Worms in aquarium

Dogstar said:

Hey guys, I just noticed these worms that seem to be living just above the waterline. I only noticed them because I added some water and a few got swept away. Any idea what they are and if they are a problem? I manged to get a few out and catch them on a video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvZs4MStmGg

Thanks

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I believe they are nematodes, roundworms, since they are so wiggly. I'm fairly certain that having some are both inevitable if you have live plants and okay. Carnivorous fish like bettas will chow down on them for a snack. If you notice a few, I'm pretty sure it's fine, but if you notice the tank is overrun, start feeding less, do larger more frequent water changes, and clean as many things as you can.

For more info:

http://www.algone.com/worms-in-the-aquarium

I cant remember what they're called, but I'm pretty sure its nothing to worry about. I think these are often mis-named as detritus worms; but yours seem a bit larger than I've ever seen. I think true detritus worms are much smaller and dont typically "swim" around the water column. These are typically a result of overfeeding and/or decomposing organics in the tank. Should be harmless and some fish might eat them. I'll let someone smarter than me confirm or deny this though.

That's dero worms.

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I think they are nematodes.

I had a whole bunch of those in the water after the cycle finished. After I added the first set of fish (cherry barbs) they were all gone. Pretty sure they got eaten...

I was growing Hemianthus Callitrichoides 'Cuba' dry start when I first did my planted tank many years back, and it did have worms after the cycling has completed. I just remove them when I see it. It was a 1FT tank, so it wasn't too bad. I remove about 20 odd worms in the next few weeks. If you have rooted plants, I think worms improve the circulation of the soil, just like earth worms. Do correct me if I am wrong. Thanks.

I've seen those buggers a few times. I just dose levamisole if I do. First time I found them was when trying to grow infusoria from a squeezed out filter. These worms like hiding near the top of the tank or even in the moist band on the glass just above the waterline.