# help please/worms - are my fish in trouble?



## ropate (Mar 12, 2009)

i couldn't get a clear shot of it, camera is on the blink. But just got a shipment of some Blyxa japonica and while cleaning the stems and plating individually into aquarium i noticed 2 very long strangely moving things at the bottom of the holding containers i was using. on closer inspection they were brownish/red worms of some type.

The were attached to the side of the container at one end and the other was freely moving about. When i agitated the water, the whole thing retracted into a little ball at the attached end.

any idea what this is? should i be worried with the 3 stems i've alreadyplaned in the aquarium? Online research hasn't given me much aside from a few pics that are sort of similar and they are leeches. not the good kind.


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## Karebear (Oct 6, 2008)

Sounds like they could be leeches, yuck! If you ever find them on a fish remove them from the fish. Depending on their size and type of fish you have, the fish could eat them and problem solved.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I'm thinking it might be very similar to something I had come in on some wild anubias a few years ago. I'll attach a pic to see if you think it's similar.
I'm still not totally sure, but the closest thing I could come up with was that what I had were a type of leech and they lived in the substrate after I unknowingly introduced them into the tank.

They didn't bother the fish at all, but they were pretty gross when you'd vacuum them out of the substrate the way the wiggle around and roll up into a little ball like that. I haven't seen them for a long time now so I must have effectively vacuumed them all out early on.


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## ropate (Mar 12, 2009)

thanks so much to you both for your help. i do think it may be a leech that i saw and hopefully none made it into the aquarium. according to my LFS owner, it should be harmless.

JanS - thanks for the pics, but those are much thinner than what i had. those actually look like the blackworms that i have been feeding my threadfins for a couple days now. they love them. the one i saw was much fatter and actually attached to the side of the container on one side.

I'm gutted that i forgot to take a photo!


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## ropate (Mar 12, 2009)

*UPDATE: help please/worms - are my fish in trouble?*

hi all, i was cleaning my gravel yesterday and this came out. this is what i found in my plant shipment as stated above. obvisouly one got in.

do you know whether it is a leech!?! what are my potential risks, given this was in my shrimp only tank?


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## kimcadmus (Nov 23, 2008)

Looks like a bristle worm. Usually people have problems with these in reef tanks but there are freshwater ones. They don't harm your fish as they are detrivores. The sell traps to catch them (see dr. fosters below) or you can make one.
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/bfg_bristle_worms.aspx?menuitem=14416

http://www.barrreport.com/inverts/2244-freshwater-bristleworm.html

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/s...hats-bug-how-recognize-them-3.html#post491182

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+18180+3960&pcatid=3960


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## Karebear (Oct 6, 2008)

It looks like some sort of insect larva and could be a problem in a shrimp ony tank with baby shrimps. I don't think it will be able to multiply since this is only one stage of it's life cycle. Try to set up a trap and see if you can get more, I would expect that only a few got in so damage will be limited, it may be one that eats plant and alage matter but without a complete id you can never know.


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## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

kimcadmus said:


> Looks like a bristle worm. Usually people have problems with these in reef tanks but there are freshwater ones. They don't harm your fish as they are detrivores. The sell traps to catch them (see dr. fosters below) or you can make one.
> http://www.chesapeakebay.net/bfg_bristle_worms.aspx?menuitem=14416
> 
> http://www.barrreport.com/inverts/2244-freshwater-bristleworm.html
> ...


This is exactly what it is. *It's not a leech. It's not some kind of insect larva.*

Actually are not bad for the aquarium, sort of like earthworms in soil but for your substrate. Any of your bigger fishes will eat them, my rainbows used to when the occasional one would appear when I pulled a large plants and the roots clouded up the substrate. Nothing to worry about.


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## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

I just remembered. They are called polycheates (pronounced "Polly Keats")


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

thats a kool looking worm


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## ropate (Mar 12, 2009)

thanks guys......puts my mind at rest. I think this may actually be different to the first one i found as the first one had no little protrusions from its side like this one does and looked just like the photos of leeches i've seen online.

Sounds like this one shipment of plants has given me a virtual encyclopedia full of fauna!

So a polycheat!? If it is insect larvae then i hate to see the insect, it would be massive if that larvae/worm was about 2 to 3 inches long!?


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