The Puffer Forum

hey guys...

i just went to feed my GSPs.. and i noticed white stuff on the front of the tank.. it looked like pocket lint lol.. but upon further inspection.. they were worms! or parasites.. something.. i have no idea.. they were really really tiny, but when i stared at'em, i could seem them movin, likel il amoebas (sp)... any idea what this is ? i did a 60 % water change right away. Im thinkin perhaps it came from whati feed them.. maybe the shrimp, or the mussels ? all bought at the grocery store frozen.. any advice would be much appreciated, these guys have been so healthy, i dont want anything bad to happen to'em.. thank you so much

-leen.

oh and, there was no sign at all, of any of that stuff on the puffers.. they are acting totally normal.. thanx

i think what you're describing is completely normal. i can't recall the name of them, or how to describe them at the moment, but they won't hurt your puff.

awesome.. thank you! i was literally sittin here, refreshing, waitin for a reply lol. was so worried! thanx again.

-leen

Usually nematodes, but sometimes planaria.

Numbers of either are commonly symptoms of excess organics in the tank, most often in the substrate.

Try not to overfeed & clean up after you puffers after dinner.

so, can i get rid of them ? maybe remove all or most of the substrate and put new stuff in ? .. i have been slacking on removing the excess food, and i deff wont from now on. thanks.

Just clean up the existing substrate by through vacuuming and then vacumm it routinely to keep it clean.

could also be chironomid "midge" larvae on the glass. Have you seen any tiny flies around the tank?

sorry for the late reply..
no, i havent seen any flies around. I have been doing 25% water changes every other day, and doing as suggested, removing excess food stuff. And they are pretty much gone. There are a few lingering, but i think i am filtering them out pretty good. And they never appeared on the puffs, just on the front glass of the tank.

again, ty for all the replies, this forum is a life saver! literally!

-leen