parasites in my cichlid tanks

Question
hi just wanted to know what you know about little worms that swim trought the water and can be seen on the hood of the aqarium.  Are they harmful if yes how can i get rid of them.

Answer
Hi Colleen,
 Those little worms are always present at a low level and aren't a problem.  However, when you see lots of them, that tells you that there are too many free nutrients in the water. This could be the result of overfeeding or too few water changes.  The easiest remedy is to do more water changes. You should be changing about 25% of the water in your tank once a week, every week.  If you do that, the worms will go away on their own.  

 Also be sure that the fish are eating all the food that goes into the tank. Never put food in a tank so a fish will "eat it later".... they don't.  If they don't eat it right away, take out the food.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>