Pictures please? Are they actually crawling around, or just swaying with filter movement? Size of 'worms'? Is the tank new?

 

I can't take a picture because they're so small, if they didn't move I would say they were stains or something. They look like they're definitely crawling on the glass. I could say they're a millimeter or smaller, very very tiny. My tank has been running for over a year.

 

Ive spoken with some aquarists (some who have made newbie mistakes) and I, or any other person I know has ever encountered worms. One possibibility is algae, when I set up my tank about 2 months in I noticed some things that looked like worms on my glass, but were algae (diatoms). Could that be possible? Have you tried removing it with a sponge? Otherwise someone else will need to tell you.

 

I don't think It'd algae because it crawled against the flow of the filter and moved down and to the sides. I'll try removing it with a sponge when I get home, I hope it's not something that can harm humans. Do you think it can be parasitic? I saw my betta trying to peck at the glass possibly to eat them and I don't want them to cause internal problems.

 

Look up planaria and see if they match your description. If you have gravel that can contain old food pieces then you likely have planaria and/or mulm worms.. I think they're called mulm worms. either way, they are a direct product of established gravel caused by over feeding.

 

It could be either detritus worms, or planaria. Contrary to popular belief they are not one in the same.

Detritus worms are supposed to be in your tank. They are part of the little echo system and they eat detritus (think of them as little trash compactors), but generally you never ever see them as they remain hidden under the substrate. They are skinny and both ends of the worm look the same (ie, you can't tell the head from the tail), and they are most times a light color. They are harmless and your fish will eat them. However, the only time they ever come up to the surface where you would visually see them is when a population explosion happens due to overfeeding and/or not doing good enough gravel vacs. They rise to the top of the substrate because there's so many of them that there is no longer enough oxygen to support them. You can reduce their numbers by performing a good gravel vac. You don't want to get rid of all of them, just the majority of them.

Planaria are a different story. They are not a natural part of any tank and are generally brought in with plants. They're carnivores and can be harmful to fish eggs and even attach themselves to fish. They are dark in color (red, sometimes deep brown or even black), and they're short and fat. They have a triangular shaped head. The only way to remove them is with medication. Fish will not eat planaria.

 

The worms do fit your description for detritus worms although they couldn't have possibly risen because of over feeding since I've actually been fasting my fish the last 5 days. The only thing that's new is that the moss ball unraveled and I vacuumed all of the new moss balls (apart from regular vacuuming)

 

Post deleted

 

Oh I should mention I just added an air pump does that have anything to do with it?

 

Last water change, the water didn't seem dirty at all but I'll just keep vacuuming then.
Are they harmful to the fish and should I remove them?

 

Please see my original post. ;-)

 

Oh okay sorry, I misinterpreted that part. Thanks! Hope they leave soon, they're pretty freaky

 

They are supposed to be there, just not in large quantities. They will never leave completely unless you totally remove the substrate and go with a bare bottom tank all the time.

 

Okay so I've been observing him and he is indeed eating all the swimming worms and right after eating, my betta starts swimming erratically. That doesn't look right.

 

When was the last time you added something new to the tank, and if anything, what was it?

 

Yesterday I added an air pump before a water change and this morning I began feeding him again (2 pellets)

 

That would not bring any worms into your tank.

It's detritus worms. They will not physically harm your fish, nor will eating them hurt the fish.

 

TIL I never ever had planaria, I always only ever seen detritus worms in my tank (what I called mulm worms in my post above)! wow, mind so blown I can't even respond to this post in a helpful manner because I need to go reflect on my years of fishkeeping.

 

Yeah Detritus worms thrive in a healthy tank so it's a good sign that you have them. Free fish food! Some Betta's tend to eat very dramatically, so don't worry about him; he's just enjoying some tasty worms! As Mousie pointed out, Detritus worms are always in the tank, a bloom usually occurs at the beginning of a tank's life after the cycle is complete (note that I said *usually* this is NOT always the case!) and there is an abundance of detritus and mulm for them to snack on! They'll go away with some water changes and time. Nothing to be concerned about!

 

Thanks everyone! My betta is now on high alert for all of them, he seems to like eating them haha