Great. I Think I Have Worms!

So I just noticed a bunch of tiny and I mean tiny little white worms in my tank. I wish I could get a decent photo but they’re so small, I just can’t get my camera to focus. I have magnified it but still can’t get a clear view. These things are literally less than a millimeter and look like little white strands. When trying to take a photo, they look somewhat transparent against the glare of the glass. The strange thing is they are slithering above the water column right underneath my glass top as well as in the water on the glass. They are slithering quite fast and slithering in somewhat of a straight line from what I can tell.

I can’t tell if they’re detritus worms as I’m trying to keep my tank as clean as possible and did a 30% water change just yesterday and stirred up the sand as well.

I had a little mishap a few days ago when my brother decided to put one of my Anubias plants attached to rock into a nerite snail quarantine tank then placed it back into my main betta tank a day later.

My betta has been eating these creepy crawlers and I’d be more content with that if I knew what these little worms really are.

I feed my betta daily except on sundays when I do a water change and I consider that his day of fasting. I feed different types of food that consist of either 3 pellets, 4 Fluval bug bites, 2-3 frozen mysis shrimp, 4 frozen brine or 1 frozen bloodworm (not all at once during the day of feeding... I rotate these foods to every day so he gets something different daily).

I do have driftwood that has white fuzz on it so I’m assuming it’s just excess carbohydrates leaching out. I was worried that it could be hydra on the driftwood but when I touch it with a bbq skewer, they don’t ball up like I have read online.

My tank is fully cycled and the current is minimal so that my betta doesn’t get thrashed around in the tank.

What could these things possibly be?

Should I stop feeding for a few days?

Is it something other than detritus worms from what you can see with these horrible photos?

I’ve had detritus worms before but they weren’t teeny tiny like these so now I’m kind of concerned that maybe something was transferred over from the snail qt to my main tank.

 

Sounds like detrius to me. And from the first pic I would say that is what they are. Free fish food!!

 

Sounds like detrius to me. And from the first pic I would say that is what they are. Free fish food!!

That tiny though? They’re like microscopic!!!! Should I not feed my betta for 3 days and let their numbers dissipate?

I found an old magnifying glass to try and get as close as I could to see these things. They are on the underside of the top of the glass above the water line. Can’t get to the underside of the glass top (except with a glass magnet cleaner) as the top isn’t removable.

Are these baby detritus?

 

Detritus worms, not babies, just a smaller species. "Detritus worm" just refers to several thousand species that are commonly occurr in aquariums but don't cause harm to the inhabitants. Definitely not planaria, so you don't have to worry about that.

 

Detritus worms, not babies, just a smaller species. "Detritus worm" just refers to several thousand species that are commonly occurr in aquariums but don't cause harm to the inhabitants. Definitely not planaria, so you don't have to worry about that.

I’ve had detritus worms before. They were small wiggly things but not as small as this. These look like dust particles and don’t bother going back down into the sand when the lights are on... is it because I have algae on the glass? Do you think that if I don’t feed my betta for a couple of days, they’ll start to go away?

I test my water every day and everything is great. Ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 5-10 (depending on when I dose my fertilizer). GH is 4-5 and KH is 2-3 depending but ph is always a stable 7.6.

Filter is baffled but I do have a very slight current however plants don’t sway. My betta doesn’t appreciate the flow any higher then it is now.

I want them gone... how do I get rid of them?

I couldn’t eradicate them years ago and I ended up tearing the tank down. However I do not want to do that again.

 

I’ve had detritus worms before. They were small wiggly things but not as small as this. These look like dust particles and don’t bother going back down into the sand when the lights are on... is it because I have algae on the glass? Do you think that if I don’t feed my betta for a couple of days, they’ll start to go away?

I test my water every day and everything is great. Ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 5-10 (depending on when I dose my fertilizer). GH is 4-5 and KH is 2-3 depending but ph is always a stable 7.6.

Filter is baffled but I do have a very slight current however plants don’t sway. My betta doesn’t appreciate the flow any higher then it is now.

I want them gone... how do I get rid of them?

I couldn’t eradicate them years ago and I ended up tearing the tank down. However I do not want to do that again.

Yes you've had detritus worms, we all have, but none of us have had all the species. I've got one species that has a red head and get 2" long, still detritus. I've got another that is fat and has spots, basically moving circles about 1/8". I have itty bitty ones, they're all different.
You probably won't be able to get rid of them tbh. Small ones like that won't attract the attention of a betta, so your betta won't eat them. They could have come from the tap or a plant or something, since you don't know the source, you won't be able to ensure a new tank won't have them
Do they look like copepods at all? The pics just look weird.

 

Yes you've had detritus worms, we all have, but none of us have had all the species. I've got one species that has a red head and get 2" long, still detritus. I've got another that is fat and has spots, basically moving circles about 1/8". I have itty bitty ones, they're all different.
You probably won't be able to get rid of them tbh. Small ones like that won't attract the attention of a betta, so your betta won't eat them. They could have come from the tap or a plant or something, since you don't know the source, you won't be able to ensure a new tank won't have them
Do they look like copepods at all? The pics just look weird.

Yikes. I wasn’t aware that there were different types! I’m not sure what they look like to be honest. I can’t get close enough to see anything besides a tiny white spot. Some wiggle in the water when they detach themselves from the glass. The ones on the glass move in a straight line. My betta has been picking them off from the glass so I’m sure he’s eating them. I think they came from the snail since one of my plants went into qt with it then back into the betta tank. I don’t remember seeing them before that unless I wasn’t paying extremely close attention until now.

Here are some more photos I just took with s magnifying glass. I think this is the best it’s going to get in regards to photos.

 

Looks like copepods, maybe seed shrimp, harmless.

 

Maybe a type of flatworm, most are entirely harmless. Most detritus worms are flatworms, so it's nothing to be concerned about

 

Looks like copepods, maybe seed shrimp, harmless.

Seed shrimp? Never heard of that before. Do those look like white dust particles? I wonder if my nerite brought it into my tank. Is that even possible?

 

That was one of the first articles I read. Didn’t help much because I really can’t see their head as they’re extremely tiny! It’s barely visible unless you stare at the glass really closely. At first you think it’s just particles but they aren’t. They’re moving up and down the glass.

 

Yea all I see is a speck. Lol. I was hoping it would help.

 

Yea all I see is a speck. Lol. I was hoping it would help.

Thanks for trying. Yup they look like white dirt but they’re moving alright. If you expand one of the magnified photos that I uploaded, it looks like they have legs and antennas. Maybe it’s just my eyes or there’s debris on the glass but they look like little bugs. I don’t know what a copepod, seed shrimp, detritus or any worm would look like when magnified. The only worm I had were really thin, white long stringy ones a long time ago. Those were 10 times the size of what I have now. What the heck could they possibly be??? I’m so stumped. I don’t know how to treat it or remedy it if I don’t know what they are.

Does anyone see the antennas and legs or is it just me??

 

Ugh. Good luck!

Also, I am not trying to stalk you and your tank issues, but seriously? I now think my 2nd tank could have some? I am sure I could be paranoid now, but it could also be true. Saw a strange white thing (very visible) on the black intake sponge. Hmm.. If they are Not harmful, I hope my fish eat them and get rid of them all! I think I only see 1 maybe 2 and not sure if it is a worm for real or just a white piece being moved by the filter... Going to check out the link above later.

All the best to you!!!

 

Ugh. Good luck!

Also, I am not trying to stalk you and your tank issues, but seriously? I now think my 2nd tank could have some? I am sure I could be paranoid now, but it could also be true. Saw a strange white thing (very visible) on the black intake sponge. Hmm.. If they are Not harmful, I hope my fish eat them and get rid of them all! I think I only see 1 maybe 2 and not sure if it is a worm for real or just a white piece being moved by the filter... Going to check out the link above later.

All the best to you!!!

Lol no worries! Stalk me all you want lol. I have realized that what I have isn’t slithering like a worm would... they’re like walking or crawling or something. I want to know what the heck they are! It’s driving me nuts!

 

Any chance you are just seeing movement from the filter/water movement? Maybe with something so small it is just giving that appearance? I am hoping that is the case with what I see. It's just odd as it is white, or maybe it is a piece of root that found it's way to the sponge?

Add the fact that I have never had plants in an aquarium before I am extra paranoid of any tank invaders.

 

Buggy buddies!

I love them!

 

Any chance you are just seeing movement from the filter/water movement? Maybe with something so small it is just giving that appearance? I am hoping that is the case with what I see. It's just odd as it is white, or maybe it is a piece of root that found it's way to the sponge?

Add the fact that I have never had plants in an aquarium before I am extra paranoid of any tank invaders.

Nope. Some kind of critter is there alright. There’s a bunch of them. At first I thought it was just white fuzz debris from the driftwood floating in the water but when I saw them crawling on the glass and on the underside of the top glass above the waterline, I knew I had bugs or worms or something. They are extremely difficult to spot. You have to really stare at the glass and focus. Once you do that, they’re visible and you can see them moving up and down the glass. My betta picks at it when he sees them so I know he’s eating them. I just want to know what they are.

I don’t think I’ve ever introduced anything from my plants because I buy the tube plants from petco/petsmart that have the gel on the roots. The only time I purchased a plant from my LFS was my java fern and it was in a tank with other plants. However, I’ve had that plant since the start of my cycle (end of January- beginning of February) so I think I would have noticed something before then.

But... I did get some dragon stone from another LFS and it was in their tank. However, I soaked those stones in boiling water and kept them soaked for over a week while cleaning and brushing them off.

I also had the Anubias from my main tank taken to the snail qt then back to the main tank without my knowledge so it could have hitchhiked from the snail to my tank through the plant/rock. Although I can't be certain if these things were there before or after the fact as I never really paid that extremely close attention until after my plant was put back in my betta tank.

So many possibilities and honestly I don’t really care how they got there. I only care to know what they are and if they could be harmful to my betta.

 

Nope. Some kind of critter is there alright. There’s a bunch of them. At first I thought it was just white fuzz debris from the driftwood floating in the water but when I saw them crawling on the glass and on the underside of the top glass above the waterline, I knew I had bugs or worms or something. They are extremely difficult to spot. You have to really stare at the glass and focus. Once you do that, they’re visible and you can see them moving up and down the glass. My betta picks at it when he sees them so I know he’s eating them. I just want to know what they are.

I don’t think I’ve ever introduced anything from my plants because I buy the tube plants from petco/petsmart that have the gel on the roots. The only time I purchased a plant from my LFS was my java fern and it was in a tank with other plants. However, I’ve had that plant since the start of my cycle (end of January- beginning of February) so I think I would have noticed something before then.

But... I did get some dragon stone from another LFS and it was in their tank. However, I soaked those stones in boiling water and kept them soaked for over a week while cleaning and brushing them off.

I also had the Anubias from my main tank taken to the snail qt then back to the main tank without my knowledge so it could have hitchhiked from the snail to my tank through the plant/rock. Although I can't be certain if these things were there before or after the fact as I never really paid that extremely close attention until after my plant was put back in my betta tank.

So many possibilities and honestly I don’t really care how they got there. I only care to know what they are and if they could be harmful to my betta.

They arent. Very likely just copepods that naturally show in tanks and prove your tank is healthy. There is not such thing as a “sterile” tank. Cycle of life and all that. The buggy buddies eat algae and leftover food, so they are healthy for your tank.

 

Buggy buddies!

I love them!

That might be it however mine are extremely tiny! You can’t see it unless you stare at it. They crawl on the glass then dislodge and wiggle in the water until they latch on to the glass again. Some of them are out of the water too.


What is that???

They arent. Very likely just copepods that naturally show in tanks and prove your tank is healthy. There is not such thing as a “sterile” tank. Cycle of life and all that. The buggy buddies eat algae and leftover food, so they are healthy for your tank.

I do have algae in the tank... growing it on the glass on purpose for the snail I’m about to introduce. I don’t have any leftover food as I only feed my betta with either tongs if it’s frozen food or one pellet at a time and watch him eat it before giving him one more. However, I have some debris on the sand (possibly from decaying driftwood) and some left over Christmas moss I can’t get out. As long as it’s not harmful then I’m ok and will let the betta keep snacking on them.

Do copepods have legs and antennas ? From my last upload in one of my comments, it looks like they’re bugs... with legs and all.

 

That might be it however mine are extremely tiny! You can’t see it unless you stare at it. They crawl on the glass then dislodge and wiggle in the water until they latch on to the glass again. Some of them are out of the water too.


What is that???

Yep, copepods of varied types...some crawl, some swim, some flit around...its a microscopic universe they live in. You may not see the food they eat, but they sure do! Idk if you have a phone with a good zoom or even an ipad, but zoom in on your tank in one place. You will be shocked what's going on your eye can't see. I posted a vid of my buggy buddies, zoomed in. Likely yours are similar

 

Yep, copepods of varied types...some crawl, some swim, some flit around...its a microscopic universe they live in. You may not see the food they eat, but they sure do! Idk if you have a phone with a good zoom or even an ipad, but zoom in on your tank in one place. You will be shocked what's going on your eye can't see. I posted a vid of my buggy buddies, zoomed in. Likely yours are similar

I have tried many times to zoom in with my iPhone X and with a magnifying glass. I can barely see them in regards to what they actually look like if that makes sense. All I see are white specks crawling around. I only see them on the glass and floating in the water but I’m sure they’re everywhere!!! This is probably why my betta keeps attacking the driftwood.

I saw the video you attached. Mine are like half that size. They aren’t fat or round either. They’re as thick as an eyelash and less than a mm long

This is with a magnifying glass. I wish I could get better photos but they’re way too small for my phone camera to catch.

 

Crazy!

So based on that link do you think this is something? Kids say no. But I am not so sure?



Best pics I could get. Looks thinner in reality.

Also while it looks to be moving some? It has been in that same spot. Although not sure the other small white thing was there before?

 

Also while it looks to be moving some? It has been in that same spot. Although not sure the other small white thing was there before?

Ugh my skin is crawling from all this worm/bug talk. Use tweezers and try to get it into a cup of water then use a magnifying glass to see if it actually is a worm. That’s what I’d do anyway.

 

Ok thanks. Maybe bigger issue. I discovered 1 fish may have dropsy. Maybe it was his poop? Sigh. Figuring out on another thread.

 

Ok thanks. Maybe bigger issue. I discovered 1 fish may have dropsy. Maybe it was his poop? Sigh. Figuring out on another thread.

Oh no!!!!

 

Oh no!!!!

No matter what, even if you can't see them well, I wouldnt worry. They are natural to every established aquarium. Relax and watch the world you created for your fish.

 

Relax? Thank you.

Ah maybe 4 Beta as hers are for sure wigglers!

 

Not sure what these are but I had a ton of them back when my tank was only snails and plants. They’re completely harmless, and the numbers dwindled as I stocked with fish.

 

Not sure what these are but I had a ton of them back when my tank was only snails and plants. They’re completely harmless, and the numbers dwindled as I stocked with fish.

Guess I’m going to have them forever since I’ve only got a betta in there unless I starve my betta for a week.

 

Look up "rhabdocoela" flatworms, I had a lot appear in my tank and then the numbers went down. That may be what you have. They are helpful cleaners and good for your ecosystem!

 

Look up "rhabdocoela" flatworms, I had a lot appear in my tank and then the numbers went down. That may be what you have. They are helpful cleaners and good for your ecosystem!

Thanks. I’ve looked into that but they don’t appear to look flat from what I can see anyway. They seem to have disappeared. I could be wrong though.

Edit... never mind, I was wrong... those critters are still in my tank.

 

I found a ton of them on the top of the glass above the waterline.

 

Crazy! Your saga continues!!!

 

Crazy! Your saga continues!!!

It sure does! :Sigh:

 

Ok so I had to come back to your thread on this. Ugh. I did finally put the sponge in a cup. SO weird. There were these white things looked like worms on it? And it appeared not always in the same spot? So I thought maybe worms, but busy with sick fish never checked. But the sponge moved here and there. So later, I noticed a lot of the white things on the top of the sponge one day. I was worried maybe instead it was bad white poop from a sick fish? So I decide I would put the sponge in a cup. Not sure maybe some of the worms/poop whatever fell off as I tried to put the sponge in a cup with chopsticks? Or was it a visual trick too? Like things in the tank look larger than out of the tank? Unsure. So the tank needs some cleaning, but I was waiting a bit with trying to grow algae for snail (sound familiar?). So now after the water/sponge has settled, I happened to look to see if maybe the worms? were still there and moved to be less visible? There are a TON of small swimming specks. So gross.....creeping me out.

So are these the Copepods? Were they all on the sponge? Do I put them back in the water? I can not see them in the tank at all but So apparent in cup. And same questions. Are they harmful to fish? To me? Will they go away? I have Never seen this with any tank. Is it because of the sponge? Or due to my plants (first time). Something else? Did it come from Tetra Safe Start?

Posting vide too. Ugh. My kids will love I bet, but not mom! ;P

 

Will anything eat them? Can't post video. But they look like white specs. As small as salt?

 

Ok so I had to come back to your thread on this. Ugh. I did finally put the sponge in a cup. SO weird. There were these white things looked like worms on it? And it appeared not always in the same spot? So I thought maybe worms, but busy with sick fish never checked. But the sponge moved here and there. So later, I noticed a lot of the white things on the top of the sponge one day. I was worried maybe instead it was bad white poop from a sick fish? So I decide I would put the sponge in a cup. Not sure maybe some of the worms/poop whatever fell off as I tried to put the sponge in a cup with chopsticks? Or was it a visual trick too? Like things in the tank look larger than out of the tank? Unsure. So the tank needs some cleaning, but I was waiting a bit with trying to grow algae for snail (sound familiar?). So now after the water/sponge has settled, I happened to look to see if maybe the worms? were still there and moved to be less visible? There are a TON of small swimming specks. So gross.....creeping me out.

So are these the Copepods? Were they all on the sponge? Do I put them back in the water? I can not see them in the tank at all but So apparent in cup. And same questions. Are they harmful to fish? To me? Will they go away? I have Never seen this with any tank. Is it because of the sponge? Or due to my plants (first time). Something else? Did it come from Tetra Safe Start?

Posting vide too. Ugh. My kids will love I bet, but not mom! ;P

Welcome to my current life! Lol

I really hope it’s not white poop because that usually indicates a parasitic infection. You did have a sick fish so I’d be monitoring your tank very closely for the next couple of weeks. I have read that parasitic worms are not visible in the tank with the naked eye. However, worms that can be seen are usually almost always harmless to fish (except for planeria which can harm fry or shrimp... nothing for me to be concerned about in that aspect since I don’t have either).

If those little specks look anything like mine then I’m sure they’re harmless as my fish has been chomping down on them and he’s had no ill effects from what I can see.

I did find one worm that looked weird. Long upper portion, fat semI round abdomen, and long lower portion. I didn’t have a chance to get a better look or take a photo of it because Salem ate it as fast as I noticed it. Haven’t seen another one like that since and this was a few days ago.

Plants, snails, and other fish can bring in hitchhikers with them. Retract a bit to a time where you first noticed them then do a process of elimination to try and figure out if they came from anything you put in your tank. I believe mine came right before the snail was introduced because when I had an Anubias mishap (my Anubias going into qt with the snail then going back into my Bettas tank) that is when I noticed them. However, they could have been there prior and I just didn’t notice them until the Anubias thing happened. I went back further and if the snail didn’t bring it in, I may have accidentally introduced them through my java fern that I purchased from my LFS (only plant that was in a tank as the rest of my plants are all tube plants that were grown emersed) OR, from the Ohko stone I took from my LFS because that too was in their tank. BUT... the fern was introduced into my tank months ago and the stone was soaking in almost boiling water and had been soaking for a week at least. I put it in the tank but it didn’t work so I took it out... the only other thing could be that I a) overfed which I don’t think is possible because the betta gets 3 pellets a day (or I alternate with frozen foods) or b) they came in from my decaying moss I tried to grow or c) the cholla wood I had prior to the spiderwood because the cholla wood was causing too much debris.

Either way, if you can take a photo or a video of it, that would be helpful.

Btw, I stopped baffling my filter with mesh and their numbers weren’t as high. I baffled again last night and this morning, they were everywhere. I think in my case, I’m seeing them because of the lack of oxygen I’m getting towards the front of the tank... I’m only assuming it’s that reason because that is the only place I see them unless they’re in the water floating around.

Every single aquarium will have some sort of worm/bug... I guess it comes with the territory. The only way to not have them is if you have constant heavy flow reaching all angles of the tank. It’s something that is impossible for me because of the type of fish I have. People have these in their tanks and not even know it. It’s when you can see them that there is an imbalance somewhere... the hard part is trying to figure out what that imbalance is.

Salem won’t be getting any food today (he got 2 pellets yesterday). I’m hoping with feeding every other day, the numbers of these things I have in my tank will dwindle down. If they don’t, then I’ll know that it’s an oxygen issue... if that’s that case, I won’t know how to remedy that since my tank is extremely limited on modifying it. Unless someone out there has a great idea that will work for my tank and the type of fish I keep. Ugh

 

Well it's probably not much help, but mine went away with the addition of fish, so I'm guessing they got gobbled up. If you start feeding your betta less, I bet yours will disappear too!

 

Well it's probably not much help, but mine went away with the addition of fish, so I'm guessing they got gobbled up. If you start feeding your betta less, I bet yours will disappear too!

Yeah that’s the plan. I think he’ll survive with being fed every other day for a while. Crossing fingers that it will work!