What is this thing?

[Mrs.h2012]

After installing my filter and doing another pH test, I noticed this worm looking thing floating on the side of my tank. Is this actually a worm or what is it?

 

[aquaplanner]

Probably planaria, it's common when there's too much in eaten food, they aren't harmful but an multiply quickly, do a gravel cleaning and water change so they have less food to eat and will die off itself. They new the unbeaten food to live and reproduce!

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I don't even have fish in my tank yet, I'm still in the cycling process.

 

[aquaplanner]

They can also be from high ammonia

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I'm so confused on how this happened. I had read that you should go to ace or somewhere and buy a thing of ammonia and actually add it to help start the cycling process and I haven't even done that yet. All I've done is set the aquarium
up, put in new gravel that I rinsed off after buying in warm water, same thing with plants, and added water and dechlorinator. I was given this aquarium by a friend and the filter she gave me didn't work, and a member here suggested that I keep the old carbon cartridge and floss and keep
them in my aquarium until I got a new filter and use them instead of the new ones. Could this have come from the old carbon cartridge?

 

[bud29]

Do you know how long the cartridge had been used before it was given to you?

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I have no idea. Would it be better if I put in the new cartridge and floss? Or should I completely skip the carbon cartridge all together? I think I remember someone on here saying they dont use the carbon cartridges and all

 

[aquaplanner]

Do the old cartridge, it won't quicken the cycling because most of the bb could potentially be dead already anyways!

 

[brennae]

After installing my filter and doing another pH test, I noticed this worm looking thing floating on the side of my tank. Is this actually a worm or what is it?

I got leaches in one of my tanks once from some plants. They are hard to get rid of and looked very similar to your picture.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

We're your plants real or fake? All of mine are fake.

 

[jlk]

I got leaches in one of my tanks once from some plants. They are hard to get rid of and looked very similar to your picture.

I have to agree here- it looks like a leech. I dealt with them as well and they are horrible.