Post by Cyberguppy on Aug 17, 2005 14:32:31 GMT 10
There are a lot of small creatures that live in aquariums besides fish, many of which we dont put there, mostly these are harmless.
Tiny white worms: there are two kinds that feed of of fish foods, the first and most common is the planaria, a tiny white worm about 1/5 of an inch long, fat, sometimes with sluglike antenna. This creature is usually seen first thing in the morning when the lights are turned on. The other is a free floating worm that swims in the shape of a u and seems to be free swimming unlike planaria. these seem to always pop out of the filter at feeding time
Tiny black/browm worms: There is also a species of blackworm that likes to infest gravel, these can be 1/4 inch up to 1 inch for tubifex. These worms feed on detritus and mulm.
With any kind of worm the usual cause of a large infestation is overfeeding. Its best just to feed fish a little less and let them feed on the worms untill the worms have dissappeared. A Khuli loach will clean out the undergravel ones. in very small amounts these are a normal part of an aquarium environment.
Tiny white darting things! :
Tiny darting things about the size of a fullstop. Usually appear to have two tails. These creatures are a tiny algae eating crustacian called a cyclops.
Green spikey catepillar in a case of live leaves: These can devour live plants if left alone, usually the first sign is tiny bits of live leaf floating all over your tank. remove all these as they usually contain the catepillars. Removal of this creature by hand is the best method.
little jelly creatures with tenticles:
These are a kind of anemonie called a hydra, they reproduce asexually by budding so can infest a tank very quickly. These can also sting fish and kill fry. Complete removal is best.
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Tiny white worms: there are two kinds that feed of of fish foods, the first and most common is the planaria, a tiny white worm about 1/5 of an inch long, fat, sometimes with sluglike antenna. This creature is usually seen first thing in the morning when the lights are turned on. The other is a free floating worm that swims in the shape of a u and seems to be free swimming unlike planaria. these seem to always pop out of the filter at feeding time
Tiny black/browm worms: There is also a species of blackworm that likes to infest gravel, these can be 1/4 inch up to 1 inch for tubifex. These worms feed on detritus and mulm.
With any kind of worm the usual cause of a large infestation is overfeeding. Its best just to feed fish a little less and let them feed on the worms untill the worms have dissappeared. A Khuli loach will clean out the undergravel ones. in very small amounts these are a normal part of an aquarium environment.
Tiny white darting things! :
Tiny darting things about the size of a fullstop. Usually appear to have two tails. These creatures are a tiny algae eating crustacian called a cyclops.
Green spikey catepillar in a case of live leaves: These can devour live plants if left alone, usually the first sign is tiny bits of live leaf floating all over your tank. remove all these as they usually contain the catepillars. Removal of this creature by hand is the best method.
little jelly creatures with tenticles:
These are a kind of anemonie called a hydra, they reproduce asexually by budding so can infest a tank very quickly. These can also sting fish and kill fry. Complete removal is best.
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