# !!! i found worms in my tank.



## ollecram (Jun 8, 2008)

i looked in my tank about 5 min ago and i saw some tiny worms in the tank. i immediatly got out my net and picked one out, snapped a pic. are these harmful to anything? ill post a picture too. i got one, but then i noticed two more and now i cant help but think theres a million of them hidden in my tank. can someone tell me what these are and if they pose a threat?


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## ollecram (Jun 8, 2008)

after i saw them, i looked online and i found a picture of mosquito larvae and they matched that picture exactly. so should i do something about mosquito larvae too? because i heard that fish eat them. thanks for the help


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## Little-Fizz (Aug 19, 2007)

Um yeah you could feed them to the fish, I would be worried if I found those in my tank though, I wouldn't want them growing up and doing the whole process over again in my home, theres actually a thread that just happened a few days ago about mosquito larvae. I'll see if I can find it for you.


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## ollecram (Jun 8, 2008)

there are so many of them. i find maybe two a day or more. they hide in the gravel. everytime i see one, i take it out and throw it away. i cant imagine how they got in my tank though. how would a mosquito stand on the water to lay eggs if there is a current all over the top and bubbles everywhere else? the other thing is, i haven't seem a mosquito for the longest time, including outside.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Yep...those are definitely mosquito larvae. What kind of fish are in the tank? If you've got plenty of fish I wouldn't worry about it too much since the fish will probably just eat all of the larvae. Some people culture mosquito larvae as food for their fishes. In the wild dragonflies often lay their eggs with mosquito eggs because dragonfly larvae eat mosquito larvae. Dragonfly larvae, once big, can kill and eat small fish. I doubt this is a concern for you because I think you'd notice any dragonflies flying around your house and getting into your fish tank.

If your fish aren't eating the larvae, I would remove them or else you might end up with mosquitoes flying around your house.


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## Little-Fizz (Aug 19, 2007)

iamntbatman said:


> Dragonfly larvae, once big, can kill and eat small fish. I doubt this is a concern for you because I think you'd notice any dragonflies flying around your house and getting into your fish tank.


Lol you would be surprised, there was a post just recently with someone with a dragonfly nymph in their aquarium, and the mama went unnoticed. They are sneaky little devils.

OH and try a good gravel vac to see if you can remove some of the mosquito larvae.


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## ollecram (Jun 8, 2008)

yeah ive vacuumed the gravel three times already, but more and more keep showing up. they are well hidden. when i vacuumed, i pulled 13 of the little buggers out. i read online that mosquitos can lay hundreds of eggs at a time :shock:. i might nee some more time to get them all out. the problem is, that i dont have any fish in my tank right now. i was cycling and now im going to fill it with live plants and a couple of ghost shrimp first


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## Little-Fizz (Aug 19, 2007)

Oh dear, good luck with that :shock: Has your tank finished cycling yet? I would worry that those gravel vacs will greatly slow down the cycling process. It's better then having mosquitos all over your house though. I would wait a little before adding the plants, it might just give the little buggers more hiding spots... Unless there was just one plant and they all clung to it? If they even cling to things. I don't think I've ever even seen mosquito larvae other then in photos.


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## ollecram (Jun 8, 2008)

im done cycling. its been a week that ive been having steady readings. i still haven't got any plants or shrimp, but im going to get my shrimp tomorrow. and im ordering the plants online.


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## tmz (Jul 3, 2008)

omg
thats sooo ewwy
and so unfortunate!! i didn't know this happened D=


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## okiemavis (Nov 10, 2007)

Well, normally this wouldn't happen- at least on such a large scale, as fish are BIIG fans of eating mosquito larvae. I'd recommend just adding the fish as planned and letting them take care of the problem.


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## Alf (Jul 27, 2008)

im from alabama so ive seen alot of mosquito larva and they are always at the surface of the water. they hang upside down with a feathery-ish tail at the very top of the water with their head hanging straight down. the picture looks similar to mosquito larva but im thinking its something else. mosquito larva wouldnt be hiding in the gravel


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## okiemavis (Nov 10, 2007)

They sense movement when you walk close to the tank and dive down into the gravel- tricky little bugs!


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