What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Eeeeeek! what is this?

ACK!!!

this darn aquarium!!!! it's had one fish in it for months (otocinclus), no additions to speak of since October, i;ve cleaned this thing meticulously since, and now that i go out and buy one stinking goldfish... there are little white crawly things on my walls!!!!!!!!!! WHAT ARE THEY?
confused.gif
?
confused.gif
smile_h_32.gif
:(:( i swear i have never seen these things before today, and i JUST cleaned it last week! are they harmful? can i add goldie or should i isolate him in my two gallon until whatever these THINGS are are under control???

HELP!!!!
 
By walls, do you mean the sides of the glass? It sounds like it is harmless worms that originated from the fish food. Nothing to worry about. I've heard them referred to as planaria, but I am not sure. There are fish that will eat them.
 
I've had these. Planaria are usually dark brown.

These are just nat larvae feeding off the algea that grew on de damp glass. Archer fish love them!
but just filling the tank up with water takes care of them.
 
I had those all over in Oklahoma in my tropical tank,there harmless although unsitely. Guppys(or Peocolia syn.Lebistes reticulatis) love to eat them:)
 
*phew* as long as they're not parasitic!!! i ended up adding the goldfish after doing a little homework and deciding that these things were not going to kill him, and that he might actually enjoy munching on them. i noticed that when the tank light had been on for about an hour they seemed to retreat (or they were eaten. heehee
smile.gif
) i guess since the oto has been the only tank citizen for a few months, my dad's gotten a bit lax *ahem* in keeping the gravel clean, and they probably multiplied off of that. so with a little extra cleaning (and a hungry goldfish) i'm hoping they'll go away.

o and here's a piccy of the new fish
smile.gif
digital cam's are FUN!!!
picasso12_04.jpg

(yes i'm still fiddling with the focusing... all in good time...)
 
Good, I thought my eyes.... J/k! Is that Cabomba in the foreground? Hey, I'm jealous of your digicam! I only have this complimentary Earthlink thing that is now non-functional. How did the semster go for ya? Did you survive dining hall food?
smile_k_ani_32.gif
 
heheh science dork... first i panic (hey c'mon i dunno if these things are parasitic!!!), then i go "waaaaiiiit...." and think well, i don't remember there being many parasites that climb on walls. typically you find them on your dying fish. so maybe they're just pests. Google "aquarium pests" and figure out there aren't many of those, and only one even has the potential to look like mine, and SURPRISE!!! the solution is CLEAN YOUR TANK (isn't that just the answer to everything? ;)) so in other words, i *heart* Google. this is what happens when you are raised on computer technology!!!!

and jimscott.... er i hate to admit it but it's plastic ;) as much as i would LOVE LOVE LOVE to totally overhaul and really plant my tank, the fact of the matter is i'm obsessive over it but its temporary caretakers (i.e. my parents) are not. which is why i got the goldfish. i like them, they get big and pretty (but the fantails are OK for a 10g), and most importantly they're kinda hard to kill. it also forces my dad to VACUUM once in a while. heehee
smile.gif


ne way thank you all very much for your help
smile.gif
i'm just very happy they aren't out to eat the fishies!!!
 
  • #11
Hey.... I resemble that remark! Not to mention statistics freak!
smile_k_ani_32.gif
 
  • #12
Live plants will NEVER work with goldfish..
the fish will simply destroy them..
plus goldfish are cold water fish, and most aquarium plants are tropical..

speaking of that..otto cats and goldfish shouldnt be in the same tank together..they need very different conditions.
goldfish are "cold water fish"..they like their water much cooler than tropical fish..
a goldfish tank doesent need (and shouldnt have) a heater.
room temp is perfectly fine for them..60-70 degrees is ideal..
mid 70's is too warm..
they can tolerate it short term, btu they should never be kept at "tropical fish temps" long term..

Ottos are tropical fish..they like water in the 72-75 degrees range..
so a "goldfish tank" is much too cool for tropical fish,
and a "tropical fish tank" is much too warm for goldfish..
they should never be mixed together in the same tank!

Scot
 
  • #13
I've had these worms in my tanks before... they're pretty harmless.. what they are and where they come from has escaped my mind at the moment, as it's been many moons since I left the fish forum I used to go to, but I do know they're pretty harmless.
 
  • #15
everyone seems to know exactly what they are but me!
 
  • #16
I thought it was determined what they were?
they are planaria.
I had them in my discus tank, they come with some foods, bloodworms and the like.
mine died off and went away completely when I started cleaning the tank better..
I also had hydra briefly!
keeping a very clean tank will wipe them out..
(clean tank = no food for little worms)

Scot
 
  • #17
Scottychaos: If you work correctly plants and goldfish will mix just fine. Java fern works well as does anubias, and yes they ca both take cold water in my experience but will grow slower than at warmer temperatures of course.

I have never seen planaria in my tanks(I actually would like to find some so I could make 2 headed and 2 tailed planaria). Most of the time tiny worms IME are netamodes of sorts. Harmless and fish eat them too.

I've had hydra in a daphnia culture, drat those daphnia stealers.
 
  • #18
I've seen tons of planaria but I've never seen white ones (well... white flatworms... but they're not planaria... and they don't really crawl... they just "glide")
and I've tried making two headed/tailed planaria but they just die of infections :-/ i wish i could find BIG planaria.
Did you know there's an introduced species of terrestrial planaria from asia? I've found them too. they're pretty cool.
 
  • #19
I had those before, and as everyone else said, they are completly harmless. They are nematodes, and I dont think goldfish will clean any of it off. They usually thrive because of overly nutricious water, probably from overfeeding. If the prob persists, try raising the temps slightly (careful, I recommend takeing the goldfish out, which is also a good thing becase its not compatable and its a biological waste factory, it will worsen your plague with its poop), do a major water change, reduce feeding and get some dwarf gouramis (spelling?) which I heard are experts at cleaning nematoads up, but I dont know if its compatable with your current fish. Zongyi
 
Back
Top