is. It's like oval-shaped except it's actually heavier on one end and pointy on the other (the pointy part seems to be its front). It seems almost translucent white with a darker accordian-like pattern on its back.

My main concern is obviously if it's a threat to my fish. I don't care otherwise about ooey gooey things or scampering crustacean things in my tank. As long as no one gets hurt! Thems the rules!

So since I don't trust this stranger I isolate it in a little shot glass where it sort of sat "waiting." It clearly wasn't interested in anything, presumably because there was nothing there to be interested in. This is my first tip that it's not a cute little slug. It seems to me that if something of its description ate vegetation it would be trying the glass for algae.

The next morning (this one) I decide to put some blackworms in there. And surprise, surprise it notices.

I'll post a link to a video I took, but I'll explain in words the goings on at this point as well.

Here's a video: (Another one showing you how it approaches the worms and moves around the glass is coming soon, it just needs to upload.) https://youtu.be/XQTcX1ByC60

Immediately it knows there's something else there. It holds itself onto the glass with one end (the fat end) and feels around with the other (the skinny end). Once it finds a worm it wraps around it. The worm spasms like it was bitten (you notice the same thing when your fish eat them). The squishy thing then wraps around the worm and sort of looks like it's trying to wring it out or choke it. It's rather disturbing.

At this point I can't imagine this thing is good for my fish, but I still need to know what it is. Does it lay eggs in the worms? Should I assume they're all bad? Or are they harmless to my fish and even a good snack?

Any help is appreciated.
 
Thats really interesting, however I have no idea what it is.

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It is really interesting! But also.... a little concerning. I don't like not knowing what it is.

Danger walks on deck we say "What the heck?"
We laugh at the perils we're facing.
 
Sounds like it's worth a Google

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Ah crap, it's the strain! Burn it before it kills us all!

All joking aside, I don't recognize it either
 
The only solution I know of off the top of my head is this three pronged attack.
1.) fill glass w/ lighter fluid
2.) light match and place in glass
3.) send that sumb***ch to hell.
Whatever it is, it will appear in my nightmare tonight. That's a horrifying little demonic worm thing.


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The only solution I know of off the top of my head is this three pronged attack.
1.) fill glass w/ lighter fluid
2.) light match and place in glass
3.) send that sumb***ch to hell.
Whatever it is, it will appear in my nightmare tonight. That's a horrifying little demonic worm thing.


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+1 except make sure you do it outside and maybe in an old Tupperware container. Wouldn't want to crack a perfectly good glass

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I'm going to say that is a fluke. A rather large one. I have only seen them in a Parasitology class I took. Do not feed that to your fish and do not feed the worms to your fish as they could be using the worms as part of their life cycle which could harm your fish or you. Get rid of those quickly.

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I'm going to say that is a fluke. A rather large one. I have only seen them in a Parasitology class I took. Do not feed that to your fish and do not feed the worms to your fish as they could be using the worms as part of their life cycle which could harm your fish or you. Get rid of those quickly.

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WHAT?!?!?!?! I have feed all but my newest percula clownfish pair these worms! If I freeze the worms for a week would it kill the life cycle? I have a freezer that gets to -15 degrees Fahrenheit.
I don't want these parasites, but I also don't want to waste the worms.
 
Not really sure if that would work seeing as most treatments for flukes are medical (drugs, physical removal).

I would definitely not freeze it with any food you consume because flukes can become human parasites. We aren't normally in their cycle but we are giant walking fancy restaurants.

Also do NOT release those into the wild. They will infect wild life and domestic life.

Try feezing, if that doesn't work burn them.

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I've been told they are flatworms. What that means I don't know but they are almost always in my blackworms where ever I get them from.

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Que the flame of death! I don't have any freezer without human food so I won't chance it. I will ask my biology prof next class to see what he knows about them before I kill them.
 
Liver flukes are nematodes. Nematodes are "flat worms" and all of the nematodes listed on that site are parasitic. Humans are not normally in their life cycle but under the right conditions we can become a host to them.

That's a good idea fish wrangler. If you can see if your school has a microbiologist, parasitologist, or maybe even a botanist can help. All biology people have a specialty (mine is going to be epidemics) and they are experts once they realize their specialty.

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The one I separated from the blackworms got a pinch of reef salt in his little bit of water, and met his maker :devilish:
 
So i can still feed it to my fish? And I don't have to send it to the ????
Just the way it stuck to the glass with one end didn't sound like any leech I have heard of.

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