Tiny worm on glass

Scrumpy

Large Fish
Oct 22, 2002
214
0
0
London, UK
#1
About a week and a half ago I introduced two apparently healthy blue rams to my community tank only for them to break out with ich very quickly, and now my other fish are affected too.
No doubt whatsoever about what it is.
I've never had a disease in the tank before :(
Anyway...I'm 2 days into a treatment with "Aquaruim treament 6 anti whitespot plus", and was staring at my fish feeling worried when I noticed a tiny worm on the glass.
It's translucent/white and the diameter of a fine hair and I think slightly segmented. It's about 5 mm long at full stretch.
It's very active. It charged across the glass stopping every so often to wave one end around.
Does that sound like the free swimming stage of ich, or is it something else? I've heard of thinbgs like anchor worm but I can't see any worms on any fish. Just this one worm on the glass.
I'm really worried.
All advice gratefully recieved.
 

Purple

Superstar Fish
Oct 31, 2003
1,666
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0
67
Hampshire UK
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#2
No worries - they're called Planaria. They live in the substrate and chomp away at all that lovely left over flake food you can't see. Totally harmless (though you could take the hint and stir up your gravel next time you clean out). My Texas went digging recently - and I now have a hundred of these things on the glass. They'll either be eaten, find there way back to the bottom, or scoot off into the filter.

The only time you need to worry about worms in the tank is when they're attached to your fish.
 

Scrumpy

Large Fish
Oct 22, 2002
214
0
0
London, UK
#3
Phew...thanks for that. Actually I usually vacuum the gravel like mad, but I accidentally put in too many flakes yesterday and they're still sitting on the bottom. Perhaps that drew him out.
I think I'll do a water change (vacuum up those flakes) and re dose the ich medicine.