there are worms floating in my tank.

[supa]

hi, im new to this site and i was wondering if anyone could help me out with my little problem. my fish tank is maybe 4 months old. this is my second tank but my first non gold fish tank. i've one casualty. (my oscar) im usually good about maintaining my tank. but the fish i have are a little more work than my goldfish were. (least i think so) theres always something with these guys. First it was ich, and now i think there are parasites in there. as i looked in the tank this morning thinking its water change time, i see this floating worm squiggling away. I THINK ITS A PARASITE!!!! and if not, im sure my fish have parasites because of there behavior. What should i do besides medicate and how do i rid my tank of these ugly little buggers?

 

[butterfly_koi]

Hi supa! And welcome to AA!
To me they sound like they could be Detritus Worms. They are little white unsightly worms that live off of decomposing matter in the tank. Without a picture it's hard to us positively identify them though.
If they are in fact Detritus don't worry, they are very common. They are non parasitic and will not cause harm to the tank. Best way to get rid of them is water changes to suck them out of the aquarium.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Or simply leave them, as they make a great food source for your fish. That is of course, assuming that they are detrious worms - picture would be helpful.

 

[butterfly_koi]

Or simply leave them, as they make a great food source for your fish.

Oh yes I agree with that at well
I have some in my 10G and my Paradise loves to chase them down and eat them.