White worms

Question
Hi Jon, My question is I have small white worms floating in the tank.They are swimming around and not attached to the glass. Dont seem to be hurting the fish but unsightly. Tank is 220 gal with one large Oscar, one 8 in pike and about/12 Jack Dempseys. Please let me know what to do to get rid of these worms. Thank You Jimmy

Answer
Hello Jimmy, it sounds like your tank has Planaria (Tiny Flatworms), thriving around. They are not harmful to your fish that I've experienced, so don't panic too much yet. Do you overfeed your fish? Most of the time, these Planaria are found in tanks that contain high amounts of uneaten food. Also, how often do you clean your tanks gravel and remove waste. These Planaria live off of excess food waste. Clean clean clean your tank. Add aquarium salt if you don't or haven't already. This type of worm reproduces asexually like most other worms. They can reproduce fast! Don't go crazy though. Just do your normal water changes as you clean the gravel and replace the water, about 20-25% would do great everyday until they disappear. there is a product which is a medication for external parasites and protozoan such as ich. It is commonly called quick cure. Use this a s directed as well as the other tips I gave you and sooner than later, those unsightly creatures will began to disappear from your aquarium and it will be more visibly appealing once again.. Good luck man, keep me posted. Feel free to contact me with anymore questions. Also if you want a great definition of Planaria, go to WWW.WIKIPEDIA.COM and search Planaria.