Help With Nasty Looking Worm In Tank

[cubano]

Hi

My 75g with the 8" Red Devil has these nasty worms sticking to the glass above the water line.. apon closer inspection they have a bunch of tiny legs on either side of their almost translucant body and a brown head and tail.. very small less than 1/4" no visible signs on fish.. above 15 of them.. what are they and how to treat these NASTY looking worms..

thanks alot!

[OrionGirl]

Most likely these are hydra. They are present in almost all tanks, but in very low density. If you can see them, it probably means there is a bunch of food going uneaten--this boon is causing a boom, so to speak. Start cleaning the substrate more often, and feeding less. They are not parasites--while small fry may be threatened, adult fish either eat them, or ignore them--bigger fish normally ignore them.

[cubano]

I didnt know hydra crawled along the glass though.. Hydras ive seen always were free floating and shaped like the letter "Y" rather than an actuall crawling worm.. just another strain of hydra?

[OrionGirl]

Seems likely. Hydra are very mobile, and usually are attached to something. They reproduce by polyps, or buds that grow off of the stump--most likely, that's why it's got 'hair' on both ends.

[cubano]

right but it doesnt have that.. it actually has little legs on its side.. like a millipede, and you can eactually see a black head and a black tail.. and hydra only connect on one side ride? these things are right against the glass crawling around.. they honestly look like mini millipedes

[OrionGirl]

Check the Invertebrates section on The Skeptical Aquariast: http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/invertebrates/annelids.shtml , especially the annelids and Naidids--they do not sound much like the hyrda afterall. Hydra look more like a freshwater anenome with sparse tentacles.