Some of my fishes have been falling ill and dying of some cause......and now, my tank is suddenly full of tiny worms that look like threads that move!!
Can someone please help me....what should i do.....do i need to remove the fish for a wile???
2007-05-21 05:54:50 · 10 answers · asked by goldenswan2001 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
The worms are most likely the larvae of a small terrestrial fly called a midge. These won't hurt your fish, and some fish will eat them. They'll become flies and leave the tank before long, but the adults may lay even more eggs in the tank.
Chances are, if you have these, you have a lot of "gunk" in the bottom of the tank that they're feeding on. Too much of this stuff builds up and you get ammonia, nitrite, and/or nitrate in the water, and this can hurt your fish. You shouldtake a sample of your tank water to your pet/fish store and have them test it for you to see if this is the case.
If you can't get this done right away, do a partial water change - you don't want to take out all the water or gravel, because you'll lose the beneficial bacteria in the tank. Change about 1/4 of the water and replace t with new water that's about the same temperature and remember to add whatever you use to remove chlorine. Do you use a gravel vacuum to siphon the gunk out of the gravel when you clean? This will be a big help. You won't be able to clean all the gravel well in a single cleaning, but if you haven't been doing this, do a few extra cleanings in the next week to get this stuff out. If the worms don't have food, there won't be as many, and your fish will be better off without the stuff in the tank. Also make sure your filter doesn't need to be cleaned. You should leave the fish in the tank when you clean - moving them only causes more stress.
You should also be careful that you're not overfeeding the fish. They only need to eat what they can get in 2-3 minutes, twice a day. Use a net or siphon to get the rest out of the tank when the 3 minutes are up.
If your tank is less than 2 months old, it may be building up even more ammonia and nitrite because it's still cycling. I'll put a link at the end where you can read more about this.
One last thing - check your water temperature. If it's too warm for the type of fish you have, they may not be getting enough oxygen. This can be particularly true if you don't use a good filter, or a air pump and airstone to keep the water moving so more dissolved oxygen is circulated through the tank from the water movement.
See these links and look through the sections on tank maintenance and the nitrogen cycle: http://www.fishlore.com/Beginners.htm
http://www.firsttankguide.net/
2007-05-21 06:22:47 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
First off never totally empty your fish tank or take your fish out. Those are intestinal worms and there is a treatment called metronidazole. Get some of that and follow the recommended dosage. After the treatment do a series of small water changes 10-25%. Be sure you get in the gravel and stir up whatever is in there.
(worked in a fish store for 2 years)
2007-05-21 15:09:37 · answer #2 · answered by Jennifer 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've heard of these "tiny worms" but I'm unable to remember what they are called. Go to Petsmart and talk to some of the people in the petcare department (the fish, reptiles, small animals and birds department). They've had training on the different kinds of problems fish tanks will have.
2007-05-21 14:09:14 · answer #3 · answered by Sara 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wow,did you even wash your fish tank,remove the fish that are ill immediately
2007-05-21 13:09:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
clean your tank completely...remove the fishes to new clean water making sure you add all liquids and a stress coat.. and start all over...good luck
2007-05-21 14:15:37 · answer #5 · answered by glopez2012 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
GO TO THE PET STORE AND GET A CHEMICAL THAT WILL CURE IT, ask the guy at the store for somthing to remove worms he will know what it is
2007-05-21 12:59:08 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I suggest calling the fish store, and explain to them what is going on. They will tell you what to do.
2007-05-21 13:02:56 · answer #7 · answered by shorte716 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You should remove the fish for a while.Then you should clean the tank to kill the germ.
2007-05-21 12:59:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anthony 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I don't know but thats nasty.
2007-05-21 12:57:35 · answer #9 · answered by meetbleek23 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
did you try washing your aquarium?
2007-05-21 12:58:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋