I was feeding my cichlids the other night when I noticed this little silver thing in the tank. I didn't think it was much until I looked at it closer and realized that it was some sort of creature that was wiggling around in the tank. I took a baby brine shrimp net and snagged it up and looked at it. From outside the tank, the "head" of it looked dark, almost black, and the "tail" looked like it could be almost transparent. I gave my tank another quick look and didn't notice anything so I just finished feeding and let the lights automatically go off and I went to bed. I decided tonight to have another much closer and in depth look and I noticed that there were more, not alot, but after about 10 minutes of just looking I caught maybe a dozen at the max. Probably around 8-9. I have tried to find more about this but I haven't had to much luck. I was concerned because I saw something about the fish scratching against the rocks and decor but that doesn't take place in my tank except for the biggest cichlid. Occaisionally he will make a sharp run against the substrate and that is it, too frequently. The picture I attached was taken with my cell phone. I put the "worm" next to a nickel to show the size, if you can't see it, that just goes to show how small it is. Any help or info would be much appreciated.
Small silver looking worms
- Thread starter bstanley
- Start date
Gumby131 said:
no ****. well that is exactly why i asked for any info, not for the fact they you might not have been able to see anything or not. I even said that if you can't see anything, that just goes to show how small the worms were. Thanks for nothing
bstanley said:
First: there are so many little critters that match your description, many worms, some larval stage insects, occasionally fry, and some parasites.
Second: a clear picture makes the identification job 10,000 times easier
Third: being nasty gets you no where, even worse it usually shuts up the people who could help you because they don't want to get burned.
Some questions:
Is it segmented? Can you see any organs/coloration? If you look very closely do you see legs/hooks? Can you see what the mouth looks like?
Yes it means you will need to get a really close look at it, probably with a maganfying glass/microscope. If you could get a better picture with a higher resolution and closer, we could probably help you a little more.
I don't think they are worms, I think they are nickels! 
Sorry, couldn't help myself.
I can help identify it if you can get a good photo. . .
Sorry, couldn't help myself.
I can help identify it if you can get a good photo. . .