White Larvae in the Betta Tank

[Anonymous Comment]

For the past few days, I have seen little white specks on the inside of the glass. Only today did I look at them closely and realize they were some kind of larvae or worm. What are these pests, and how do I get rid of them?




Tank size: 2.5 gallons (don't give me crap about a 2.5 betta tank please)

Tank temp:78° F

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 80% every 1-2 weeks

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: none. I use a polyester based filter media.

Tank inhabitants: one half-moon betta, one golden apple snail

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): The golden apple snail is less than a week old, so I'm pretty sure that's what introduced the new pests

Exposure to chemicals: none

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[mikey11]

they wont harm anything....and dont bother trying, you will never get rid of them......unless you empty the tank and let everything dry out for a few weeks

 

[Anonymous Comment]

they wont harm anything....and dont bother trying, you will never get rid of them......unless you empty the tank and let everything dry out for a few weeks

What are they?

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[FroFro]

I dont get why that guy always says "let it dry for a few weeks". If you can treat everything, including the tank, in a diluted bleach solution that will kill the pests. You will, of course, want to have spare, mature filter media on hand to keep your tank stable. You'll need to set up a seperate container with clean treated water for your betta and snail to be in while you clean. Make sure to put a heater in there to keep their water warm. Use simple chlorine bleach without any additives and clean everything in a water/bleach solution. Rinse well with clean water and allow to dry. When you refill the tank and replace the ornaments, simply use extra water conditioner to remove any trace amounts of remaining bleach/chlorine. I've done this on a few occasions when I had issues with tough slime.

 

[Demeter32]

Those are probably some type of planaria, pretty harmless but unsightly. They usually crop up due to over feeding and/or a build up of gunk in the substrate. I suggest you do more regular water changes while vacuuming the gravel. I think two 50% water changes a week will work wonders.

How big is the snail now? Just so you know, these guys get quite large and I promise you it is/will create at least twice as much waste as the betta. I personally wouldn't keep them in a tank that small.

While you will never get them all, that is fine. I have some in all my tanks, I'm sure we all do actually. No need to soak everything in bleach just to be rid of a naturally occurring critter.

 

[Toney]

Fenbendazole