10 Gallon Tank Worms attatching to everything in my tank

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Wwheeler1111

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This sponge filter is in the back of my aquarium and was hidden under my tiger lotus leaves. When I trimmed them back this is what I found. It's some type of worm that builds a little poo house and is all over my plants, filter and now substrate. I only have mystery snails and I don't know what to do to eradicate them from my tank without killing my breeder mystery snails. Can someone PLEASE help me and tell me what to do to get rid of these and what the heck they are. I knocked them off and they attach to something else. Are these bad for my snails? I feel defeated by these ugly things.
 

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I trimmed back my tiger lotus leaves and revealed my sponge filter covered in these tube-like stationary things that when I knocked one off it reattached to the tank. There are little worms inside of them!! They are in my mystery snail tank and I have no fish. I've also noticed mosquito larvae in my tank. I feel defeated. What are these? When I try to knock them off and vacuum them up its impossible! You have to scrape them off and get them sucked up quickly or they will anchor to something else. Are these harmful to my snails? How do I eradicate them? They are all over my substrate and feeding dish. The more I try to remove them, the more they spread. Please, help me someone!

Okay, thank you.
Are they harmful to mystery snails and nerite snails?
 

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I don't think so. Do you only have snails? I would think that fish would normally eat these up before you'd notice them.
 
Sounds to me that filter as not been cleaned in a while so I'd take it out and gently move it around in a container with tank water so they fall off, leave things settle and try and do a video as it looks like snail poo to me.
Then give the sponge a real good clean
 
and here you have a snail poo picture for comparison:
 

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Most likely some form of flatworm, planaria or detritus worms are the best suspects. If they have a triangular shaped head (with two eyes) it is planaria. If they are pretty much just an oval (elongated) they are more likely detritus worms, both of which are common in tanks that have just inverts.
 

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  • #12
I scrubbed them off scraped them off cleaned off the sponges, vacuumed like a mad woman, used my turkey baster. I really put my back into it. The next day they are all over my substrate, it's like they multiplied! I'm going to try some mosquito dunks. They are building houses on my male mystery snails shells! I need something to nuke these eyesores!! I've noticed they are mostly where I feed the snails in their food dishes and on my sponge filter and plants. I think it's some type of either midge fly or detritus.. It has me stumped. Everyone thought it was pleco poop but all I have is mystery snail males for breeding and nerite snails for algae control. I wish I could add some fish, but I don't know if I should.
 
Sorry to hear about this. How big is the tank? ( might help in figuring out whether you can add fish)
 
I scrubbed them off scraped them off cleaned off the sponges, vacuumed like a mad woman, used my turkey baster. I really put my back into it. The next day they are all over my substrate, it's like they multiplied! I'm going to try some mosquito dunks. They are building houses on my male mystery snails shells! I need something to nuke these eyesores!! I've noticed they are mostly where I feed the snails in their food dishes and on my sponge filter and plants. I think it's some type of either midge fly or detritus.. It has me stumped. Everyone thought it was pleco poop but all I have is mystery snail males for breeding and nerite snails for algae control. I wish I could add some fish, but I don't know if I should.
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Go ahead and add fish if you want to keep the tank badly. If not I would just do a full clean of everything, probably ditching the substrate, and move the snails to another tank with the filter for that auto bacteria transfer.
 
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  • #15
Go ahead and add fish if you want to keep the tank badly. If not I would just do a full clean of everything, probably ditching the substrate, and move the snails to another tank with the filter for that auto bacteria transfer.
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They are in my filter, everything.. Should I just lightly clean my snails shells with a paper towel to make sure they don't transfer the worms to my other tanks? That would be horrible if it spread to my big tank!
They are in my filter, everything.. Should I just lightly clean my snails shells with a paper towel to make sure they don't transfer the worms to my other tanks? That would be horrible if it spread to my big tank!
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I could put them in my big bare bottom with my babies after I clean them.
Sounds to me that filter as not been cleaned in a while so I'd take it out and gently move it around in a container with tank water so they fall off, leave things settle and try and do a video as it looks like snail poo to me.
Then give the sponge a real good clean
Click to expand...
I scrubbed everything really good, cleaned them off the filter, vacuumed like no other and used my turkey baster. Its like they are glued to stuff. They have made a house of diatoms and it's difficult to get them off. The next day they had multiplied. What do you think about mosquito dunks? I was told they are completely safe and would rid them. I never use anything not natural, but these things have brought me to this point. I only have mystery snails and nerites. They are completely stuck to my crushed coral. That stuff isn't cheap and I really don't want to throw it away.
 
They are in my filter, everything.. Should I just lightly clean my snails shells with a paper towel to make sure they don't transfer the worms to my other tanks? That would be horrible if it spread to my big tank!

I could put them in my big bare bottom with my babies after I clean them.
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Good idea. Since you want to breed them a bare bottom is probably better anyways. Also keeping the water level down about an inch or two from the top is good for breeding Mystery Snails. All you need to transfer is the filter and the snails themselves. You could also just take the decor and substrate, lie it out in the sun or just out of water for a day or two and the “worms” will probably just die off. I did that with my Seachem Purigen when I had hitchhikers lol ;)
 
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  • #17
They are in my filter, everything.. Should I just lightly clean my snails shells with a paper towel to make sure they don't transfer the worms to my other tanks? That would be horrible if it spread to my big tank!

I could put them in my big bare bottom with my babies after I clean them.

I scrubbed everything really good, cleaned them off the filter, vacuumed like no other and used my turkey baster. Its like they are glued to stuff. They have made a house of diatoms and it's difficult to get them off. The next day they had multiplied. What do you think about mosquito dunks? I was told they are completely safe and would rid them. I never use anything not natural, but these things have brought me to this point. I only have mystery snails and nerites. They are completely stuck to my crushed coral. That stuff isn't cheap and I really don't want to throw it away.
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They are even on my male mystery snails shells.
 
Can you do a video of these things to give us a better prospective,
Flatworm&planaria dont encase themselves, if there is a type of worm or larvae inside you should be seeing something hatching as they won't be able to live their life out cocooned and I can't see anything or stages of morph
It would also help with more photos of them out of the tank, put some on a something and take closer photos
 
They are even on my male mystery snails shells.
Click to expand...

Reading all this I'm imagining terrible things happening in this aquarium! I agree with Richiep that video would help
 

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You've said that they are encased, like a cocoon? do they move?

What is a mosquito dunk?
 
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  • #24
As stated in the second post, they're bloodworms. Aka midges.

Midge (Chironomidae) — EcoSpark

People pay good money for live bloodworms....
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Well, they can have them, lol.. They are gross looking and won't go away.
You've said that they are encased, like a cocoon? do they move?

What is a mosquito dunk?
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Yes, in a detritus house with little worms inside the casing. If you break one off, or break it in half, where the pieces fall they will anchor and make a new house. They are now all over my crushed coral substrate, and it's really depressing with as much work as I put into cleaning up their waste. I'm ready to throw my hands up in the air and throw in the towel. I've never seen this before in my 25 years of having aquariums.
Well, they can have them, lol.. They are gross looking and won't go away.

Yes, in a detritus house with little worms inside the casing. If you break one off, or break it in half, where the pieces fall they will anchor and make a new house. They are now all over my crushed coral substrate, and it's really depressing with as much work as I put into cleaning up their waste. I'm ready to throw my hands up in the air and throw in the towel. I've never seen this before in my 25 years of having aquariums.
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A mosquito dunk is supposed to be completely invertebrate safe and will kill all the worms. Then I will have to scrub everything with a toothbrush and cycle it again with filter media from my other established tanks. I don't want it to spread to other tanks and it's my breeding male mystery snail tank.
Sorry to hear about this. How big is the tank? ( might help in figuring out whether you can add fish)
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10 gallons
Can you do a video of these things to give us a better prospective,
Flatworm&planaria dont encase themselves, if there is a type of worm or larvae inside you should be seeing something hatching as they won't be able to live their life out cocooned and I can't see anything or stages of morph
It would also help with more photos of them out of the tank, put some on a something and take closer photos
Click to expand...
Okay, I will in a bit. I haven't even had my coffee yet. I have to do a cleaning today and I will take more pictures and videos.
Well, they can have them, lol.. They are gross looking and won't go away.

Yes, in a detritus house with little worms inside the casing. If you break one off, or break it in half, where the pieces fall they will anchor and make a new house. They are now all over my crushed coral substrate, and it's really depressing with as much work as I put into cleaning up their waste. I'm ready to throw my hands up in the air and throw in the towel. I've never seen this before in my 25 years of having aquariums.

A mosquito dunk is supposed to be completely invertebrate safe and will kill all the worms. Then I will have to scrub everything with a toothbrush and cycle it again with filter media from my other established tanks. I don't want it to spread to other tanks and it's my breeding male mystery snail tank.

10 gallons

Okay, I will in a bit. I haven't even had my coffee yet. I have to do a cleaning today and I will take more pictures and videos.
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The worm comes out of one side ot the case and eats whatever is around it. Then it goes back in it's house. They are just an eyesore.
Good idea. Since you want to breed them a bare bottom is probably better anyways. Also Cory thinks keeping the water level down about an inch or two from the top is good for breeding Mystery Snails. No idea why but the man is always right. All you need to transfer is the filter and the snails themselves. You could also just take the decor and substrate, lie it out in the sun or just out of water for a day or two and the “worms” will probably just die off. I did that with my Seachem Purigen when I had hitchhikers lol ;)
Click to expand...
I leave the water down in all my mystery tanks. I have no problem in my female or breeding tank. I keep the water down at least 2 inches from the top maybe more towards 3 in. in the female tank. That's where most of the clutches are laid and my females aren't harrassed
 
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  • #26
Reading all this I'm imagining terrible things happening in this aquarium! I agree with Richiep that video would help
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Oh my God you just made me start freaking out. That's how I've felt the whole time. I got plants from a reputable dealer and these came with them.
 
huh? Do you not have funnel/case building midges where you live?
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The reason I say they are not midges is because there is no evidence of the larva exiting the cacoon they do not look like midges cacoons
And as much as we've tried to get you to supply more photos and video and of them out of the tank it falls on deaf years
If you want answers you need to supply more information until then I'm sorry I still say its snail poo
 
Just make sure you've got a lid on it. When they hatch for me in the fall, the clouds that fly out of the daphnia tub are epic.
 
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  • #29
We used the mosquito dunks and it killed them all!! My snails are fine and those things are gone. My husband is redoing my tank while I'm in California visiting my mother-in-law, but we fixed it. Anyone, if you ever get detritus or anything like that, use mosquito dunks off Amazon. They are a miracle.
Most likely some form of flatworm, planaria or detritus worms are the best suspects. If they have a triangular shaped head (with two eyes) it is planaria. If they are pretty much just an oval (elongated) they are more likely detritus worms, both of which are common in tanks that have just inverts.
Click to expand...
My husband got me plants from Dustins fishtanks and these came with them. Hundreds of different detritus worms. I had no idea about them. We are now buying the plants that are grown in the gel and potting them in planters. Then he has been boiling and cleaning my entire tank. My husband said the mosquito dunks are fantastic and work like a miracle on those awful worms.
 
You should not use these to kill detritus or any other worm, worms are part of the eco system in your tank
Even if you clean a tank out and bleech it when its restarted detritus will reappear in time
I'm sorry but I'm still not convinced this was a worm infestation, had you shown proof with the video you promised then I look at it differently
 
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  • #31
You should not use these to kill detritus or any other worm, worms are part of the eco system in your tank
Even if you clean a tank out and bleech it when its restarted detritus will reappear in time
I'm sorry but I'm still not convinced this was a worm infestation, had you shown proof with the video you promised then I look at it differently
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I am in California visiting my mother-in-law for the week. They were white worms in little houses made of diatoms. They would have one end that was open to peek their heads out and eat poop or food I would put in my food dishes. I took out my feeding dish before I left and cleaned it really well. Then, I fed my snails. The next day the worms had built new houses all over the sides, underside and inside the dish. I'm sorry that I couldn't provide you with a video, but I couldn't cancel my trip with my mother-in-law to give you videos. We figured killing them with the mosquito dunks and my husband boiling everything to get the worms tubes off of everything would fix it and it has. I know what poop looks like, and the reason you think it looks like poop is because of what their houses were made of, poop! They were white worms that were thin and white. They were some form of detritus or something like it. They weren't harming my snails. They were just everywhere. When I left my water parameters were bad! These worms were releasing a ton of ammonia and nitrites. Now, the tank is perfect and the worms are all dead. My husband is cycling it with seeded filters from our other established aquariums with no issues. He got the plants in gel. I would not recommend buying from Dustins fishtanks because of the issues that I had after placing them in my tank. It's my fault because they said that they were pest snail free, but didn't say anything about worms. So, from now on I will be dipping my plants before adding them to my aquarium. It was a mistake that I learned the really hard way from. We trashed all the plants and are just starting over now that the problem is eradicated.
 

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My money is in them arriving the same way the mosquito larvae in your tank did….by air (not air mail)
 
My Girlfriend had the exact same thing in her tank. Thought she was rid of them through various attempts. She has now moved in with me and while her tank is re-establishing itself without fish (her fish went into one of my established qt tanks while her tank reboots from the cross country move) those tube worms totally took her tank over in just a couple days. Unfortunately, just after moving s bunch of clams and mussels into that tank did the worms show up. Thousands of them covering the glass. Tiny poop cocoons with tiny white worms that peek out every now and then. We cleaned the glass and that is all so far. They are still all over the filter and other surfaces. I'll get video tomorrow and figure out how to load it on here
 
Can you do a video of these things to give us a better prospective,
Flatworm&planaria dont encase themselves, if there is a type of worm or larvae inside you should be seeing something hatching as they won't be able to live their life out cocooned and I can't see anything or stages of morph
It would also help with more photos of them out of the tank, put some on a something and take closer photos
Click to expand...
Video doesn't help much when mine first showed up I tried to show Disturbed on Skype live and he couldn't see then they are seriously tiny worms in poop cages.
 
I'm a little confused by the replies in this thread.

The OP has not been back to this thread since July.
Richiep asked for a video of wwheeler1111's worms. Seeing a video of yours probably won't help the OP.

Not saying it wouldn't be interesting but it should be in a different thread. Otherwise membes will be talking about your girlfriend's tank and not wheeler's.

​

 
Yeah I'll start a new thread. This thread never had proper answers just ended with the OP nuking their tank with a totally safe mosquito bomb. I just don't like getting on here to research and seeing people chime in "That's not what you have, prove it". I decided to shine some light on the topic so others searching for answers actually get them.
 

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