I am new to the forum and fairly new to my fish.......I have a 10 gallon with 4 2 week old guppy fry in it and noticed this morning that my tank is now covered, and I mean literally covered with little white almost micro-scopic worms......what are they? Will they harm my babies? How do I get rid of them without hurting the fry? This really has me creeped out and worried.
micro worms....please help
- Thread starter tallarue01
- Start date
1. Don't panic
It sounds like you are describing planaria. Planaria are small freshwater organisms that are found all over the world and commonly make their way into home aquariums. They are non-parasitic and don’t pose any sort of a threat to your fish. They tend to creep up when there is an overabundance of nutrients due to overfeeding.
Increase the frequency of your water changes and decrease the amount of food you are feeding and you should quickly notice the planaria disappear without the use of chemicals that may cause unnecessary stress to your fish.
It sounds like you are describing planaria. Planaria are small freshwater organisms that are found all over the world and commonly make their way into home aquariums. They are non-parasitic and don’t pose any sort of a threat to your fish. They tend to creep up when there is an overabundance of nutrients due to overfeeding.
Increase the frequency of your water changes and decrease the amount of food you are feeding and you should quickly notice the planaria disappear without the use of chemicals that may cause unnecessary stress to your fish.
no, but the explosion of planeria is a sign that something isn't right in there.
Do you have gravel in the tank? When growing out fry it is advised that you do it in a bare bottom tank. (no gravel) if the plain glass is an eye soar you can paint it on the outside (the bottom) this keeps the water pristine, clean water is the key for quickly growing out fry.
Do you have gravel in the tank? When growing out fry it is advised that you do it in a bare bottom tank. (no gravel) if the plain glass is an eye soar you can paint it on the outside (the bottom) this keeps the water pristine, clean water is the key for quickly growing out fry.
I do have gravel in the tank. This is my first time working with fry in a different tank. Before, they were just left in the original tank and if they made it, they made, if they didn't, then well, maybe next time.
I am really into guppies at the moment. I know, most people don't like them because they breed like crazy. I myself am fascinated with them and seeing my angelfish eat the fry in front of me.....well I felt I had to do something. I did a water change last night, so we'll see what today and tomorrow bring. Other than the Planaria, the fry seem to be doing wonderful. They turned 2 weeks old today and are getting so big(well they're still pretty small, but so much bigger than they were) and seem to be pretty healthy.
Thank you so much for the info about the gravel and a plain tank. I do have a 29 gal. that I do not have set up yet. Still need to buy filter, heater and hood for it.....but it was a steal for $29.
I am really into guppies at the moment. I know, most people don't like them because they breed like crazy. I myself am fascinated with them and seeing my angelfish eat the fry in front of me.....well I felt I had to do something. I did a water change last night, so we'll see what today and tomorrow bring. Other than the Planaria, the fry seem to be doing wonderful. They turned 2 weeks old today and are getting so big(well they're still pretty small, but so much bigger than they were) and seem to be pretty healthy.
Thank you so much for the info about the gravel and a plain tank. I do have a 29 gal. that I do not have set up yet. Still need to buy filter, heater and hood for it.....but it was a steal for $29.
Yeah I take it you found it used. I find them all the time on craigslist. Metro Detroit Craigs is the best one for fish stuff (flint, lansing, and grand rapids tend not to have as much). if you hunt and peck you can find them with everything for 30-40 sometimes. A dollar a gallon is the rule of thumb so 29 for a 29g is a good deal 
Where do you live? What city? I may be able to hook you up.
Where do you live? What city? I may be able to hook you up.
It was actually an old tank of mine. I set it up for one of my betta's a while back, but my betta was old......had everything old cleaned, and all was well when I checked the cycle before adding the fry. I think it was probably the over-feeding since I am taking flakes and grinding them between my fingers to make a powder. I was reading that fry need to eat at least 4-6 times a day, so that's what I was doing. I did the water change last night, and it looks a little better this afternoon....so crossing fingers this worked.
I normally go to Chow Hound for all my things concerning fish. Have had too many bad experiences with Meijer's and Walmart.....learned quickly! I have not checked out Craig's List at all. I am actually in the GR area.
Is that $1 a gallon new or used price? Just asking as I got the 29g at Pet Supply Plus and I have been wanting this 75g from Chow Hound, but they want $170 just for the tank, not including the stand/hood or anything.
I normally go to Chow Hound for all my things concerning fish. Have had too many bad experiences with Meijer's and Walmart.....learned quickly! I have not checked out Craig's List at all. I am actually in the GR area.
Is that $1 a gallon new or used price? Just asking as I got the 29g at Pet Supply Plus and I have been wanting this 75g from Chow Hound, but they want $170 just for the tank, not including the stand/hood or anything.
One of the benefits of growing out fry in a bare-bottomed tank is that you can suck up the uneaten food that settles to the bottom. It's hard not to overfeed fry, because they need to be fed frequently. Try to keep the tank as clean as possible meanwhile, and as the fry grow and you feed less, the planaria should just disappear.
one i got the sticky key phantom thing going on again sheish so no punctuation in this reply
you can try to remove the gravel with the fish in the tank if its a ten gal it should be pretty easy to scoop it out with a cup that will dramatically improve your situation and prevent it from ever happening again
buck a gallon is the going rate on a used set up
obviously like a seventy five gal with a hood stand and filter will be closer to one hundred but buck a gallon is a good marker for the glass only make exceptions for extras that you would normally spend money on but dont make them for someones old junk
for instance heaters should always be new but filters and air pumps are just fine used
you can try to remove the gravel with the fish in the tank if its a ten gal it should be pretty easy to scoop it out with a cup that will dramatically improve your situation and prevent it from ever happening again
buck a gallon is the going rate on a used set up
obviously like a seventy five gal with a hood stand and filter will be closer to one hundred but buck a gallon is a good marker for the glass only make exceptions for extras that you would normally spend money on but dont make them for someones old junk
for instance heaters should always be new but filters and air pumps are just fine used