What's that bug? How to recognize them

[lauraleellbp]

How sure are you that that wasn't a leech?

[aelysa]

Originally Posted by t0p_sh0tta

I will be doing a necropsy tomorrow, but I believe that I have a eustrongylid (Nematode) infection. I thought it was just the pectoral fins, but there may have been red worms hanging out of one of my fish earlier. Maybe it's just my mind wandering as I enter my 14th hour at work.

Article

It's usually responsible for "incurable" forms of dropsy as it is due to a parasite living within the hosts' tissues (not in the GI-tract).




Better late than never, but this looks like a Trematode (liver flukes). A parasitic flatworm. (IIRC, the branching structures are ovaries/testes).

Whatever it is, it makes me remember the abject horror of walking into my bathroom with that staring me in the face. I had to use the other bathroom.

[rekles75]

I have these white things in my 10 gal. and I need to know if I should be worried.

What is this? Does anyone know? Should I be concerned?





I found this on the parasite sticky, It kind of looks like this. How do I get rid of them.


This is not a planaria with a spine and rudimentary legs. It is an Australian LEECH! Apparently the "spine" is it's developing young, and when they become free swimming, they attach itself to the mother and look like a billion tiny wiggly legs. Totally disgusting and mine was about a fourth of an inch long.

Actually, I come to find a year later, it was some sort of snail leach. Even more disgusting.

[bugman2494]

Thanks Rain!
I've been trying to find out what the crustacean I had found in my small planted pond. It turned out to be a Seed Shrimp, Ostracoda.

[bugman2494]

Oh can Seed Shrimp, Ostracoda live in tropical temperatures?
Mine are in the pond and I was wondering if I could put them into the fry tank to eat the uneaten food.

[jaidexl]

I was consulting with my personal invert/disease specialist about some ostracods in another thread. She informed me during the conversation that Cyclops (below) are potential carriers for camallanus. I thought that was worth passing along because I always thought they were completely harmless. Some of the conversation:

they [cyclops] are generally not dangerous, but it is possible for cyclops to act as a carrier of camallanus worm larvae. The presence of cyclops doesn't mean "OMG--my fish are all going to get camallanus and DIE!" and indeed, I've had them in my tanks without incident, but they are capable of carrying it and it does happen in aquaria. If they are cyclops, and their origin unknown, it's worth keeping an eye out for symptoms of camallanus worms, especially if the tank is home to guppies.

Originally Posted by rain-

Copepods, Cyclops



Size: 0,1 - 0,2 cm, 0.04 - 0.1 inches

Copepods are small and funny looking one eyed crustaceans. They usually move around the tank glass and other surfaces, usually with one short leap at a time. Harmless, cute, there's lots of different coloured species.

[mikeb210]

I had some white worms swimming along my substrate and also in my HOB filters. I finally managed to catch one of them and put it under the microscope. Enjoy! The second picture is a weird looking bug in the same water as the worm. If anyone can id it would be nice.

[LS6 Tommy]

I dunno about the worm, but the bug almost looks like a diving spider, only a LOT smaller. It's really hard to tell with it being twisted around like that.

Tommy

[yikesjason]

I saw a wigglier in one of my tanks last night. From the pictures on the first page, it looks like a flat worm. Interesting what shows up in tanks.