hi all was doing a water change the other day and find two red worms one above the water with loads of eggs on the side of the glass and one near the bottom any know what they might be. thanks.
red pest worm.
- Thread starter wayne
- Start date
A blood worm possibly? I'm surprised they lasted long enough for you to photograph them they are usually a food fish fight over.
Ooh, Yikes if it's a nematode parasite I think you need to de-worm all your fish asap. But wait until more people respond, It's better to have a couple opinions.
I do not think they are nematodes, Eustrongylides ignotus and Eustrongylides tubifex are known as " the big red worm " they are nematodes but they do not lay there eggs on glass. If it is an aquatic worm it could carry the larvae of nematodes and as you do not know how or when it got into your tank then I would remove them to be on the safe side.
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It is probably a friend not foe. Chances are if it hasn't hurt any fish and has gotton to that size then it is ok to live harmoniously with your fish. It just adds a point of interest to your tank.
If you only have plecs in the tank then worms will not be under threat, in a cichlid tank they would not last long. I would try and breed them, they are cool.
They will eat any leftovers and airate your gravel. Also a great food for cichlids if you have any.
WIN WIN WIN
be nice to them.
If you only have plecs in the tank then worms will not be under threat, in a cichlid tank they would not last long. I would try and breed them, they are cool.
They will eat any leftovers and airate your gravel. Also a great food for cichlids if you have any.
WIN WIN WIN
be nice to them.
i would also tend to agree that this is not a foe but a friend. I have had in the past some worms in my external filter gunk, but these were blood worms from live food. I however would also be cautious, as one worm can grow to many quickly. Usually other fish would each a tasty morsal like that, so if you have seen and caught 2, I would say you might have more hidding. If you would have corys I would say leave them as they catch them, if not well generally my theory for all my tanks is - remove anything that should not be there or that you are unsure of, this just to be on the safe side. Cheers jk :thumbup:
Finally the mystery in my tank solved! I always thought they looked very much like an earthworm and wondered how the heck they got in there. Turns out they an aquatic cousin to the earthworm and harmless. 
BTW thanks Jimmy,
BTW thanks Jimmy,
thank you all for helping i have left the worms in the tank for now. they must of been in the tank for a while because i have not put anything new in the tank for well over a year also the only fish in the tank are corys and hypans.