Snail babies...maybe?!

[Purple Turtle]

My sister has a freshwater tank with two snails in it and a large oscar fish. One day she noticed tiny little white worm-type things. We all thought that maybe it was from the fish she had put in the tank. However today we thought that maybe they were actually snail babies. We dont know much about snails, other than they help control the algal growth in the tank. We have looked on the internet for pictures of snails and their young but have not been able to find anything. I am hoping that maybe someone could confirm our conclusion. Thanks

 

[krap101]

what did theser worm like things look like? if they were snail babies im sure you would of noticed a small batch of grapelike clusters somewhere in the tank. im guessing its like a parasite of some sort.

another thing i think it might be is a err. dont know the name. i think it comes frmo overfeeding...

 

[Devilishturtles]

yeah, small white worms...darnit..cant think of their name..but they usually evolve from the goo (fish waste, food, etc.) in your gravel. Meaning, that:

1. You are feeding too much; or
2. You aren't cleaning your gravel enough.

How often do you do a gravel vaccum, and how long has it been since you last did a water change on the tank?

Snail eggs look like little clusters of eggs in little sacks. They are usually hard to see, and small, but cling on the gravel, decorations, plants, etc.

I'll see if I can find the name of the worms. HTH.

 

[madasafish]

Nematodes, probably. Def. the result of high levels of nutrients in the tank. I find scrubbing them off and lowering feeding usually works.

Snail babies are first clusters of eggs, and then migrate onto the glass individually. They tend to look like little white/clear blobs at first. It takes a few days/weeks before the shell is distinguishable from the rest of the goo...

 

[Purple Turtle]

Thanks for all the help. She was feeding her fish too much i guess. She cleans the tanks about every week to two weeks. I am just curious as to how those parasites would form in the tank. Would it be from the water the fish came in, or could it come from the food?

 

[madasafish]

I'm not sure if I'd call these particular nematodes parasites--they're just organisms living in the tank, not living on any other organisms.

They could have arrived any of a few ways. With the fish in the water, with the tap water, with plants, etc.

I wouldn't worry about them too much. Def. scrub them off the tank sides and change water a little more frequently than usual. Even if they do stay, they'll do no damage; they're just a little bit unsightly!

 

[Devilishturtles]

The nematodes or planaria can come into the tank from a number of ways. The fish, the plants, anything. And they thrive and multiply from the excess nutriets in your water.

Most fish will eat them, and they will do no harm what so ever to your fish. Just cut down on feeding, and keep the gravel clean.