What are these small white worms in my aquarium?
Carlrs
The picture to the left provide a close up view of what these look
like, with the picture further to the left magnified even more. Please click to enlarge further.
However to the naked eye these are only about 1/8 inch or 3 mm, although many professionals have seen these longer (up to 3 cm). When the population explodes and/or oxygen levels are low, these thin as a hair and white worms can even be seen swimming though the water in the middle of the aquarium.
What these are NOT are Planaria, which these are commonly and inaccurately misidentified as.
For true Detitus Worms, which 85-90% of persons who have initially identified as Planaria turn out to be, the remedy does not include any medications or snake oil treatments someone may be attempting to sell you.
The remedy is a good cleaning of your aquarium substrate (Gravel/Sand) preferably with a gravel vacuum while changing the water.
In between water changes the use of a Sludge/Detritus Remover Vacuum can be very helpful too.
With both you likely will remove many unwanted over population worms in the process of removing much of their food source.
As well, often improving the food source with a more highly digestible
diet such as the Ultra Premium “Clay Neighbor’s Custom” of fish foods
will lower the wastes that these worms feed on.
Product Resources:
“Clay Neighbor’s Custom” Where it is about the analysis, not just the ingredients (the only premium fish food that goes beyond quality ingredients to quality science/experience based analysis!)
Aquarium Detritus Remover Vacuum & Standard Siphon Gravel Vacuums