i saw a flat worm with two red stripes swimming

The best way to get rid of detritus worms is to give your tank a thorough cleaning and vacuum the gravel. To prevent a detritus worms population explosion, make sure you maintain good water quality and dissolved oxygen levels. The detritus worm population increases when your water quality gets really bad and there is plenty of food for them in the form of leftover fish foods and waste. They are present in many fish tanks and really don’t do any harm. Causesĭetritus worms find their way into aquariums with new fish and plants, or in translocated gravel, filter media, or water. When the population of detritus worms in an aquarium explodes, they can be seen all over the place, even at the surface of the water.

Where They Occurĭetritus worms usually live in the substrate, but they can also be found hiding in other places like your aquarium filter media. They are usually tiny white worms, but there are a bunch of different species, and some of the larger types can grow to an inch in length. Appearanceĭetritus worms are segmented (annelid) worms, which puts them in the same family as the regular earthworm.

These tiny annelid worms work hard to break down waste which helps keep the tank clean and the water quality high.ĭetritus worms can reproduce rapidly in poorly maintained aquariums with too much waste and uneaten fish food. Many aquarists would rather not have any worms in their tanks, but detritus worms are actually a great member of your tank’s clean-up crew.

What causes them to spread and multiplyĭetritus worms are common but harmless segmented worms.

In this article, I’ll be introducing 4 common types of worms found in fish tanks and ponds.įor each type, I will provide you with some important information about: There are many types of pests that can turn up in aquariums and worms are a common culprit.

In this article, I’ll be teaching you about worms in fish tanks, the different types of worms found in home aquariums, and just what to do if you find them in your tank. This can leave you scratching your head and wondering just how they got into your tank and how to get rid of them! Having a beautiful fish tank that is filled with aquatic life is a common goal of most aquarists, but sometimes the types of creatures that pop up aren’t so welcome.

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I saw a flat worm with two red stripes swimming