Tank Setups • little white squiglys????

[kojak76]

So last night I was looking in my empty tank (no fish yet but fully cycled) and I saw tiny little white worms swimming in the tank, I remember seeing something on here about them but cannot seem to find the post concerning them? Anyway, what are they Are they harmful, and how do I get rid of them? They look like tiny tiny snakes and as far as I have seen they do not stop moving.

[fmueller]

Consider them free life food for your fish. They will love them!

[kojak76]

Kinda figured as much Thanks Frank. Considering all the fish I get are going to be in the 1.5" range im sure they will make quick work of them. I am just wondering how they got there in the first place. Oh well free food is good.

[JAyliffe]

Kinda figured as much Thanks Frank. Considering all the fish I get are going to be in the 1.5" range im sure they will make quick work of them. I am just wondering how they got there in the first place. Oh well free food is good.

Hopefully not out of your tapwater since you probably drink it too

[ryencok3]

when you say empty is it completely empty or do you have driftwood or any sort of decoration that they could have come in on?

[theoryguru]

I had them in my 55g and couldn't stand looking at them to the point to tore it down.
White, almost translucent ribbon-like worms about 1cm long swimming in the water.
I have no clue how they got into my tank; it started with a few then multiplied. They were too small for my fish to eat, maybe good for fry. I thought I had controlled their numbers with more frequent water changes, but they would come out in force whenever I added salt.

I hope to never encounter them again.
good luck!

[kojak76]

The tank is not completely empty per say. I do have alot of rockwork in it some plastic plants...live plants but nothing has been added in a month and they just now showed up. So far they are not bothering me but if they become a problem I will have to do something. I really hate to tear the whole thing down there is alot of stuff in the tank...240 gallons worth. But, I guess if worse comes to worse I will, just have to see how many actually end up in there. I will not be adding fish for at least another month (vacation in Vegas) and I hate to set myself back by doing anything that drastic.

[ryencok3]

did you rinse the rock work before you put it into the tank or did you take it from the landscape yard/river to your tank?

[kojak76]

did you rinse the rock work before you put it into the tank or did you take it from the landscape yard/river to your tank?

Rinsed in hot water scrubbed and then put in tank, same with everything I have in there.

[5cents]

Is your gravel or sand new. I had that problem many years ago and suspected that it came from some gravel that I took from one tank and added to a new one. Eventually they went away with water changes and such. I don't recall seeing my fish eat them though.

[masonv]

I have little white/clear worms in my 180g that I'm cycling right now. I used filter pads from my 75g to help seed the tank. I believe they came from there. Here is a post I had made explaining what happened. viewtopic.php?f=23&t=244386
Here is a post from another forum I found that might help you. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/tiny-wo ... 17401.html
My tank just cycled completely tonight, and I still have these light wigglers in my tank. I'm not that worried about it. If they were a parasite mine would have died off by now because they have nothing to live off of. So with my best guess they are living off of something in my water, or off something on my filter pads I used to seed my tank. All and all I'm going to stock my tank reguardless because they just seem like fish food.
I don't see any signs of them in my 75g, so my best guess is my fish are either A: eating them or B: the worms are living in the filter eating the fish waste.
Oh, I also read somewhere that these worms will break down and organics that live on rocks, plants, filter media to help with your BB getting better coverage on these things. I read tanks with these worms have a higher BB level because these worms keep mulm off your filters and other things where BB grow?
This is what I have read after obsessing over it one slow night at work. From what I have gathered most worms in your tank are harmless, Just feed less and do better maintenance.

[kojak76]

Slow night at work are awsome. That said, I have been doing the same thing by researching these little buggers. Also, I too just pretty much finished cycling so it is not the feeding or dirty tank. I have also read that they are benifitial to the tank, just hoping that once I do get fish in there they hide lol. Thanks for all the input.

[LanceN34]

I have these in my tank, they only show up when I do waterchanges and aggitate the sand. My fish will eat as many as they can see. I've never had any issues with them and also read they are beneficial.

[theoryguru]

I had them in my 55g and couldn't stand looking at them to the point to tore it down.
White, almost translucent ribbon-like worms about 1cm long swimming in the water.
I have no clue how they got into my tank; it started with a few then multiplied. They were too small for my fish to eat, maybe good for fry. I thought I had controlled their numbers with more frequent water changes, but they would come out in force whenever I added salt.

I hope to never encounter them again.
good luck!

D'OH! - guess who got them again ...
At least they're isolated to one tank

[kojak76]

Well Mueller you were right. I stocked my tank about a week ago with juvenile haps and there are no longer any signs of the pests, when i put the fish in the tank it became an immediat feeding frezy.