Worms!

[fiorile833]

Hi,

I was vacumming out my tank this afternoon, and after the second bucket filled with water, left the bucket on the ground and went to clean the vacuum. When I came back for the bucket, all of these red pulpy looking things came out of the water and were all around the top water line. I got a flashlight and saw that the parts still in the water were moving, and there were tiny little worms swimming all around. It was really nasty. I clean the tank once a week, vacuming the gravel. This was the first time i noticed the worms. I usually empty the bucket out right away, so I don't know how long this has been a problem.

I've lost 4 swordtails this week and I didn't know why, but I guess now I do.

I need help with what to do next. What kind of worms could they be, and how do I get rid of them. The guy I asked at Petsmart today said to just take the fish out and clean/replace the gravel. I have 3 dwarf gouramis, 3 mollies, 5 tiger barbs, a large sucker fish, and a large shark. And only 2 bowls that the fish could be taken out and put into, that are small. Is this the way to go??

Thanx for all ur help

 

[WILDER]

How many gallons is the tank with having the shark, is the anus red and inflamed on any of the fish, can you see anything prutruding from the anus, have you feed anything live lately, so you have red worms and tiny white worms in the tank.

 

[fiorile833]

The tank is 30/35 gallons. The shark is small maybe 8in tops. Nothing on any of the fish is red or inflamed. And the only time I actually saw the worms was in the buket after vacuuming the gravel. I can't see them actually in the tank. They are extremly tiny. I think on the ring of the bucket they may have been clumped together.

 

[WILDER]

Have you been feeding any live worms like bloodworms, or added any new fish or live plants lately.

 

[fiorile833]

Nope no live food or plants! I have no idea how they got in. I thought maybe through a fish I had added about month ago?

I'm gonna do some research online about em, but don't even know where to begin....

 

[WILDER]

http/inkmkr.com/Fish/CamallanusTreatment/

What fish did you add as livebearers are very prone to internal parasites, though they might not be internal worms, can you describe them again.

 

[fiorile833]

I had 3 swordtails (2died 2wks ago, which was about a wk after I bought them) and 1 died today. I also lost 2 mollies this week. (There only symptoms were that they were swimming funnny, do and occational flip here and there, yet continued to eat)

The worms, I only noticed in the bucket after vacuming. I hadn't and still don't actually see them in the tank. They were VERY small, and when they clumped together on the rim of the bucket were red in color. In the murky water I couldn't tell, I could only make out that they were swimming. But they were v small and a reddish/orange color.

Oh and, my dad described them as hair thin...

 

[Regina]

I had 3 swordtails (2died 2wks ago, which was about a wk after I bought them) and 1 died today. I also lost 2 mollies this week. (There only symptoms were that they were swimming funnny, do and occational flip here and there, yet continued to eat)

The worms, I only noticed in the bucket after vacuming. I hadn't and still don't actually see them in the tank. They were VERY small, and when they clumped together on the rim of the bucket were red in color. In the murky water I couldn't tell, I could only make out that they were swimming. But they were v small and a reddish/orange color.

Oh and, my dad described them as hair thin...

How long were they?
Maybe they were fry?

 

[fiorile833]

No I don't think they were fry, they were so teeny tiny that u almost needed a magnifying glass to really see em. They seemed to be coming out of the filth being sucked outta the gravel. (also is there a way to get more suction in the vaccums? Maybe a larger one? Because it couldn't suck up some of the larger pieces.)


I haven't been able to find any info on it at all online, but am still looking. I did read that if they are living there they are prob living off extra food that goes uneaten, so I'm going to scale back on the food.

 

[WILDER]

You could strip the tank down, and keep the filter running in a bucket and sterlise the plants ornaments, and gravel, might go into a slight mini cycle with cleaning the gravel, but it's better than having the worms, as i don't no what they are.