oh god what is this

[gzeiger]

I'm familiar with that infestation. I don't know what it is, but it's harmless. In my tank it went away on its own after a while, and never gave me any trouble apart from the stress of wondering if it would.

 

[kyryah]

I would check your ammonia levels. I believe that they are colonies of the same bacteria that feeds off the ammonia in your tank. If there is that much of a bloom, you may be having an ammonia spike.

The clearing up or die off occurs when ammonia levels return to normal.

Kristina

 

[BettaFishMommy]

when i got my first snail (apple snail), it got that white stuff on it too, but it went away with well oxygenated water and i would rub it off with my finger periodically throughout the day. no idea what it was, didn't seem to affect the snail any.

i agree on more water changes, good gravel vacc'ing, and also don't overfeed your tank.

 

[bettabrat]

What is that worm? If you touch it...will it retract itself?

 

[Tom.E]

The snail is colonized by colonial stalked protozoan. My best guess from the picture and size of the stalks are Epistylis or possibly Vorticella.

We need to know the size of the worm in the first picture. It could be a juvenile mermithid nematode, which is an invertebrate parasite as an adult,

The worms and protozoa most likely were introduced with the snails.


Tom

 

[mrbigmuscles]

The worm in the first picture is very small, about the size of the head of a pin.

 

[bettabrat]

The snail is colonized by colonial stalked protozoan. My best guess from the picture and size of the stalks are Epistylis or possibly Vorticella.

We need to know the size of the worm in the first picture. It could be a juvenile mermithid nematode, which is an invertebrate parasite as an adult,

The worms and protozoa most likely were introduced with the snails.


Tom

On the subject of nematodes if that is what this is. Do they have the ability to harm crayfish, snails, shrimp, fish in general? That sounds aweful.

 

[mrbigmuscles]

This link suggests that some copepods prety on aquatic mermithids.

http://nematode.unl.edu/epn/mermit3b.htm

Maybe I should order a few live cultures of copepods?

 

[Tom.E]

I wouldn’t worry about a worm that small unless it could be seen protruding from a fish or any tank invertebrates. Free living nematodes usually show up in aquariums as they age and when waste builds up in gravel beds. Tom