Sitemaps

Tiny worms in fishtank2007-11-24 23:41:12

I just bought a used 55 gallon tank with filter from a friend. He kept and bred angel fish in it. We set the tank up today, and turned the filter on. He said to use the old fiter cartridges until we get our fish to help neutralize the water or something. Well, we put the water in the tank like 2 hours ago, and the filter is running, and I see like maybe 10 of these little tiny white worm looking things swimming around. They are barely visible, but definetly there. We cleaned the tank and the filter has been out of water for 3 days. What could this be?? And should I be worried about putting new fish in the tank in a week?

Answers:

They are called planaria and they will not harm your fish. They live in tanks that are overfed and are easily starved out. In fact, your new fish will also enjoy eating them.

---

Before putting the fish in, if the worms haven't died in a week, get some parasite remover (make sure it's safe for fish). I'm not sure if they're parasitic or not, but I personally wouldn't take the risk.

Or, you could try to catch one or two of them, keep them in a small jar or something for a little while, and take them in to a pet store (NOT WAL-MART) and ask what they are and how to get rid of them.

Best of luck!

---

could it just be particles??

or fish poo

---

What did he feed the angelfish? If he fed worms. live, frozen, freeze dried, whatever. it could be them. I've had that happen before. If that is all it is, go ahead and put fish in the tank. They will enjoy the treats! If it is some form of parasite, you most likely would not be able to see it with the naked eye. It still wouldn't hurt to do a little more research. Be careful with pet shops, oftentimes they are just as clueless as the person that is asking them questions.

---

they are parisites completly harmless to the fish but get a parasite remover

---

Completely harmless. I have them in my filter if i look hard enough. Wont do your fish any harm at all.