Worm/caterpillar organism found on plant!

[picture_117]

After I did a large PWC I added everything I needed and then I was looking at my plants & I noticed pieces of hornwort, and Val stuck together, I started to tear them off and finally the whole bunch came off. I was looking at the pieces plants and there's a caterpillar looking thing on them!!! Pictures in a minute.

 

[picture_117]

 

[librarygirl]

Blech, that's huge! lol

I have no idea what it is, I hope someone else does.

 

[picture_117]

Yeah imagine holding that in your hand thinking its stuck together plants and you find that!

 

[GodFan]

I wouldnt touch that.... or look at it wrong lol

 

[librarygirl]

Here's a guide What are those bugs/worms in the water? @ petfish.net but other than the "Medium thick wormy thing with black head" not sure if anything fits. Maybe someone else will know.

 

[picture_117]

Thanks, yeah that's what come closest to it.
After looking through some books I found The Pyralid family of moths, that led me to this after I did a Google search.

http://www.entomology.umn.edu/midge/Projects/Taxonomy/Mongolia/11Lepidoptera.pdf

The picture, description of food, and characteristics looks like it.

Well more reading and looks like I have something from the order of Lepidoptera, they make a "cocoon" out of plant material. Which would explain the pieces of leaves stuck together. Now to figure out where this came from.

 

[librarygirl]

That's some good researching skills! Have you added the plants recently or have they been in there for a while?

 

[picture_117]

That's some good researching skills! Have you added the plants recently or have they been in there for a while?

Thanks!
Well!! I added horn wort, guppy grass, and java moss about a week ago. They were compacted and I rinsed/dipped them in a strong solution of hydrogen peroxide, there was nothing that I saw! I do that to all my plants. Unless it got it somehow with the plants. I really don't see how.

 

[librarygirl]

It might have, it probably did. Maybe it was inside/stuck to it and it somhow survived the peroxide dip? lol I have no idea, but plants are probably the cause of how it got in. What did you do with it? Is it in the tank?

 

[picture_117]

Yeah the plant is the most logical way.
Well I had it in a small cup and then threw it out as far as I could! lol. I looked in my tank and couldn't find any more. Hopefully there is no more!

 

[librarygirl]

Yeah the plant is the most logical way.
Well I had it in a small cup and then threw it out as far as I could! lol. I looked in my tank and couldn't find any more. Hopefully there is no more!

Probably a good idea. Hopefully he's the only one. I think I'd faint if I saw that in my tank

 

[brittanykluss]

thats crazy!