Worms in my fishtank? Dey r white, approx .25 cm in length & as thin as cotton fiber. Got 5 fishes dead.?

Question

They are so many! 3 of my Oscars and 2 cichlids died all of a sudden. What kind of parasites are these? How come thay are in my tank?

Answer 1

This sounds like a case of Planaria. Planaria are flatworms, related to flukes and tapeworms. They are quite small, and if examined closely have eyespots as well as protrusions from the sides of their heads.
Although they do not harm fish, they love to feast on eggs, and therefore are dangerous if breeding egglaying fish.
Even though Planaria do not harm fish, they are an indicator that the aquarium has a problem. They require a food source, which means there must be excess food wastes in the tank to support them.
If you have Planaria it's time to give your aquarium a thorough cleaning.
Pay particular attention to the substrate, as that's usually where they find their food. Make sure there are no dead plants, or other wastes in the tank.
You should also take a hard look at how much you are feeding your fish. Usually the excess waste the Planaria are living on is the result of overfeeding your fish. Reduce the amount you feed your fish, as well as the frequency of feedings.

Finally, once you've cleaned things up, be sure to continue with regular maintenance and water changes. A clean tank is the best defense against becoming overrun with Planaria.

Answer 2

The worms that is in your tank at the moment is called TUBEFIX WORMS, and under no circumstances will it kill your fish, if you are unhappy with these worms clean your tank properly and rinse your stones as it is bred out of the foods or the pellets, you might have to change your fishes food brand, but as I said there is no way that those worms could have killed your fish.
The worms that you are complaining about if fish food, and the fish absolutely love these worms, and no they are not parasites.
Love the only thing for you to do is clean your tank properly, there is another solution get yourself some guppies to eat these worms as I think the fish you have can't see them, or any small fish but remove the others and place into another tank until; they are eaten

Answer 3

None of the above (Tubifex are red), moquito larva are black and clear, and alot longer than the worms you are referring to. These worms are Planaria, which usually accumulate in tanks where a high protein diet (such as beefheart or meat) is fed. They're usually harmless, but guppies will eat them... however if you have oscars, i don't suggest the guppies. Use VERNEX to get rid of them, and do more frequent water changes. Salt (1 tsp to 5 gallons) should also remove them

Answer 4

I agree that it's most likely planaria. Planaria are always present in aquariums. They are only visible when they're in over abundance. That means there was too much food in the tank. Planaria are harmless.

Oscars are large fish and messy eaters. I suspect that you fed them too much too often and the water quality went down quickly. Water changes are an absolute necessity with any fish, let alone oscars. Proper water changes will also keep your planaria level in check.

Answer 5

these parasites come in the water so when you change the water put a few drops of anti fungus medicine and a hand full off salt(grains) but mainly do not change the full tank water keep 1/4 of the old water and mix with the fresh water and my advice is do feed them worms give them pellets

Answer 6

that happened to my fish tank once, after i had put a baby bluegill in with my tropicals.--you need to drain tank & wash gravel & everything in tank with scalding hot water to kill off the worms .

Answer 7

it sounds like white worm or it could be something 2 do with the water maybe its too acidic or maybe other way i would check the water

Answer 8

they are probably leeches. remove them with tweezers and medicate the fish.

Answer 9

I am not sure but try this site.

Answer 10

maybe it was not worms.maybe it was mosquito larvae.Sorry for the fishies. *sob sob*