I have no idea what these are, parasites?

[aquariumnoob]

yesterday in my tank i saw this thing about .5cm long, very tiny, about as wide as a piece of hair, and when it swam it was similar to that of like mosquito larve in a bucket of water. well today i saw another one, and i was going to take a picture after breakfast. then i saw something similar crawling on the side of the tank, and i couldnt get a picture, but in the process i found TONS OF THEM UNDER THE GRAVEL, SOME UP TO AN INCH LONG. when i started uploading the picture my boyfriend saw the inch long one STICK A TONGUE OUT ABOUT 1 CM IN LENGTH AND THEN RETRACT IT!!!! here are some pictures, please help, i'm very worried about my fish. i did a gravel vac 4 days ago, and before the water change the parameters were ammonia:0, nitrite:0, nitrate:10, pH 7.6, i changed about 20%. i've placed red circles around a few of them, and the thick lines are just where i couldnt fit a circle.

also, i've had my ottos for about 6 weeks or longer, and like two days after i got them one got very fat, then another got a bit bigger, but not as big as that one. the third one always stayed a little slim, but even he has started getting a bit bigger. here is a picture from a couple weeks ago of one of the fatter ones next to the slim one (with snail eggs, but those are gone, the snail i had actually died a couple days ago, in case that may also be linked to these "worms". also one of my cories started looking like the scales on its back half are starting to raise, but it's really hard to tell, even looking from above. i'm still not sure. here's a picture of the ottos, im so scared, please help.

 

[hc8719]

Is it a planted tank? chances are they hitch hiked on some plants, eco-complete may also explain it.

It's those little green worms right? I used to have similar white ones, though they were much smaller. For me their populations dropped depending on how much fish food was left over. I'm doubting they are parasites, though let others reply

 

[aquariumnoob]

Someone on a different forum suggested that it was from excess food also. I have 3 otos, 3 cories, and a betta. The otos get 1/2 algae wafer, the cories get 3 shrimp pellets, and the betta gets 3 tropical granules or a couple blood worms sometimes, this is all per day. If this is too much, what would be a suggested feeding amount?

 

[Sidi]

At first I thought it was salt water, because I had very similar worms in a saltwater tank long ago.

It looks like they're building protective tubes, so I'm guessing they aren't a parasite, but rather just some sort of worm that lives in soil/substrate and feeds on any leftover food that blows by. They don't look like planaria (which are harmless as well), and they certainly aren't a leech.

If you don't see them on the fish you're probably ok, but you could look into the cures for planaria if you want to get rid of them.

Edit: Just saw your feeding schedule. That really don't seem like too much at all. As long as the fish eat everything within a few minutes (maybe a bit more for fish like the otos to find their pellet) you're fine.

 

[aquariumnoob]

I also haven't added anything new recently. I bought the plants shortly after Christmas, and the otos, which are the newest addition, about 6 weeks or more ago. No idea where they came from. I think I may feed less for a couple days, and do some gravel vacuuming.

 

[plecoperson]

I know-they're kinda horrifying!

I had/have them in my gravel as well. Everybody in the tank is fine, shrimp, snails, fishies etc. Actually, the otos ate a whole bouquet of 'em one day, right before my eyes.

Betcha they appeared 'cause of the crumbs from the sinking foods that is sifting down into the substrate. The tank I have 'em in is heavily fed with sinking foods, too.

Deeeeep breaths.... Try not to puke....

 

[hc8719]

Someone on a different forum suggested that it was from excess food also. I have 3 otos, 3 cories, and a betta. The otos get 1/2 algae wafer, the cories get 3 shrimp pellets, and the betta gets 3 tropical granules or a couple blood worms sometimes, this is all per day. If this is too much, what would be a suggested feeding amount?

No your not feeding too much, if anything, it's not enough. Don't cut back on feeding anymore

 

[aquariumnoob]

I thought it might be not quite enough, but whenever I tried adding more, during cleaning I'd find half algae wafers just completely left alone. That's why I cut back to half an algae wafer. Maybe I could try splitting feedings throughout the day. (I only feed once a day now)

 

[jsoong]

What size tank? Your otos may have enough "natural" algae to eat without any supplemental feeds. But I can't see 1/2 an algae wafer extra doing much harm.

I've see worms like that in my tank as well. Your "tongue" thing is likely a tube worm. they build a little tube out of mud & stuff & live inside it. What you saw coming out is the worm itself. The green things might be insect larvae .... I've had some white flies/ no-see-ums that laid eggs in my tank & the hatchlings looked a bit like that. <They didn't last long - my goldies finished them off.> If you look at one under a magnifyer, you can get a better idea - insect larvaes have segmented bodies, eyes .... & looks like a bug. Worms just look like ... well, worms! You might not want to let the insect larvae hatch. White flies will infest & kill your house plants. (Mine came from a plant we brought indoors for the winter... we ended up throwing out the plant.)

Worms are just part of an aquatic eco-system. They don't harm the fish, so I just treat them as bonus fish food. <My hillstream loaches live ONLY on these creatures, they don't eat prepared foods at all.> In a planted tank, worms & stuff are prob good - break down your waste into plant food .... just like earthworms in gardens.

 

[aquariumnoob]

I have a 10 gal tank, and I'm not even sure it's the otos eating the wafer, I could see my cories eating the shrimp pellets and the algae wafers. would it be better if maybe I places a dish or something and placed the wafer on top of it to prevent food sinking into the gravel? I vacuumed a couple of days ago, and it decreased the number of worms significantly. occasionally there are things about .75 cm long in the water swimming toward the surface, but every time I've seen one, it was as my betta ate it. And by swimming I mean more like squiggling.

 

[jsoong]

I'd skipp feeding the otos if there is any visible algae and the otos are looking fat & happy. Assuming adaquate light, a 10 should be able to support the 3 otos nicely. Maybe just give the algae supplement once or twice a week?

Some people use feeding dish / platforms that they can clip onto the side of the tank for food. You can then remove the uneaten food easily. But for the amount you are feeding, it is prob not worth the trouble. If the betta is eating the bugs in the water, he is not overfed & will do just fine as your pest patrol.

 

[tropicfishman]

I thought it was saltwater too lol