My Pea Puffer ATE a tiny white worm! Prazi her, pronto?!!

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TheStig
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 105
Joined: Thu May 28, 2015 3:25 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: DP
Location (country): USA
Location: CA

My Pea Puffer ATE a tiny white worm! Prazi her, pronto?!!

Post by TheStig »

I don't know if I am prematurely panicking! Since she isn't sick, it didn't feel right posting in the Hospital section!

Just in case:
1) Just tested the water: 0 / 0 / 5 ; pH 7.6.
2) 10 gallon. 2 DPs and 1 Amano shrimp
3) Fed daily on mostly frozen bloodworms, occasional snail. Fed one worm at a time, siphon up spat out food and snail shells immediately. Food waste is minimal. 50 - 60% WC & gravel vac entire tank once a week. Flourish, Potassium and Iron once a week, after WC.
4) None
5) Had my fish & shrimp for just over 2 months now.

Today, I had a brain fart. Turned off the filter to move a couple of plants, got distracted when my cat puked a hairball, and forgot to turn filter back on. I didn't realize till a coupla hours later! I hope I didn't kill a bunch of BB! When I turned the filter back on, while watching my puffers who were behaving normally, I noticed these TINY squiggly white worms swimming/getting blown around near my filter. After staring at them to make sure they were alive and not bits of plant matter, I rushed to grab my turkey baster to suck up the little things. There were maybe around 5 - 6 of them. The puffers swam right up, thinking it was feeding time. Then, this miniscule white worm wiggled right past Tuna, and to my horror, she zeroed in on it, and slurped it up!!!

I googled the worms, and am confused with the information. I am pretty sure it isn't planaria, but that leaves the other 2 - nematodes or detritus worms. It looks just like this:

Image

Anyway, that was when I tested the waters, because I was worried my BB may have died. I did my WC & full gravel vac on Friday. Gonna do another tomorrow.

This happened during the afternoon, and I am only posting this now because we had dinner guests. I checked my tank periodically, but since the filter started running, and Tuna & I got rid of the worms that I was able to see, I have not seen any. I just did a careful, slow scan before I typed this. I studied the gravel, and couldn't find any either. When I said these worms were tiny, I mean they were tiny! My eyes hurt from all that staring.

Is that worm going to kill Tuna?!! I started out with 2 DPs. One died from IPs despite treatment (followed bottle instructions and treated the water) and I have been paranoid since. I treated both DPs with medicated food after I brought home the new DP, and they have been doing great. Should I PraziPro the food tomorrow? What else should I do?!? Please advice!

I am really worried. I didn't expect keeping a tank is this hard and stressful!
10 gallon: 1 dwarf puffer, 3 Otos, 1 amano shrimp

Don't let your wet friend suffer - PufferPunk
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AquaMike
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 89
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 3:47 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: *1 pea puffer (F)
*1 borneensis red-eye DP (M)
*1 palembang puffer
Location (country): CT, USA

Re: My Pea Puffer ATE a tiny white worm! Prazi her, pronto?!

Post by AquaMike »

Looks like a detritus worm. They're harmless. Actually quite normal in an established tank. You usually don't see them unless you stir something up or are over feeding.
TheStig
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 105
Joined: Thu May 28, 2015 3:25 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: DP
Location (country): USA
Location: CA

Re: My Pea Puffer ATE a tiny white worm! Prazi her, pronto?!

Post by TheStig »

Thanks for the confirmation, Mike.

I gravel vac the HECK out of my tank the next day, and did a 60% WC. I think it took care of the problem, because I have not seen any since. No idea how they appeared because I am like clockwork when it comes to tank maintenance (just did my routine WC & gravel vac today) and I am careful about minimizing food waste.

I did have issue with melting/dying plants tho'. *grumble* It seems to have stopped... probably because most are already gone.
10 gallon: 1 dwarf puffer, 3 Otos, 1 amano shrimp

Don't let your wet friend suffer - PufferPunk
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