parasites, bugs?

Question
I have a tank with a goldfish. There are skinny thread like things swimming in there today. Lots of them. My fish doesn't have any on him that I can see. They are kind of white and swim rapidly, about a centimeter long. Help!

Answer
Hi Rebecca;

They sound like planaria and are totally harmless to your fish. They are a symptom of overfeeding and can only be removed by starving them out. I've had them once in awhile too. Cut back on feeding by 50% and vacuum the gravel at the same time. Do this at least once a week for awhile and you will see them slowly disappear. If your filter is sucking up lots of food during feeding, you should turn it off for a few minutes until the fish are finished. We all overfeed from time to time. We just have to remember to clean up after ourselves when we do.

Followups welcome

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Chris Robbins

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