Parasites?

[dave76]

I recently installed a new penguin 330 filter. This is my second penguin 330 filter that I now have on my 55 gal. It has one juvenile gold saum 3", one pimodelus pictus 4.5", two CAE's about 4", a 5"striped raphael, and two apple snails, one about 1.5" and the other is about the size of a nickel. a couple of days after I installed the filter I sat down to watch my saum eat and I noticed the glass was dirty, or so I thought. I tried to clean the glass but the debris was on the inside of the glass. They kind of resemble small worms or something but they only move with the current of the water. They appear to be milky white. There are thousands of them in different varying sizes. I hope this is a good enough discription. Any ideas as to what it could be?

[wetmanNY]

They sound like hydra, Dave. Harmless. Google them and see if you agree.

Not all invertebrates are parasites.

[optix]

I have them every now and then in my oscar tank. A good vaccuming and water change always does the trick ;)

[dave76]

no I dont think that is them, they dont have any tenticles, and I would say that 5mm is too big, maybe 1mm at the most.

[optix]

looks like tiny little worms right. I have a bunch all the time. they are harmless. They feed off of debris

[dave76]

wow your right they are like little worms, wonder where they came from that is strange.

[wetmanNY]

Flatworms? are they gliding along the glass?

[dave76]

they move like tiny inch worms, they reach with the front part of their body an drag thier posterior behind them.

[optix]

wetman im sure you know what he's talking about cause you were helping alot of us awhile back in a thread with these guys. Remember that? That and those little mites that seem to come right after these worms

[ROLLIN]

The worms etc themselves may be harmless, but when you get things like that its usually an indication that there is to much waste/uneaten food in the aquarium, which is not so good.

[Cloud-9]

Clean the tank, hoover the gravel as best you can, and change your filter material. Change or clean out your filter material regularly, and often. Avoid overfeeding. They are usually in the tank but sometimes their numbers increase, perhaps due to overfeeding.

[wetmanNY]

...a millimeter long and moving like inchworms... I can't even remember having eyesight that sharp, guys. You can rule out nematodes from the nematode movements, a ceaseless thrash thrash thrash.

I don't usually see Naidid worms except among gravel grains or up by the surface.

Try http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/ for some Aeolosomatid and some Naidid worms and other pond life that turns up in the aquarium too...

[dave76]

most of them are that small, there are others that are larger, much larger maybe 3-5 mm.