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Please Identify This Weird Worm

REDSTEVEO

REDSTEVEO

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Joined
31 Mar 2008
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Hi All,

Hopefully someone can help me identify what this worm is swimming in my tank. You can only see it in the first few seconds so you might have to replay the video a few times. I apologise for the quality but the video was taken quickly on my phone about ten minutes ago.

There are a few of these swimming about but most are a lot smaller than this one. The fish eat them quite happily but I am concerned that this is how they are being perpetuated. I am also concerned that it is a parasitic worm and will harm the fish. I have tried various worming treatments, Fluke Solve, Praziquantel, Kusuri Discus Wormer plus etc but to no effect. These are probably in my filter medium and in the gravel etc.

I am wondering if these could be the offspring from some live Californian Blackworms I fed to my fish quite a few months ago.

http://s277.photobucket.com/user/REDSTEVEO/media/Weird Worm Video_zpsn8ksydz4.mp4.html
http://s277.photobucket.com/user/REDSTEVEO/media/Weird Worm Video_zpsn8ksydz4.mp4.html

I emailed this to my laptop, uploaded it to Photobucket and copied and pasted the URL above. If anyone can tell me how to do this correctly I'd appreciate it.

Anyone any ideas?

Cheers,

Steve
 
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It's just a polychaete worm...not my favourite (puts me off my tea) but harmless and like you said free food for your fish.
P.S. give your moss a good ruffle and see how many you can disturb:sick:
 
Troi said:
It's just a polychaete worm...not my favourite (puts me off my tea) but harmless and like you said free food for your fish.
P.S. give your moss a good ruffle and see how many you can disturb:sick:
Click to expand...
Phew thanks Troi, if you are definitely sure, I am so relieved that it is not a parasite that could bore its way into the skin or gut of the fish. I have never heard of a polychaete worm before. How come the worming medications didn't wipe them out?

Thanks,
Steve
 
...either way they still turn my stomach:sick:
Like this sucker...
ohmygod.jpg
 
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dw1305 said:
Hi all,
It is a "detritus worm" like the others have said. It may well have come in with the Blackworms. They are totally harmless and good fish food. They are "Oligochaetae" rather than "Polychaete" Annelid worms.
Have a look at "Skeptical Aquarist: Naidids".

cheers Darrel
Click to expand...
Darren,

Thanks for the confirmation and the reassurance that they are harmless. But as Troi states they do give me the creeps, especially seeing all the videos on YouTube, gives me nightmares! :eek:

Cheers,

Steve
 
Hi all,
LondonDragon said:
Didn't, they either eventually died or the Panacur killed them.
Click to expand...
It wouldn't have been the Panacur, fenbendazole isn't active against annelids. I've used Panacur in tanks with a lot of Blackworms in the substrate and they were fine. I think it is probably a case that numbers naturally cycle up and down, and it is only at the peaks of the cycle they are visible. I would expect that the majority of established tanks have some present.
Troi said:
Like this sucker...
Click to expand...
Have a look at <"Aphrodita aculeata"> the "Sea Mouse", really cute.

cheers Darrel
 
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