Pet Information > ASK Experts > Pet Fish > Freshwater Aquarium > i am being swarmed !!!!1

i am being swarmed !!!!1

23 16:53:11

Question
i am really scared about this problem recently i have seen these little worm like creatures in my tank. they hang out in the hundreds on the glass and the gravel. i have seen only one on my shovelnose but thats it. i want to know how i can kill them all off and what stuff do i need to buy in order to kill them. please let me know if they are going to die ok.  

Answer
Hi Oleff
No need to worry, they're most likely harmless.  Are they little whitish colored squiggly worms, look like an S when they swim?  Those are nematodes.  If it looks like a little whitish or tannish colored slug/snail like worm with an arrow shaped head, crawling on the glass thats planaria.  Planaria will sometimes eat fish eggs.  

They'll usually show themselves in a tank where the fish are being overfeed.  So, number one suggestion to get rid of them, stop overfeeding.  Only feed what the fish will eat in 5 minutes, scoop out the rest.  Feed only once a day, and skip one or two days in the week as well.   The fish will be fine.  
Do good gravel vacs when you do water changes, that's usually where they live-where all the extra food goes.  And be sure to do water changes once a week of at least 25% of the water.

If those descriptions I mentioned aren't what you have let me know, and give me a better descriptio, we can look at some other options.   The ones I mentioned though are usually the more common ones people see.

Hope that helps!

Christy