Patterns of algea on rocks?

[_Rob]

I'm not 100% sure if this is an algae, but I couldn't think of anything else it could be. I'm hoping someone will be able identify it from the photos so I can hopefully get more information on it and work out how to remove it from my tank.

The tank has been setup for about 7 months and I have always had theses patterns form on the rock a few days after cleaning.

 

[xim]

IME, bloodworm's tunnels.

 

[_Rob]

IME, bloodworm's tunnels.

Thanks. Very strange, I have never seen any blood worms and it's only the past week I started feeding them to the tetras in the tank(2 occasions and they looked very dead). I've had this problem since the tank was setup and it has only ever been planted with Tropica 1 - 2 grow plants.

 

[zozo]

I have never seen any blood worms

What's this??

 

[_Rob]

What's this??

A blood worm, but that's one of the ones I had just fed the tetras and has now been eaten. I have only fed bloodworms twice, today and last Saturday, but have been having these patterns for months so isn't because I have just started feeding blood worms.

What is mean by "I have never seen any blood worms" is any I haven't put in knowingly.

 

[zozo]

Froozen food 99% of the time still contain life eggs of other guests, like planaria and or other kind of eggs. If you only have fed twice with bloodwurm it probably aint from this, yet. But you probably will get some in the future if you keep feeding froozen food. Also plants can bring all kinds of things, wurms, hydra, cyclops etc. I've never seen a patern like that in a tank, but it surely looks like the tracks of some kind of wurm like creature. If it never surfaces can only mean one thing it doesn't like light, so keep your eyes open when lights are off and or look under rocks. You do not need to lift your hardware, but temporarely could put a flat stone in the tank en look under there after a while. You might find what it is..

It's relatively common to have wurms and or some other kind of creature in the tank next to fish and shrimps as long as they are not parasitic to the fish etc. there is no need to alarm and probably serve as extra fishfood. Me too i found saw a 4 cm long white wurm crawling on the glass in a 6 week old tank. must have come with the plants or in the bag of soil.

Many years ago i sometimes did feed my cichlids with some kind of life wurm it wasn't tubifex i forgot it's name, could be bloodwurm i don't remember. But i found some years later back during a clean out still living in the soil, rather long wurms.

 

[Nelson]

Weird how the stones are cleaner where it is.Are they hard or soft ?.

 

[_Rob]

Froozen food 99% of the time still contain life eggs of other guests, like planaria and or other kind of eggs. If you only have fed twice with bloodwurm it probably aint from this, yet. But you probably will get some in the future if you keep feeding froozen food. Also plants can bring all kinds of things, wurms, hydra, cyclops etc. I've never seen a patern like that in a tank, but it surely looks like the tracks of some kind of wurm like creature. If it never surfaces can only mean one thing it doesn't like light, so keep your eyes open when lights are off and or look under rocks. You do not need to lift your hardware, but temporarely could put a flat stone in the tank en look under there after a while. You might find what it is..

It's relatively common to have wurms and or some other kind of creature in the tank next to fish and shrimps as long as they are not parasitic to the fish etc. there is no need to alarm and probably serve as extra fishfood. Me too i found saw a 4 cm long white wurm crawling on the glass in a 6 week old tank. must have come with the plants or in the bag of soil.

Many years ago i sometimes did feed my cichlids with some kind of life wurm it wasn't tubifex i forgot it's name, could be bloodwurm i don't remember. But i found some years later back during a clean out still living in the soil, rather long wurms.

I think your definitely right. The light have just gone off and I just just had a detailed look at the substrate which is against the glass and can see small "things" moving around. Not sure how they are causing the patterns yet, but if I can see 3 from that small section of tank I expect there is loads! *shudders*

If there are that many it gives reason to why my tetra ignore the food I give them so much. They always swim around frantically when the lights turn off and I guess they are eating these things.

Any ideas on how to remove so many?

 

[_Rob]

Weird how the stones are cleaner where it is.Are they hard or soft ?.

The lines which are formed are quite soft and can be broken away with a finger tip. Although it is a lot easier to use a toothbrush.

 

[xim]

Weird how the stones are cleaner where it is.Are they hard or soft ?.

It's cleaner because the worms gather the detritus to build the tunnels.
From the size of the tunnels, the worms are small and probably white colour now.
I used to have them before I got Corydoras and Oto cats.

The ones in the marks are probably ostracods. I also have them in my tank.
It is normal.

They cause no harm. I wouldn't to anything special. Just don't overfeed.