Worms?!! Harmfull!??

Ai · Dec 3, 2013

Hi! I'm kind of new with this tank stuff. But i've got two axolotls in a 370 liter tank.
It looks like Worms' on top of the wood i've got in the tank. It's like tubes and small Worms' come out of them then goes back in. It's creepy. What can this be? And can they be harmfull or should i just leave them??

auntiejude · Dec 3, 2013

A photo would really help to identify whatever it is.

Did you quaramtime the wood before you put it in the tank? As a general rule anything that goes in the tank should be quarantined before you add it - plants, wood, feeder fish etc.

Ai · Dec 3, 2013

No i didn't know you were supposed to do that. But i've had the tank for two months and eberything in it.

layna · Dec 3, 2013

Have you cycled the tank before you added the axies?
Hmm little worms things like in a coral reef? Odd, have you tried boiling the wood?
Also as mentioned you need to quarantine everything before you add it to a tank in case it has nasties on it

Ai · Dec 3, 2013

I've boiled it ones. Try it again? It's really frustrating cause i've got friends that's been housing axies for Some time and they've helped me a lot with basic stuff. But never told me this. It's so hard to do things right when you ask but people dosen't tell you thing like this. I mean i trust them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

usafaux2004 · Dec 3, 2013

Ai said:
I've boiled it ones. Try it again? It's really frustrating cause i've got friends that's been housing axies for Some time and they've helped me a lot with basic stuff. But never told me this. It's so hard to do things right when you ask but people dosen't tell you thing like this. I mean i trust them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

I was so worried about putting biological stuff in my axie tank, but didn't care...we got driftwood...it wouldn't sink...then it got slimy...this was before we even got the axies...so I had to recycle the tank and got rid of the (Not-water-appropriate) driftwood. Once that was gone...we went to a completely "artificial" set up:

Ai · Dec 3, 2013

I've heard slimy is normal and will go away. Mine did bit instead i got this. The guy who had them before never had a problem with biological stuff. And i want live plants for exemple. With the right handling it should be manageble.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

usafaux2004 · Dec 3, 2013

My 30 gal. Fish tank is all natural, drift wood, plants, snails, etc. For axies I was too terrified to screw up and kill them.

auntiejude · Dec 3, 2013

Logic says little worms living in wood are wood-eaters and won't harm your axies, however, I don't know what would happen if an axie ate one - probably nothing as they are oppotunist eaters anyway.

Where did you get the wood from? If it came from a aquariums shop/LFS it shouldn't have livestock in it, I'd take it back if thats the case. If it came from elsewhere are you sure it's aquarium safe?

Ai · Dec 3, 2013

It's from the aquarium shop so it should be safe. I'll Boil them ones more anyway and see if there's any difference.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

pondweed · Dec 3, 2013

What else do you have in your set up? Do you have sand as a substrate. Is your tank open-topped, or are there areas open to the air? (Even though netting, for example.) Have you introduced any plants?

I'm looking on the list of tank invaders for you, because from your photo and description, it sounds like some little invaders that I got in my tropical tank after bringing some water lettuce in from a bucket in the garden. (I didn't think!) Little midge larvae. I got them out when I siphoned the sand and did a major water change, but it wasn't really a worry. My fish ate them when I put them in, and there aren't any left (visibly, at least.) Completely harmless.

The little tubes are cases made from tank detritus.

Caudata Culture Articles - Aquarium Invaders: Algae, Snails, Worms and Other Critters

Caudata Culture Articles - Aquarium Invaders: Photographs

There's tips for how to reduce the likelihood of tank invaders there too.

Ai · Dec 3, 2013

Thank you! I have a lot to learn but i'm getting there.
I only have three small plants, four peices of driftwood, some stones and a flower pot, and Some plastic plants. Everything i've got in the tank is from the aquarium shop. And i've had everything for a couple of months so it's wierd how this just suddenly appeared.

I got Some snails with one of the plants but they're almost gone just by hand picking them. Spot one once a week maybe.
There are small white/light brown worms wiggling about sometimes to, seems to live in the sand and people says that's normal and harmless.
Otherwise i do water changes every fourth day or so.
I've got sand that i rinsed in water for hours before i put it in the tank. Bought it from the store to.
The newest thing is the sand.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

pondweed · Dec 4, 2013

They could be the same worms/larvae.

Probably just spot-checking and making sure you get any poo and uneaten food will reduce the stuff the invaders have to munch on. And they'll probably reduce in population slowly. You could speed things along by cleaning the tank (keeping your axolotl in a tub of tank water while you do it, of course!) - taking the sand out, swilling it around in a bucket of tank water so as not to hammer your good bacteria too much. Then physically scrubbing the driftwood to get the worm casings and worms off.

When I did this, I didn't get all of them (hence why my fish finished the remainders off as a snack!) but I dented their numbers. And it made me feel a bit better.

I was cycling my tank at the time, so I took the invaders as a sign that my water quality was getting there, since things could inhabit it!

Is any part of your tank open to the air, because the midges/flies could have come and laid their eggs in it, and they could have got in that way, rather than coming in on anything you introduced. It's hard to know for sure, of course.

Ai · Dec 4, 2013

Oh yeah the front of my tank is open cause i thought the glass made my water warmer when i got the lamp on ( just a few hours a day for some of the plants) but i just spotted today, som white (drowned) white flies on the surface of the water. Did a search and it seems to be common with those around aquariums.

But i'm not sure if my tank is fully cycled either, it was when i got my axies but one got sick, i got scared paniced, and cleaned everything. ( now i know you're not suppose to do that) so it had to cycle again. i've had this past months of water changes everyday and tested the water regulary. A lot of hard work, my husband is going crazy with me and my axies

The last two weeks i've waited two- four days between the water changes.

And i hand feed the axies so there's never any food leftovers at least.

But if i boil or clean the wood won't a lot of good bacteria disappear ? Could it damage the enviroment in the tank?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

layna · Dec 4, 2013

You have stones in the tank? Unless they are a similar size to your fist i would remove them as an axie can swallow very large things

If you have a filter and substrate ect and your tank is cycled, then removing the wood wont really affect your tank, if there isnt any worms living in the wood then there isnt much point in boiling it, just put it in a tub of dirty tank water and give it a bit of a scrub to remove the tube bits then pop it back in your tank

pondweed · Dec 4, 2013

Layna's point about the stones is a good one. Additionally, debris can also get stuck beneath them, so if they are too big to be swallowed, you'd need to keep an eye on lifting them up and making sure no gunk's accumulated that could impact water quality. (I make a point of lifting my mopani/driftwood out too when I'm doing water changes, it's amazing where stuff gets lodged!)

And what Layna said about the filter and bacteria is good too. You wouldn't destroy your quality entirely, and if there are existing bacteria on other surfaces and in the filter, they'd build up again quickly.

I doubt you need to boil the wood again either. I just took mine out and scrubbed it down. It took a couple of times because the larvae/worms in the substrate I'd missed would make more tubes. But they're gone now.

Do you keep a record of your water quality readings? Perhaps someone may be able to say how far along your cycle is.

Ai · Dec 5, 2013

Hehe yes my stones are big

no worries. But yes i lift them when i'm cleaning.

Went to the aquarium store today and they had a look at my pics and a guy knew what worms it was, i don't rember the name but they are harmless, except that they multiply extremly fast he said. So feed less and clean more. But i'm seriosly cleaning like a maniac as it is, and it's alwas worms left after i'm done. So i guess it will take some time. Good to know they are harmless att least.

I took the wood out and cleanined it, the bathtub was full of worms, disguisting! But they just fell off so they're not living inside the wood at least. But already today i spotted some new tunnels.

I havn't kept a record of the tank tests but they've pretty mutch been the same all the time so i guess it isn't fully cycled yet? I mean ammonia levels is suppose to get higher first right?
Guess i've been cleaning to well

but i took it real serious when i heard it's not good to cycle with the animals in the tank. I really have no other option now but i wouldn't have emptied the hole tank if i had known that at the time. Won't be doing that mistake again at least.

Here's some pics.

Ai · Dec 5, 2013

It's a bit different know, the plants are not in pots anymore for exemple. I found that my axies actually never pulls the plants so i can keep them in the sand.
But the tank is so big, and the axies still babies so it's hard finding them sometimes

so at least they've got a lot of space. But maintaining this tank takes forever. When i vacum the sand it's hard being fast enough, cause the water draines fast.

Oh well! Thanks for your help and inputs everyone. This website is truly amazing and most people here to

Worms?!! Harmfull!??

New member

New member

New member

Attachments

New member

New member

Member

New member

Member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

Attachments

New member

Attachments