betta breeding tank parasites

Question
QUESTION: hello,can you please tell me something?before my bettas breed(but when the male and female are together in tank)and even after,i notice tiny moving specs and tiny worms on the sides of tank.can you tell me what they are,where they come from,and how i get rid of them?thank you.

ANSWER: Adrienne,

It sounds like Planaria worms. These little guys come around when there is a lot of uneaten food on the gravel of the tank. If this is a breeding tank, there should be no gravel at all. You are also NOT to feed the adults while they are in the breeding tank. Do you have fry in the tank right now? These worms do not harm your adult fish but can cause problems with the fry. Please, let me know how you breed your Betta's and if there are fry in the tank that has the worms. The sooner you get back to me the sooner we can get them out of the fry tank.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi jaymie,just to get back to you reguarding my breeding tank,there isnt any gravel in my tank and once they go into the breeding tank,their not fed at all.im just a little shocked that they are not there one minute then if i look real close a day or 2 laterthey are there.but the thing is,i only see a few worms but i see hundreds of these almost microscopic specs moving all around on the sides of the tank.i actually got very nervous and returned my pair to their habitate before they got a chance to breed.and there were not any fry in the tank,but until i nip this in the bud,i wont breed any of my bettas.please let me know,thank you so much.

ANSWER: Adrienne,

Is there a filter in that tank? If so I would remove it. Since it is in 10 gallon breeding tank (i hope), there should only be about 4 inches of water in it depending on the size of the male. I would dump the water and start fresh. Since they are Betta's, they do not need a cycled tank. Just replace the sponge filter. Remember, the heater needs to be on the whole the pair are in the tank but the filter is not turned on until the male is remove about 2 days after hatching. If the worms come back, I would give the adults medicated food in case they are carrying the parasites themselves. Another thing could be that these microscopic worms are actually in your water. I doubt that but these days you never know. As stated above, I would just clean out the tank real good and put in a new sponge filter. These filters are so easy to make and I make all of mine. Hope this has helped and if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi jaymie,thanks for the helpful advice,i will give it a try.can you also tell me,are there any medications you can put into the tank when you have fry?anything safe but gentle enough to ward off disease and parasites?thanks so much

Answer
Adrienne,

No, there is nothing you can add to a fry tank. Everything on the market is too strong and there is no way to make is less strong. Just keep them warm with the plastic wrap and remember that you cannot clean a fry tank until they are over 3 weeks old. Hope all works out.