Worms and holes in betta fins

[ghlime]

I've been dealing with this issue for quite awhile. I first noticed these tiny white worms when I added some java moss I got off of Amazon. Around the same time, my betta started getting tiny pinholes in his fins that would grow larger and become more numerous in a matter of a few days.
After large (80-90%) water changes, the worm population seems to bounce back rapidly in just a two or three days, overpopulating the tank even when my betta isn't around. My betta does not get the holes and heals well when I quarantine him in a different container or when the worm population is very low, so I believe there is some sort of correlation.
Five gallon solo betta aquarium with filter, heater, and live plants. Water parameters are stable and the same as before the worms.
Any advice would be great! I've had to quarantine my betta in a much smaller plastic container on and off because I don't have much a budget. I really hate doing it, but his fins get really bad.

 

[hansgruber7]

By stable parameters, do you mean zero ammonia, nitrite, and low nitrate? Seems like a water quality issue, but it's hard to say what the issue could be otherwise.

 

[ghlime]

By stable parameters, do you mean zero ammonia, nitrite, and low nitrate? Seems like a water quality issue, but it's hard to say what the issue could be otherwise.

Yeah, water parameters are consistently 0 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite, and under 20 ppm nitrate. I use test strips for nitrites and nitrates, so the numbers could be unreliable.

 

[Essjay]

Can you describe the worms or possibly take a photo of them. There are several things they could be.
Do they wriggle or crawl like caterpillars?
Do they have a round head or a triangular pointed head?
Etc etc

 

[ghlime]

Can you describe the worms or possibly take a photo of them. There are several things they could be.
Do they wriggle or crawl like caterpillars?
Do they have a round head or a triangular pointed head?
Etc etc

Sorry, I can't get my camera to see the worms. I believe they have round heads and are even throughout. They're white, extremely small, and relatively short. You can only see them if you get really close to the tank. Most of them wriggle around on the aquarium glass while others wriggle or float in the water column.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Here, see if you can ID them via this: https://www.algone.com/worms-in-the-aquarium

 

[ghlime]

Here, see if you can ID them via this: https://www.algone.com/worms-in-the-aquarium

None of the symptoms listed match with the symptoms of my betta except maybe "fins appear eaten away" from the flukes section. My betta is acting normal (not lethargic) and doesn't have any symptoms I am aware of besides the holes in his fins. I haven't ever seen a worm attached to him.

 

[Essjay]

I needed to make sure the worms weren't leeches, but they don't appear to be from your description. If the worms are the harmless type, then whatever is causing the worms is probably also causing the fin problems. For example, detritus worms can appear in large numbers if the substrate is not cleaned properly to remove the debris, and not cleaning the substrate can affect the water quality which then causes fin issues.

 

[ghlime]

I needed to make sure the worms weren't leeches, but they don't appear to be from your description. If the worms are the harmless type, then whatever is causing the worms is probably also causing the fin problems. For example, detritus worms can appear in large numbers if the substrate is not cleaned properly to remove the debris, and not cleaning the substrate can affect the water quality which then causes fin issues.

The tank (3.5 months old) is currently bare bottom. Before I had the worm/fin issue, I wanted to add gravel (I know, completely out of order), but I'm putting it on hold to be able to monitor the worms and debris better. The tank isn't pristine, but there isn't a load of debris. Could that still allow a large population of detritus worms? I do know that my filter is kind of old and cheap, and the flow is weak. Could that also be a cause?

 

[Essjay]

Bettas need a fairly weak flow, it shouldn't be the filter.
If there's a lot of debris on the bottom of the tank, it needs to be removed. How often do you carry out water changes, and clean the debris off the bottom? It is recommended to change 50% a week. And the debris should be removed at the same time. Just because the bacteria are keeping ammonia and nitrite at zero it doesn't mean that there are not other things we can't measure building up on the water.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

What does everybody think about this (this is what I would do) : Since the beta is in a safe, although small, habitat right now - why not change out all the water and all decorations in the main tank then clean them with a very dilute bleach solution, then rinse everything until you no longer can smell the bleach . Refill the tank and add a bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus to cycle the tank quickly then add the beta back into the environment the next day. While we're all curious what kind of worm it could be, what is most important now is getting rid of it - this is the only way I know to do that with near 100% success.

 

[ghlime]

Bettas need a fairly weak flow, it shouldn't be the filter.
If there's a lot of debris on the bottom of the tank, it needs to be removed. How often do you carry out water changes, and clean the debris off the bottom? It is recommended to change 50% a week. And the debris should be removed at the same time. Just because the bacteria are keeping ammonia and nitrite at zero it doesn't mean that there are not other things we can't measure building up on the water.

Water changes aren't consistent in frequency or volume, but each week I replace an average of about 50%. It's a bare bottom, so it's easy to clean debris.

 

[ghlime]

What does everybody think about this (this is what I would do) : Since the beta is in a safe, although small, habitat right now - why not change out all the water and all decorations in the main tank then clean them with a very dilute bleach solution, then rinse everything until you no longer can smell the bleach . Refill the tank and add a bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus to cycle the tank quickly then add the beta back into the environment the next day. While we're all curious what kind of worm it could be, what is most important now is getting rid of it - this is the only way I know to do that with near 100% success.

I was considering that. Would you dip the live plants in bleach, too? And would you entirely replace the filter media?

 

[Essjay]

If you replace the filter media the tank will have to recycle - unless you have a lot of live plants in there. Bleaching the plants may harm them, then you'd be left with an uncycled tank and dying plants. Tetra Safe Start does not cycle a tank instantly. The safest would be to bleach the tank etc then put some new plants in the tank immediately.

 

[ghlime]

Update: new tank, not so great news
After unsuccessfully fighting off the tiny white worms, I decided to restart. I bleached everything and started a new setup, only keeping two rocks, the heater, filter, and tank (obviously). I then added a ton of plants, some API quick start, waited a few days, then added my betta. It's fully cycled now and has been running for about two weeks. I was enjoying the new planted tank look, and then, I noticed that the tiny white worms were back. Right now, it's a relatively small population relative compared to how many there were before, but I'm really facepalming. I must've not done a thorough bleaching and the idea of having to restart again is grim. My betta has not exhibited the symptoms (holes in his fins) yet, but I expect him to as the worm population inevitably grows out of my control. Just praying it somehow won't.