WHAT THE HECK IS THAT

[andyt_uk]

a few days ago after buying some plants i noticed what appeared to be a tiny almost invisible worm like 'thing' floating about, clearly making efforts at 'swimming' i thought i managed to fish it out and couldnt see any others.
THEN
last night i noticed, trapped inside my filter, a pink. 1-2cm long worm like creature only about 1-2mm thick, but at one end (and possibly both) it didnt appear to have a head as such but did have what i can only describe as a huge mouth that it kept opening while twisting about looking as though it was trying to find something to bite.
it reminded me of the critters in the movie of the same name - only tiny miniature little versions

any ideas what it can be, should i be worried?

TIA

AndyT

 

[Losi]

Andy - I would take this 'thing' back to the shop that you got the plant from. They may thank you if their plant stock is infected. I would also treat the water. Where in the Uk did you buy the plant from and can you describe the creature in more detail and I will try to find it on the net??

 

[Losi]

Andy - I have had a quick look and found two possible suspects;

Gill Worm (Dactylogyrus) - treatable with anti parasite treatment
Anchor Worm - treated in the same way.

Run a search on these on the internet to see if you can find any pictures that match what you may have.

 

[andyt_uk]

It was the pet & aquatic department of Tong Garden Center in Bradford - I had thought they had a good rep. I know a few people who have bought pets there and had no problems, and i have spent months 'browsing' and been impressed with their set-up and advice i have recieved, or overheard being given to others has always been firstclass (well as first class as a newbie like me can tell).
i can only describe the creature as a tiny pink worm
approx 1-2cm long, 1-2mm thick, you can clearly see it opening its 'mouth' which is huge in relation to the body size.
it doesnt appear to have a head as such, just a straight 'worm' possibly segmented body but not sure.
i have 2 platty and a male betta in there at the moment - concerned about them

what should i treat the water with?

 

[Losi]

The best thing to do is to visit an aqatic shop (not one that does a bit of everything as I dont trust these places!

Ask their advice and if possible, take the worm in to them so that they can be sure of what the thing is.

Anti parasite treatment comes in many different varieties...

Let me know how it pans out

 

[andyt_uk]

i dont think it is an anchor worm - well i cant see the 'anchor' on it anyway
cant find an image of the gill worm , though from description i dont think its that
i will keep looking
think i will change the filter - hoping its still trapped in there and take it to the lfs for advice

 

[andyt_uk]

on further inspection i think it may be an anchor worm after all.
as it is trapped away from my fish should i introduce nasty chems to rid it or just swap my filter?

 

[Feline]

There r so many kinds of worms, so without detailed description, I can't tell u exactly which kind u have. U might be interested in reading this to find out:

Worms

 

[infant340]

it mite be planara. if u over feed the tank u get planara worms. i had them but i didnt trist them so i blasted the sucker away.

 

[andyt_uk]

**UPDATE**

just incase anyone was wondering / cared - or just to prevent future worries

i was at another LFS at the weekend and t hey sold live brine shrimp and blood worm.. the blood worm looked very much like the critter i had - infact they could have been twins