BullFeathers
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2015
- Messages
- 16
Okay, I bought some blackworms from Pet World (I know, first mistake). And I noticed these big white blobby things in with the worms. When rinsing them out, I noticed one of them started to move. Um. What?
I tried to find information online but all I could find fitting my description were planaria. I don't know, maybe it's a type of planaria. However I've not seen a single picture or video that convinced me that's what it is. It's like oval-shaped except it's actually heavier on one end and pointy on the other (the pointy part seems to be its front). It seems almost translucent white with a darker accordian-like pattern on its back.
My main concern is obviously if it's a threat to my fish. I don't care otherwise about ooey gooey things or scampering crustacean things in my tank. As long as no one gets hurt! Thems the rules!
So since I don't trust this stranger I isolate it in a little shot glass where it sort of sat "waiting." It clearly wasn't interested in anything, presumably because there was nothing there to be interested in. This is my first tip that it's not a cute little slug. It seems to me that if something of its description ate vegetation it would be trying the glass for algae.
The next morning (this one) I decide to put some blackworms in there. And surprise, surprise it notices.
I'll post a link to a video I took, but I'll explain in words the goings on at this point as well.
Here's a video: (Another one showing you how it approaches the worms and moves around the glass is coming soon, it just needs to upload.) https://youtu.be/XQTcX1ByC60
Immediately it knows there's something else there. It holds itself onto the glass with one end (the fat end) and feels around with the other (the skinny end). Once it finds a worm it wraps around it. The worm spasms like it was bitten (you notice the same thing when your fish eat them). The squishy thing then wraps around the worm and sort of looks like it's trying to wring it out or choke it. It's rather disturbing.
At this point I can't imagine this thing is good for my fish, but I still need to know what it is. Does it lay eggs in the worms? Should I assume they're all bad? Or are they harmless to my fish and even a good snack?
Any help is appreciated.
I tried to find information online but all I could find fitting my description were planaria. I don't know, maybe it's a type of planaria. However I've not seen a single picture or video that convinced me that's what it is. It's like oval-shaped except it's actually heavier on one end and pointy on the other (the pointy part seems to be its front). It seems almost translucent white with a darker accordian-like pattern on its back.
My main concern is obviously if it's a threat to my fish. I don't care otherwise about ooey gooey things or scampering crustacean things in my tank. As long as no one gets hurt! Thems the rules!
So since I don't trust this stranger I isolate it in a little shot glass where it sort of sat "waiting." It clearly wasn't interested in anything, presumably because there was nothing there to be interested in. This is my first tip that it's not a cute little slug. It seems to me that if something of its description ate vegetation it would be trying the glass for algae.
The next morning (this one) I decide to put some blackworms in there. And surprise, surprise it notices.
I'll post a link to a video I took, but I'll explain in words the goings on at this point as well.
Here's a video: (Another one showing you how it approaches the worms and moves around the glass is coming soon, it just needs to upload.) https://youtu.be/XQTcX1ByC60
Immediately it knows there's something else there. It holds itself onto the glass with one end (the fat end) and feels around with the other (the skinny end). Once it finds a worm it wraps around it. The worm spasms like it was bitten (you notice the same thing when your fish eat them). The squishy thing then wraps around the worm and sort of looks like it's trying to wring it out or choke it. It's rather disturbing.
At this point I can't imagine this thing is good for my fish, but I still need to know what it is. Does it lay eggs in the worms? Should I assume they're all bad? Or are they harmless to my fish and even a good snack?
Any help is appreciated.