1cm hairlike things in tank

[leedsrhinojohn]

i have a small tank with rcs and apple snails in it, just recently seen on tank glass things about 1cm long and thin as a hair, can anybody please tell me what they are? thanks in advance

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

At a guess I would say a detrius worm. Completely harmless if so & very common.

Another possibility would be planaria , but these are a little fatter and are
A little bit more of a problem, in some peoples eyes, as its claimed they attack baby shrimp. I've not seen evidence of this happening though.
Another thing they are rumoured to do is cause damage to adult shrimp, by getting under their carapace. And inflicting injury, leading to potential death.

I'd be almost confident its the detrius worm rather than planaria.

Cheers,

 

[leedsrhinojohn]

is there a way to get rid of them or should i just leave it?

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

is there a way to get rid of them or should i just leave it?

These probably occur in most aquaria, and live in the substrate.

I would not risk any removal of them, if indeed they are detrius worms, as there is little need. They are all part of your little eco system.

On the other hand, if they do turn out to be planaria, I would seek confirmation that they are first, then probably look at purchasing Genchem No planaria from one of our forum sponsors.

I wont post a link, as a couple of them sell it, and it would be unfair to point you at one or the other.

Cheers,

 

[leedsrhinojohn]

thanks nathaniel

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Thats ok john,
Have a look at both of the suggestions on google images, and let us know how you get on.

Cheers,

 

[leedsrhinojohn]

looked at a few different sites and they are definately detrius worms so nothing to worry about

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

looked at a few different sites and they are definately detrius worms so nothing to worry about

Marvelous