what are these worms in my freshwater fish aquarium?

Question

i have been looking at some other questions and answers. i think maybe it is fly larvae. they are black or brown, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. they float around in the current of my tank and then start squiggling around for a few seconds and then float around some more. i also am noticing small flies or mosquitos floating on top of tank.

Answer 1

Can you describe them a bit? It could be any one of several things; planaria, white worms, insect larvae or even a few others. A bit of a description would really help.

MM

Answer 2

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.

The Real Problem
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 3

Mosquito larve sort of resemble "worms" while they are in the water. Kinda of bend in half one way and then the other... if a mosquito lays eggs outside ordinarily, she probably would not hesitate to lay eggs inside in an aquarium, either. See the link below...

Answer 4

i attempted a chocolate-lined ant (fantastically good, easily!) while i became a little one. i've got had squid (oh God became it chewy and undesirable) in Hong Kong. I ate a tiny little flavor of horse meat as quickly as to attempt it, and interior the highschool cafeteria on a dare i attempted slightly canine biscuit. It became the fashion on the time to coach you have been brave adequate to chew a canine biscuit, and the boys would devour the completed element, with rejoice with.

Answer 5

i have no clue. but unless you feed them bloodworms i would look it up online at a fish site. Look up on search engines freshwater fish tanks. and see if any got a search box and put worms.

Answer 6

FLATWORMS
To rid your aquarium of pesky flatworms, try removing all your fish and placing them in a temporary holding tank. Then, increase the water temperature above 95°F for several hours. If this doesn't kill the flatworms, try a water treatment that specifically targets parasites, such as CopperSafe, Clout, or Fluke Tabs.

To prevent future infestation, consider upgrading your filtration system. Undergravel filters are typically not efficient mechanical filters. Aquariums with undergravel filters usually require weekly water changes and thorough gravel vacuuming. Consider adding another filter that employs more efficient mechanical filtration. A canister filter or power filter offers an effective solution. Both are easily maintained and require that you simply change the mechanical and chemical cartridge when it becomes clogged with debris.

Most importantly, be sure to clean your aquarium regularly, control nitrate levels in the water, maintain your filter, and perform frequent water changes to prevent problems with pests like flatworms.

ANCHOR WORM (Lernaea)
Symptoms: The fish scrapes itself against objects, whitish-green threads hang out of the fish's skin with an inflamed area at the point of attachment.

Anchor worms are actually crustaceans. The young are free swimming and borrow into the skin, go into the muscles and develop for several months before showing. They release eggs and die. The holes left behind are ugly and may become infected.

The anchor worm is too deeply imbedded to safely remove. Treatment can best be done with a 10 to 30 minute bath in 10 mg per liter of potassium permanganate. Or treat the whole tank with 2 mg per liter, but this method is messy and dyes the water.

FLUKES
Symptoms: The fish scrapes itself against objects, rapid gill movement, mucus covering the gills or body, the gills or fins may be eaten away, the skin may become reddened.

There are many species of flukes, which are flatworms about 1 mm long, and several symptoms that are visible. They infest gills and skin much like ich, but the difference can be seen with a hand lens. You should be able to see movement and possibly eye spots, which is not found in ich. Gill flukes will eventually destroy the gills thus killing the fish. Symptoms of a heavy infestations are pale fish with drooping fins, rapid respiration, glancing off aquarium decor, and /or hollow bellies.

Treatment can best be done with a 10 to 30 minute bath in 10 mg per liter of potassium permanganate. Or treat the whole tank with 2 mg per liter, but this method is messy and dyes the water.

NEMATODA
Symptoms: Worms hanging from the anus.

Nematodes (threadworms) infect just about anywhere in the body but only shows itself when they hang out of the anus. A heavy infestation causes hollow bellies. Lighter infestations usually cause no problems with the fish.

Short of destroying the fish, which is easier, two treatments have been suggested. First treatment; soak the food in parachlorometaxylenol and give the fish a bath or treat the aquarium with 10 ml per liter. The bath should last for several days. Second treatment; find special food containing thiabendazole as a nematode (threadworm) cure and hope the fish will eat it.

LEECHES
Symptoms: Leeches are visible on the fish's skin.

Leeches are external parasites and affix themselves on the body, fins, or gills of the fish. Usually they appear as heart shaped worms (they are just curled up) attached to the fish. They are usually introduced to the aquarium via plants or snails.

Since leeches are sucking and borrowing into the surface of the fish, removal with forceps can cause great damage, if not death, to the fish. If the fish is bathed in a 2.5 percent solution of salt for 15 minutes, most of the leeches should just fall off. Those that do not will be affected enough to remove with forceps with minimal damage. Another treatment is to add Trichlorofon at 0.25 mg/l to the aquarium. Live plants should be removed and treated with potassium permanganate at 5 mg/l before replanting.

URONEMA MARINUM
Symptoms: Skin scraping, pale discoloration, loss of color, weight loss, dehydration, flashing, and rapid breathing

The saltwater parasite, Uronema marinum, is a free-living ciliated protozoa that can cause fatal infections in marine fish. It is an opportunistic feeder that normally eats on bacteria, but when the immunization of a fish is low it will attack, invading the fish's muscles and internal organs. This infestation is often the result of the introduction of a new fish, overcrowding, and poor water quality resulting from a high organic load in the aquarium.

This parasite is difficult to identify as the symptoms can also be indicative of other parasitic and bacterial problems. However, it can be debilitating and ultimately fatal to a variety of marine fish including Tangs, especially the Yellow Tang, Angelfish species especially those in the genus Centropyges, Seahorses, many species of Butterflyfish, yellow headed Jawfish, and others.

The best way to avoid the problem is to keep your current tank free from infestation. Quarantine all new fish for a period of three weeks, improve the water quality of the tank, and reduce the stress level in the aquarium by reducing the number of fish and incorporating places for fish to hide and rest.

There are several types of medications that can be used to treat infected fish as well as treatments.

Medications such as Malachite green, Copper Sulfate, or Methylene blue. Use caution and be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions.
Freshwater bath - place infected fish in the freshwater bath for a period of three minutes or until the fish shows signs of stress.
Low salinity (hypo salinity) treatment - lower the salinity in the quarantine tank to a specific gravity of 1.011 and maintain at this salinity for 21 days. Do not use this treatment with invertebrates or especially sensitive fish such as sharks and rays.
Nitrofurazone - an antibiotic that has some antiparasitic action, and can be helpful when used along with formalin dips.

ARGULUS (Fish louse)
Symptoms: The fish scrapes itself against objects, clamped fins, visible parasites about 1/4 inch in diameter are visible on the body of the fish.

The fish louse is a flattened mite-like crustacean about 5 mm long that attaches itself to the body of fish. They irritate the host fish which may have clamped fins, become restless, and may show inflamed areas where the lice have been.

With larger fish and light infestations, the lice can be picked off with a pair of forceps. Other cases can best be done with a 10 to 30 minute bath in 10 mg per liter of potassium permanganate. Or treat the whole tank with 2 mg per liter, but this method is messy and dyes the water.