Micro worms???

[xsryman]

Have a 10 gallon tank with a few live plants, ghost shrimp, two assassin snails, and pond snails for them to feed on. This morning I noticed tons of little things stuck to the side of the glass that look like tiny little worms. Don't know why or how the got there and not sure if they are bad or good. Anyone know what they might be or why they are there and how do I get rid of them if I even need to.

 

[Super_Blueberry]

Do they happen to be white with a flat head?

 

[xsryman]

The are so tiny i cant even see if they have a head. I was just doing some research on google and i think they sound like planeria worms. The show up from excess uneaten food.

 

[xsryman]

Not sure if they are food or bad but ther is a ton of them...

 

[fishfanatic]

Google "Planaria" and see of that is it.

 

[Crepe]

I have a little of everything in my tank:

nematodes (very small, round worms)
planaria (relatively rare in my tank but they're flat and arrow shaped or slug looking but still under 1cm)
tubifex/blackworms...or something (small red worms, look exactly like red wrigglers but miniaturized)

They're all detrivores and all harmless. Planaria are a concern for shrimp though since the slime they excrete is harmful to invertebrates.

 

[fishfanatic]

The are so tiny i cant even see if they have a head. I was just doing some research on google and i think they sound like planeria worms. The show up from excess uneaten food.

Whoops! I missed that post... sorry!

 

[xsryman]

So how would you get rid of planeria ?? I don't want to harm my shrimp. Also what is the best diet for ghost shrimp? Aside from my snails that is all that's in the tank. No left overs from fish for them to scavenge.

 

[fishfanatic]

So how would you get rid of planeria ?? I don't want to harm my shrimp. Also what is the best diet for ghost shrimp? Aside from my snails that is all that's in the tank. No left overs from fish for them to scavenge.

I used "No-planaria" it says it is safe for shrimp but I think I dosed with it wrong because my shrimp started to die... It was more than likely my error, but have someone confirm that it is safe before you use it.