# what the heck is this?



## Tundra9 (Mar 15, 2009)

Hey I was looking at my tank one day and saw this white worm in the tank. It looked like a regular worm just white. and when i found it, it was attached to the bottom with about of it buried in the gravel and the other sticking out just waving around. It was about 4 inches long and when i took it out it didnt want anything to do with me and wiggled around like a worm. So what is it? 

oh and my power was off about 7 days bc of a snow storm. and that s when i saw it.


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## crazy4fish (Dec 31, 2007)

hmmm idk thts really weird though... if its a normal worm how would it have gotten in your tank?


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## Tundra9 (Mar 15, 2009)

that is what i like to know......it looks like a regular worm but just white. my tank is in the basement so i dont think it can be a real worm. I just want to know what it is. Can someone help me?


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## pretzelsz (Jan 14, 2010)

Is there anything missing or eaten in your tank? If there is a dead fish or something it might be a parasite. If there are chewed plants it might be a worm.


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## Tundra9 (Mar 15, 2009)

No i dont think so. I mean the power was out for 7 days so there wasnt any filtering system for 7 days. I just want to know what it was. This is the first time someone hasnt figured something out on this forum. I am stumped i just hope someone knows what it was


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## pretzelsz (Jan 14, 2010)

take it out of the water see what it does...


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## Tundra9 (Mar 15, 2009)

I did and that is what the picture is of. It wiggled around like a worm then i killed it! lol


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## pretzelsz (Jan 14, 2010)

what kind of fish are in your tank?


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## Tundra9 (Mar 15, 2009)

Gupples, platy and mollies and an alibino shark


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Do you have any brothers or sisters? The reason I ask is that maybe someone threw it in your tank as a practical joke. Just a thought...


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## Mean Harri (Dec 14, 2009)

Calimaris (sp?) worms don't get that big do they?


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## Tundra9 (Mar 15, 2009)

Its the dead of winter with 12 inches of snow on the ground so i dont know where they would find a worm to throw in there. lol I dont know what it was but it was about 3 to 4 inches long.


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## rosehower (Jan 18, 2010)

MH i thought calimari was squid tentacles...??

i found this site, mabey it can tell you
The Worms!

i have had teeny tiny white worms once in my koi/goldfish tank. i was told they were water maggots. (as sometimes tiny little fruit flies would fly out from under the hood when i opened it up.
thank god theyre gone now! that was so disgusting to me. i must have snaitized the living hell out of that hood and the tank too after he said that!! gross!
hope you find out what the heck it was, and hopefully its not a parasite, no fun!


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## pretzelsz (Jan 14, 2010)

rosehower said:


> MH i thought calimari was squid tentacles...??
> 
> i found this site, mabey it can tell you
> The Worms!
> ...


Sounds like you could have used an archer fish


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Tundra9 said:


> Its the dead of winter with 12 inches of snow on the ground so i dont know where they would find a worm to throw in there. lol I dont know what it was but it was about 3 to 4 inches long.


Ah yes, I forgot about all the snow on the ground. My prankster nephew (wanting to see a fish eat a worm) tossed an earthworm into my tank once, not funny. It was too big for my fish to eat, it sank to the bottom and started to burrow into the substrate. It has halfway in with the rest of its body wriggling above the sand which is what made me think of your worm. I'm just glad I got it out before it burrowed all the way in. I think it would have eventually rotted under the sand. 

@ rosehower: water maggots?


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

I don't know if you have ever fed your fish earth worms, but they can live under water for quite some time. My catfish get an occasional earth worm treat, and I have found them before in the gravel, still alive, a couple weeks later.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Twistersmom said:


> I don't know if you have ever fed your fish earth worms, but they can live under water for quite some time. My catfish get an occasional earth worm treat, and I have found them before in the gravel, still alive, a couple weeks later.


I'm glad you brought this topic up. I keep a worm bin. Red wrigglers. They are fed only organic food scraps. They would be a perfect fish food due to their availablity but...one of my LFS guys (who is very well respected) says they are toxic to fish. He said he fed a group of small turtles a bunch of red wrigglers and that the turtles died. 
From the research I did young turtles should not be fed hi protein meals and I think this is what did the turtles in. Does anybody know the definitive answer on this? My discus love these worms (I only fed them the red wrigglers one time) but I'm hesitant to feed them my worms until I know the absolute answer on whether or not red wrigglers are toxic.


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## Mean Harri (Dec 14, 2009)

aunt kymmie said:


> I'm glad you brought this topic up. I keep a worm bin. Red wrigglers. They are fed only organic food scraps. They would be a perfect fish food due to their availablity but...one of my LFS guys (who is very well respected) says they are toxic to fish. He said he fed a group of small turtles a bunch of red wrigglers and that the turtles died.
> From the research I did young turtles should not be fed hi protein meals and I think this is what did the turtles in. Does anybody know the definitive answer on this? My discus love these worms (I only fed them the red wrigglers one time) but I'm hesitant to feed them my worms until I know the absolute answer on whether or not red wrigglers are toxic.


Check this out Kymmie 
Buy Red Wigglers Worms : Can O Worms Online : Uncle Jims Worm Farm : Red Wiggler worms for Sale : Red Wiggler Worm Composting : Red Wiggler Composting Worms : Red Wiggler Worms(Eisenia Foetida)


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Mean Harri said:


> Check this out Kymmie
> Buy Red Wigglers Worms : Can O Worms Online : Uncle Jims Worm Farm : Red Wiggler worms for Sale : Red Wiggler Worm Composting : Red Wiggler Composting Worms : Red Wiggler Worms(Eisenia Foetida)


I sent "Uncle Jim" an email. The woman I purchased my worms from claims they are perfectly safe for my fish. She's the person who told me that the baby turtles died due to hi protein poisoning. I'll wait and see what "Uncle Jim" says. Thanks for the link Eric!


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

I have never heard of Red wrigglers being unsafe for fish. Petsmart even carries over priced red wigglers to sell as fish food. I believe the story about feeding the turtles the wrong diet, to be be the true story.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Well, this is good news since I have an UNLIMITED supply of fresh healthy worms. The worst part is chopping them up.  I can't put them in whole as they will sink to the bottom and burrow into the substrate. The thought of worms living under my substrate gives me the heebie jeebies. 

Thanks for the info!


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## Tundra9 (Mar 15, 2009)

Yeah it was just like a worm but white. And like i said there is snow on the ground here so there is no way you would be able to find one now.


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