ZooTycoonMaster

Well planaria come in very different shapes. Try capturing one, placing it in a cup full of water, and cut it in half. If both halves start to become a new creature, then it's definitely planaria.

 

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dwalstad

[quote=Revernance;395280]Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. It looked like an earthworm, but smaller. Maybe about an inch long, and very visible! Brown and slimy. QUOTE]

Its an aquatic worm. Totally harmless and wonderful fishfood. I once paid $35 for a shipment of "California Blackworms", which are probably "kissing cousins" of what you found.

I would consider aquatic worms, which aerate the substrate, a big plus. The only problem they might cause is a little turbidity as they stir up the soil. But generally, they don't last long in tanks as the fish go crazy for them.

Creature in photo is a flatworm, maybe some kind of planaria and totally harmless. [Calling a biologist for identification...]

Please folks, an NPT represents a natural ecosystem. The tanks are naturally going to contain all kinds of harmless little critters, including aquatic worms, planaria, hydra, etc.

The only disease that I know fish hobbyists can get from their tanks is "Fish Tank Syndrome". This disease is due to mycobacteria, the bacteria that causes "Fish TB". I know a few, very experienced hobbyists that have gotten the disease, even though their tanks were not having any disease problems. One hobbyist got the disease from a small splinter on her finger; she was going to have surgery to remove the painful, large sore from her finger until another hobbyist suggested the sore could be due to a mycobacterial infection, and was therefore, treatable. Thereupon, her doctor consulted a fish veterinarian, canceled the surgergy, and treated her (successfully) with the appropriate antibiotics.

Recommended precautions against "Fish Tank Syndrome": You should not clean tanks if you have an open wound. Always wash your hands and arms after cleaning tanks. If you mouth-siphon (not recommended), rinse your mouth afterwards with water. If you are immuno-compromised, I would double-up on the precautions.

racer1

Did it look anything like these?



Brown worms I bought as fish food. The survivors have colonized.

testdummy

sort of but much thicker

zer0zax

I just read a neat discussion on California Blackworms on another forum, one guy lets the worms establish themselves in his substrate in fry tanks. He uses 1/2" of sand and the worm population has not been decimated yet.
Here is a link to the discussion: http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/v...hp?f=4&t=22784

In a planted aquarium or El Natural, the substrate will be a bit thicker and I will have to give these guys a shot! I already have MTS snails to aerate the substrate, but I honestly don't think they go more than 1" deep, and I am VERY sure they don't dig all the way down.

These worms might fit the bill!! I am also thinking about adding the assassin snails to control my booming population of MTS, as long as they don't eat shrimp or slow fish.

I know a lot of you are thinking "Whats wrong with that guy? He just ain't right."
But a few of you are also trying to get the glass box as natural as possible, and you can definitely see a huge improvement in stability and happier healthier fish!!

Revernance

same color, but a bit thicker and bit shorter.

 

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