Thin wormlike

[pplugg]

I have some thin white(wormlike, hairlike)things wiggle-ing around in my tank.they are very small.is it a parasite of some kind? will it hurt the fish? can I kill it?...please help

[kveeti]

Nematodes, maybe, if they thrash about in the water. Go to the top of the screen and search “white worms” in General Freshwater; there are numerous results for reading. Basically, though, if it’s not actually on the fish, it is not a parasite and it is harmless.

Fish should enjoy eating them. If they are too numerous, you are probably overfeeding and/or need to do a more thorough gravel vacuum. You will not entirely get rid of them, just so they won't be noticed.