Uh-Oh!

[mindtonic]

As some of you know from my posts yesterday that my filter died and that I am waiting for my new one............

Well, when I woke up this morning and turned on the lights to check everything out, I was horrified to find what looks like thousands of little white worms floating in the water and attatched to the glass. They are about a 16th to an 8th of an inch long.......some seem to be motionless and others squiggle around a bit. I also noticed suspended cotton-like clouds in the water.

Here is my poor attempt at aquarium photography:

Can someone please confirm what exactly is in my tank and how do I remedy this situation? A quick response would be appreciated........my wife is making a road trip for me to That Fish Place this afternoon.

[mindtonic]

OK..............I used the search feature and figured out what the worms were all about, but I've yet to learn exactly what the suspended cotten-like globs are.

My wife is leaving for That Fish place in less than an hour. I could really use some help identifying this stuff and what (if anything) my wife needs to pick up for me.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[RTR]

Nematodes and/or planaria are the most likely worm-like creatures, leaving the substrate to get access to more oxygen in the water column. Excess numbers of either/both indicate an excess of organics in the substrate.

Is this a planted tank? I can't see the pics well enough to tell.

Fuzz balls sound like mold on uneaten food.

[Slappy*McFish]

I would seriously consider buying a second filter to put on your tank for obvious reasons if you're only running one.

[WinterWind]

Do you know how you got those worms in your aquarium? A recently introduced plant?

[mindtonic]

The tank is planted......low light set up with crypts, anubias, ferns, moss, etc.........

It's only been up and running for about ten days now........with no fish, so imbalance cannot be from over feeding. Many of my crypts melted down and I was unable to clean all of it up. I suppose that rotting plant material combined with inadequate filtration could be the cause of any overabundance of organics in the water.

Anyway, I tossed the HOB and spent the wee hours of the morning installing my new Fluval 404. I did a 60% water change, paying special detail to vaccuming dead plant material. There is a huge improvement in water circdulation in the tank.

RTR..........here's what the tank looked like just days before my old filter died:

http://www.lotrats.net/forum/files/90gallon1.jpg

I know I probably need some faster growing plants to soak up some of the nutrients, but I'm afraid to add anything else until the crypts fill back in.

[mindtonic]

Do you know how you got those worms in your aquarium? A recently introduced plant?

I planted the tank about ten days ago..........added some Christmas Moss a few days ago :huh:

[tyella]

Could they have come from the cork bark or the driftwood?
I expect most all aquaria have nematodes/planaria, but to my knowledge they take a bit of time to get to the densities you're describing, unless supplemented by copious amounts of fish food.

But...without fish eating them, maybe there's nothing to keep their numbers in check?

[tyella]

The tank looks/looked great, BTW!
Where did you get your cork bark?

[mindtonic]

I bought the cork bark from http://www.thecorkstore.com/ (http://)

I don't think that the infestation came from the bark. I actually set up the aquarium two months ago and used silicone to attach the bark to the glass. I filled it with water and ran it for a week. I wanted to make sure it held before I bought my plants. Well, at one week and one day, the silicone gave and all of the cork floated to the top of the tank. I stripped it down and developed a new game plan. Before round two of tank set up, I boiled the bark and the driftwood, so I doubt anything came from the cork bark.......but I could be wrong. Aside from some hair algae on the upper reaches of the big java fern on the left side of the tank, I hadn't noticed much of anything until Monday's explosion. My guess is that the worms came in with the moss, since that was the last thing I added.

Thanks for the comments on the tank.

If the white fuzz was mold, is there anything other than water changes I should be doing?

[RTR]

Having some fast growing stems would help avoid algae while the plants are becoming established. I don't use stems other than in veggie filters routinely myself, but I do commonly have some in new setups.

I also wonder where the worms/planaria whatever came from. If you got a lot of java moss from an old tank, that could be it - it is refuge for all sorts of inverts.

The fungus/mold is self-limiting, not an issue unless you see it routinely. Then it means uneaten food.

[mindtonic]

Thanks for the clarification, RTR, your expertise is appreciated.