4" red worm in my tank - what is it, where did it come from, & should I worry?

[hbeth82]

4" red worm in my tank - what is it, where did it come from, & should I worry?

While doing a PW in my 55gal today, I noticed a small, squishy-looking splotch going up the siphon. Managed to catch it as it came out of the tap in the sink and found it was a reddish worm, about 3-4". Here's a picture of it on paper towel,

and another of it in a little dish of water,

I have no idea where it came from as I haven't added any thing new to the tank for quite a while. The only problem I have had recently was that one of my bolivian rams, had started spitting out all of his food, no matter what he was given, and eating nothing. I put him in QT, treated with salt and JL Parasite Clear, and after a week moved him back to my main tank this past Monday.

I don't offer any live food so it couldn't have been introduced that way. For food, I use:

Omega Sinking pellets (daily)
Hikari Carnivore pellets (every other day)
Hikari Algae wafers (ever other day)
frozen brine shrimp / frozen blood worms (once every other week)
boiled peas (once every other week)
Tetra Crisps (on occasion)

Don't know if it makes any difference but fish include BN pleco, cory cats, black skirt tetras, bolivian rams, dwarf gourami, and platy.

I wondered whether it might be related to the fish that I treated with the Parasite Clear, but that doesn't seem very likely, though if it's possible please correct me. I tried to do an extra-thorough job siphoning the gravel and in the plants but didn't find any thing else like this. Can anybody tell me what it is, where it might have come from, and whether I should be worried about it?

 

[Homedog98]

It could be a parasite, but IMO I don't think they get that long.

 

[hbeth82]

It could be a parasite, but IMO I don't think they get that long.

Thanks, that's kinda reassuring. I kinda thought that too, especially since the biggest fish in my tank is the BN pleco, not much bigger than the worm itself, but it seems like I'd heard that some parasites in humans get to be pretty long so wasn't sure.

Is it possible that it's a blood worm that somehow survived being frozen? Seems unlikely but not sure.

 

[Homedog98]

I doubt it, but who knows? If you see anymore, it could be something more serious, but for now, just keep an eye out.

 

[tornadonick]

Where are you from, I think I know exactly what that is but cant think of or find the name. They are not hard to find in springs and ponds here in minnesota.

 

[hbeth82]

I doubt it, but who knows? If you see anymore, it could be something more serious, but for now, just keep an eye out.

Agreed, seems unlikely but just finding it in there freaked me out. . .and the possibility of having to treat the tank, arggh!

Where are you from, I think I know exactly what that is but cant think of or find the name. They are not hard to find in springs and ponds here in minnesota.

I'm in Northwest Ohio, within an hour or so of Toledo. If it is indigenous, any idea how it got in my tank as I haven't brought anything in from outside. The only change I can think of is that I recently split up some of my annubias nana & tied some to a new rock but I think it was one that I'd had inside for a while.

 

[tornadonick]

i have know idea how that could have happened, but i am confident that is what it is(even though i cant tell you hehe)

 

[hbeth82]

i have know idea how that could have happened, but i am confident that is what it is(even though i cant tell you hehe)

I have a paranoid feeling that you are some how the worm (currently living in a cream cheese dish) and are doing this to mock me. Can you tell me whether it's something to worry about or just worm? Any idea where I can find more info? Tried a Google search for 'redworms in freshwater aquarium' but no luck.

 

[tornadonick]

I doubt it, i do not believe they are parasitic or anything, where do you get your water?

I am no expert on this i have just made some observations

 

[hbeth82]

I use tap water but due to nitrates and the water being very hard, I use an RO+DI filter for most of the water, so it doesn't seem like something could have gotten through that way. Also, since he looks like a giant bit of bloodworm, I'm surprised he hadn't been eaten. I can't think of any time that any of my equipment (filter, bucket, carboys, etc.) would have been outside, as he could have come in that way.

 

[tornadonick]

yes this is confusing. I keep thinking horse hare worm but i know that is wrong. Given your location it makes sense that it would be indigenous but thinking about it I bet it came with your fish, or plants? Who knows how your LFS does everything,

 

[hbeth82]

I think you're right, doesn't quite look like horsehair worm as those look brown and what I found was more like nightcrawler-reddish. Tried searching for 'native Ohio worms' but most everything seems to be about earth worms.

Last time I added anything new to the tank was sometime this past fall, a few bunches of anachris.

Aside from the one ram who wouldn't eat for a while, no evidence of anybody being ill but would still like to know what it is and where it came from.

 

[Crepe]

It's just a tubifex worm. I have em in my substrate. Good detrivores. Make it a keeper if it doesn't get eaten before it burrows back in the ground. It probably came in from the plants.

 

[henryprice]

Scary stuff.

 

[tornadonick]

doesnt look like a tubifex worm to me, and I know it looks exactly like what i am thinking, but honestly, if you think that is what it is i dont doubt you.

 

[Crepe]

Is the worm segmented or not? horse hare worms are not segmented. Tubifex are. Most parasites are not going to be segmented worms unless they are tapeworms(which are only superficially segmented and are flat).

 

[hbeth82]

It is segmented, generally pink in color with a very bright red zig-zagging line/vein running from end to end. It does look like the tubifex worms shown here and he did seem very fond of the tetra crisps I put in his cream cheese dish (just curious about whether he would eat!), so hopefully that's all it is.

To tornadonick - Any better idea of what it reminds you of or what you think it might be?

 

[tornadonick]

It didnt look segmented in the picture to me but if it is, then yes i am going to go with a tubifex worm... never realized i knew about worms lol

 

[hbeth82]

It didnt look segmented in the picture to me but if it is, then yes i am going to go with a tubifex worm

After you said that, I went back and looked at him, and now I'm not too sure if it is segmented. It may well be safe and beneficial to the tank, as Crepe suggested, but short of a certified worm-ologist telling me it's harmless, I know it would bug me. Think he's headed outdoors to live in the compost/dead plant pile.

Thanks for the advice all!

 

[siva]

to rule out the bloodworm question, bloodworms are just mosquito larvae and do not get long like that