poss. parasites

Question
hi,i keep getting these little tiny worms on my glass.now everybody says ich but i keep 2south american & 4 african cichlids in a 56gl tank oh ya 1 leopard catfish. now my fish never show signs of ich,so i dont know what to do. i do a good job mantaining my tank but i do slack on cleaning the inside glass could that be the problem?


Answer
Hi Jason
If they're on the glass, and look like a white/grey colored slug with an arrow shaped head, those are planaria.  Harmless to fish and people, but some varieties will eat fry/baby fish.

If they look like tiny white worms swimming through the water, and look like an S when they swim, those are nematodes-harmless to fish and people.

Both will generally show up in tanks where the fish are being overfed(food leftover on the bottom) and/or not even gravel vacuums/water changes being performed.  So, cut back on feedings, only once a day what the fish will eat in a few minutes, and at least once a week change about 25% of the water(more may be needed depending on fish types and stocking levels, depending what types those South American cichlids are), be sure to thoroughly clean/vacuum the gravel substrate.  Those will help cut down on the amount of worms you're seeing, and help eliminating their food source so they'll eventually die off.

Hope that helps and good luck!

Christy