babyblu

Good grief these worms are ugly. They are apparently setting up shop in our betta boy's tank (20 gal.), and while he seems happy to chow down on them, I'm totally grossed out. I know to fast him for 2 days and do the multiple water changes, etc. to get rid of them, but I haven't been overfeeding him, we have the right amount of gravel, the 2 oto's and the shrimp are busy at work, and we have great water quality (have had it tested both at home and at the LFS). It's so clear too, the water, that I am not entirely sure how this happened... but I do know it does.

And, I know it's Planaria due to my research here and on google. Found a great link with exactly what they look like:

http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseas...a_white_worms/

The thing is... there are also little white flecks darting around the tank. They are really fast moving and literally the size of a micro-pin head top. No tail, just flecks. Any ideas on that?

Thanks... but, I gotta say: ew.

TFA101

I duont know what the flecks are, but to treat the planarias, maybe you could temporarily rehome your betta and pick up a siamese algae eater. I read they wipe out planarias within a matter of days

babyblu

Thanks...

The white flecks actually do have "big" heads and very small tails. They aren't quite like the feathery appearance of the planaria and they sure do dart around quickly and hang out on the glass - like a very small, teeny, tiny oto.

Is that a parasite maybe? I can't seem to google or search for anything quite matching this...

Nate McFin

It sounds like Copepods or ostracods.

babyblu

OK. I have to get the magnifying glass out because upon closer inspection, they do look like those Copepods. How on earth did those come into this tank? Are they okay?

babyblu

sorry for the double post, but I see they are called Cyclops in freshwater aquariums? It's precisely what they are too... odd.

Nate McFin

According to Wikipedia...

"About half of the estimated 13,000 described species of copepods are parasitic[1][2] and have strongly modified bodies. They attach themselves to fish, sharks, marine mammals, and many kinds of invertebrates such as molluscs, tunicates, or corals. They live as endo- or ectoparasites on fish or invertebrates in fresh water as well as in marine environments"


EDIT: I have them in my fishless cycling tank right now as well. They swim and crawl. The swimming is not too graceful. They do alot of cleaning in the tank from what I have read and as long as they are not the parasitic variety they are good for the tank. I have planaria as well.
Interestingly...when I used Algaefix to clear a green water issue (which it did an amazing job of) it also had a huge affect on the planaria and copepods. There were literally thousands floating around in the water. It has been a few weeks since I used it and the population is back to where it was.