Some sort of infestation

[tulip55555]

I have 3 x 5 gallon betta tanks, unfiltered with heat. The tanks are all about 6 weeks old, so newly cycled. All 3 fish seem happy and healthy (though I may be guilty of overfeeding)
My problem is that I have a lot of almost microscopic things swimming around my tanks. I believe they are nematodes or planaria, but they are not long worms and I do not see them clinging to the sides of my tank like some of the info online suggests.
I did a major water change on one tank last night and did find 3 or 4 longer worm looking things, but when I inspected them with a magnifying glass I did not see any eyes or anything. It really just looked like pieces of string.
My question is...are they still likely to be small/young nematodes or planaria?? Or could I be looking at something more insidious??

 

[KTpoopenstein]

I have 3 x 5 gallon betta tanks, unfiltered with heat. The tanks are all about 6 weeks old, so newly cycled. All 3 fish seem happy and healthy (though I may be guilty of overfeeding)
My problem is that I have a lot of almost microscopic things swimming around my tanks. I believe they are nematodes or planaria, but they are not long worms and I do not see them clinging to the sides of my tank like some of the info online suggests.
I did a major water change on one tank last night and did find 3 or 4 longer worm looking things, but when I inspected them with a magnifying glass I did not see any eyes or anything. It really just looked like pieces of string.
My question is...are they still likely to be small/young nematodes or planaria?? Or could I be looking at something more insidious??

Can you post a few pictures? That might help with the ID...

 

[tulip55555]

They are sooooo small. They would never show up in a photo. I can only see them when I shine a flashlight in the tank. The light reflects off of them and I can see them squiggling around. They are not really visible otherwise.

 

[KTpoopenstein]

They are sooooo small. They would never show up in a photo. I can only see them when I shine a flashlight in the tank. The light reflects off of them and I can see them squiggling around. They are not really visible otherwise.

Hmm. My guess would be nematodes, since they're aaaaalllllllllll over the place...

 

[Fishfur]

Check here.

What is that bug in my Aquarium? .:. Various small creatures that can inhabit a Freshwater Invertebrate Aquarium

Hmm, that works, but it does not show up like an URL. Oh well.

Might find it there. Might not. Chance are it is harmless, most of the little critters are, excepting hydra. Even planaria are not the plague most think they are, unless they are the giant Asian species, which grow to an inch or more and eat shrimp. They come in on imported plants.

Native planaria are actually quite small and don't do any harm to anything. Some fish will eat them, if they see them. They will shrink up like a leech will if bothered, and move very slowly, like a snail or slug. Gliding along, they don't really swim, per se. If they are big enough you do see a slight triangle shape head and two 'eye' spots on that head. Still, they won't hurt the fish or anything else.

Stop overfeeding, because that is feeding these populations too. Only what the fish will eat in a couple of minutes, once a day.