The Puffer Forum

OMG, someone has to know what these are.

OK, so I have no fish in my tank. I had 3 figure 8's but won't get into how I lost them. The reason I mention this is because possibly the puffers were eating the worms and I never noticed them before.

Anyway, it's been about a week or so since I lost my fish. It's a fully planted brackish tank that has been up and running for about a year.

There are now many many worms swimming around in my tank. They look like they have made brown cocoons on my plants, wood, substrate and are now coming out. I saw one worm that was 2 inches long crawling along the glass in my tank. It looks like it is trying to suck stuff off of the glass. The smaller ones are attached to my marimo balls and look like they are eating them but it's hard to tell. I noticed the brown cocoon looking things before on my wood, but I thought it was just brown algae clumps.

The worms have really red heads that fade to pinkish/white towards the end of the worm. They look round and not flat.

I'd shoot some photos of them but I really can't find my camera. To be honest, I'm freaked out. They are EVERYwhere in the tank.

Someone please tell me what they are.

Look in my gallery, there is a bunch of photos of some worms I found in one of my tanks. Turns out they are planaria and harmless. However, they are flat and have sort of arrowhead shaped heads, pretty easy to ID, don't sound like what you have.

If you can get a photo, that would be best (probably need a macro lens or setting). If its a parasite that would be potentially infectious to your fish, they won't survive long without a host most likely. Its probably something that came in on a live plant, or maybe some insect laid eggs in your tank and this is the larval stage. Watch to see if you open the cover and any weird flies or moths come fluttering out.

Rusty tubes? I have those. My puffers and betta eat them on site, so they mostly live in the filter intakes.

Seriously I'm getting really frustrated with these larvae. I know that's what they are now because I've squashed some adult insects that were on the wall by my tank. They are leaving brown funk all over my tank in the form of little cocoons that disengrate when they "hatch". I JUST cleaned all the brown funk out day before yesterday and it's back again. Prior to that, I removed all of my drift wood and had to physically scrub the brown funk off with a toothbrush. They are putting cocoons on my plants, they are everywhere!! I have to put my entire arm in the tank and wipe the cocoons off my plants with my fingers. It's really bad and that's a lot of leaves to wipe off.

Anyone have any idea how to get rid of these things? I don't have any fish at the moment and don't plan on adding any until the tank is ready.

I have photos of the cocoons in my album so you can see what they look like.

Well, I think I'm going to electrocute them. I don't have any fish so wish me luck.

ok, if they are fly larvae like you think here is what you can do. I have a worm bin (for compost) and flies love the worm bin to put there eggs in so I know what you're ging through! It needs a little patience but what you have to do is block access in and out of your aquarium.
Flies go in, drop the eggs. Eggs hatch, grow, become flies. Flies get out of the tank because chances are they don't eat what's in the tank. Than come back to it to drop their eggs. So, if you block access in and out, flies have no where to drop their eggs. Flies from the eggs that hatched can't get out of the tank and die. You'll have to maintain this until all the eggs have hatched and died and until all the flies outside decide to leave. I know, it's a pain! Depending on how big the fly, you could put a screen on top of your aquarium so the air still gets in. It depends on your tank set up.

Good luck, hope this helps!