identifying small white worms

[lynzor]

I was observing my cichlids recently and saw a tiny white worm-like thing moving around. It's super thin, about the same as a hair, and only around a cm in length - then my fish gobbled it up. I'd just added some plants to the tank a few days prior, and now I'm noticing these worm-like things in all my tanks with plants. Should I be worried about them? I did 50% water changes in all the affected aquariums, but they're still there after the changes.

[bravado]

I'm pretty sure those white wormlike things are planaria, they're usually caused by leftover food. They're harmless to your fish, but to get rid of them, just do regular gravel cleaning and cut back on feeding a bit.

[lynzor]

I looked into it and I'm pretty sure it's not planaria. I did some research and it doesn't match what I'm seeing.

[bravado]

I've seen them come out of the substrate a few times, and when they do, it's pretty likely they're the same thing - they're a bit clearer in person, pics don't do 'em justice.

[lynzor]

I was wrong, I just looked at the wrong picture. You said they're harmless, right?

[bravado]

They can be a bit unsightly but you'll mostly see them when you disturb the substrate. Good thing you're already doing 50% water changes, just keep up the frequent gravel cleans and feed less. If you notice any uneaten food after a few minutes, net it out, feed what they can eat straight away. My fish don't let food hit the bottom either, lucky you're not alone in that.

[lynzor]

My fish usually polish off the food in under a minute, and if anything does make it to the bottom, my red tailed shark or bristlenose pleco will grab it. I'm still stumped on where these worms came from though - they only showed up after I added the new plants, so maybe they hitched a ride from the store or were just hiding in the sand until I disturbed it with the planting.

[kalevi]

I was wondering, do you use coflake sand in your tanks? It seems like those little white worm things show up a lot when people use that stuff.

[lynzor]

I was wondering, do you use coflake sand in your tanks? It seems like those little white worm things show up a lot when people use that stuff.

I'm using argonite sand, not coflake.