Tiny Worms/Slugs in the tank??

TheCatsMeow

New member
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Maryland, USA
Country
United States
I want to start this off by saying my Axolotls seem fine, they don't have any noticeable ailments... yet. But this category seemed more fitting as I'm trying to get people experienced in a variety of parasites to answer.

There are very very tiny worms in the tank, I just noticed them today, and they seem to be multiplying. They are too little to get a picture of so ill do my best to describe them.

They are less than 1mm long, very small, and from what I can see they are only on the glass in the aquarium (no decor). I have a bare bottom tank. They seem to be darkish in color, like gray/greenish.
The only thing that has changed in the tank is that I fed them Waxworms a few days ago.
(from Petsmart, suspended in wood bedding which I believe may be the cause)

The tank got noticeably cleaner incredibly fast, the water had been a bit cloudy from a water change a Bloodworm feeding the other day, and it is now crystal clear.

I have had this problem before, but it was after my father read online that sawdust cleans tanks, and put it in my aquarium without my knowledge :rolleyes: but that was a separate tank, and different axolotl so that will have no bearing on this issue. I guess he was right because the tank did get incredibly clear very fast.
When I had this issue before, I set up a completely new tank with all new water and ditched the old one completely. I know how much stress that puts on an axolotl, and would like to avoid that again if possible. :(

I've tried to find information on both this website and through google about these organisms, but because of their size, and me being unable to identify them, my google searches aren't exactly search friendly.

Has anyone else had this issue or something close? I would like to identify the worms and do research on them so I know what I'm dealing with.

Thank you so much for any help you can provide, I really appreciate it!! :D:D
 
They are most likely detritus worms /planaria.

Totally agree , when I was feeding my axie black worms the place where I ordered the black worms from had them mixed in everywhere I had to picked them off over and over. I've heard that methylene blue will get rid of them.
 
I just searched Detritus Worms, these worms appear to be much much smaller than the ones you suggested. They are now crawling on my Axies and my wild type seems to be a little distressed.
When I say these are tiny I mean like, they are about the size of a dust particle, maybe a little bigger.
I have to get really really close to see them.

And now that my Axies seem stressed, I need to know how to treat them.
I have a Marineland All-in-one remedy that I used to use for my fish, but I'm not sure that's safe for them.
:confused::confused:
 
Can you remove your axie from tank first and refill tank with justtap water ( with out dechlorinated) for a few day to see if the chlorine can kills all the worms? While keeping your axie elsewhere of course.
 
I just searched Detritus Worms, these worms appear to be much much smaller than the ones you suggested. They are now crawling on my Axies and my wild type seems to be a little distressed.
When I say these are tiny I mean like, they are about the size of a dust particle, maybe a little bigger.
I have to get really really close to see them.

And now that my Axies seem stressed, I need to know how to treat them.
I have a Marineland All-in-one remedy that I used to use for my fish, but I'm not sure that's safe for them.
:confused::confused:

Planaria that i have seen in my tank have been smaller than this lower case o i just typed.
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
    +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
    +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
    +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
    +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top