Tons of problems. Please help!

[TaylorLovelyTM]

Hello everybody! About three months ago, I got a 15 gallon fish tank and stand. I set it up, put in substrate and some live plants, and did a fishless cycle. Once the ammonia and nitrite levels were zero, I added 8 neon tetras. Everything was going fine until I noticed snails. I tried to maintain their numbers for awhile, but it got out of control. So I moved the neons to a smaller established tank for the time being, and got rid of everything in the 15g. I got rid of all plants/decorations/gravel/filters. I purchased a bag of aquarium sand, and after the tank was all set up, started to cycle it again with just the sand in there. Today when I went to test the water I found these black worms. They're really small, but I have no idea where there are coming from, because there hasn't been anything alive in that tank since before I tore it apart. What do I do to get rid of them? Are they harmful?

Thanks so much!
Taylor

 

[jlk]

What do they look like? Can you post a pic? Do they have triangle-shaped heads & turn into little ball if you move them? If so, they are planaria & are relatively harmless. If they dont sound like this, do they have sucker-type heads & swim in an undulating fashin like a snake? This would be a leech... Some more info will help us to figure it out!

 

[TaylorLovelyTM]

They're extremely tiny, but don't appear to have triangular heads. They're way too small for me to get a picture of, but there a hundreds of them. They do seem to swim very snake like, and mostly they wiggle through the sand.

 

[jlk]

I am posting a link to my thread about my ordeal with leeches. See if the pics match what you are seeing.

What is this???? - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community

 

[TaylorLovelyTM]

Exact same thing. I read through the whole thread, and I've decided that I'm just going to tear apart the whole tank. I'll go outside in the morning, rinse it all out, and let it dry. And then buy new substrate and filter (uuughhh) and hope they don't come back.

 

[jlk]

As I discovered in my leech research, leech eggs can withstand just about anything (ammonia, heat, drying, freezing, passing through the intestinal tract of a mammal) and can hatch months or even years later when conditions are ideal. You will need to bleach everything & really scrub out the interior of your filter housing if you plan to reuse it. The eggs are tiny & encased in a tough shell that can stick anywhere & on anything. I still have nightmares about these disgusting things!

 

[TaylorLovelyTM]

When I bleached my tank the first time (because of the snails) it was pretty much impossible to get the residue out no matter how much I rinsed. Do you have any suggestions for that?

Ah. My birthday is tomorrow, so of course these things have to appear today. Happy birthday to me D;

 

[jlk]

I am SO sorry!! Happy Birthday!!! Ok, a 15g can fit in a bathtub. You want to do a 10% bleach solution (1 cup bleach to 9 cups water), scrub the tank with a sponge & make sure you get under the rim where eggs can be attached. Leave the bleach in there for about 10-15mins then rinse well with hot water. Refill with hot water & add hefty dose of dechlorinator & allow the water to sit overnight. Rinse again & allow it to air dry (in the sun if possible). If there is any remaining residue, wipe down with a 50-50 solution of vinegar & water & rinse. The tank should be good to refill & hopefully bug-free!

 

[TaylorLovelyTM]

Thank you so much! Alright, tomorrow morning I'm going to tackle this. Haha. The snails were a breeze to get rid of compared to this. And my neons are angry at me for keeping them in such a small tank for so long. This is crazy. Did you ever figure out where they came from?

 

[jlk]

Either from the snails I bought or eggs that were on plants I bought MONTHS earlier that were just waiting for the right time to hatch. I refuse to buy plants from Petsmart/Petco anymore & am sticking to a local guy who sells plants or from the classifieds on here. There is no way to disinfect plants for leech eggs. And no more snails!! I am not taking any more chances! Horrible experience!!!

 

[TaylorLovelyTM]

Ahh. I think I'll start buying plants online, and make sure I QT them first. Thank you soooo much for your help though. I'll be starting all of this tomorrow, and hopefully everything will go smoothly. I don't want to see another leech or snail again. Ever.

 

[jlk]

LOL!! Good luck & dont ask hesitate to ask if you have any questions! Happy Birthday!!!

 

[TaylorLovelyTM]

thank you so much! I think when it's all done I'll buy a few fish as a birthday present to myself