Worm like parasite in my tank

Hi all
Im new to the forum and fish keeping in general and im looking for a little advice from anyone willing to help.

I have a 60L Biorb and in it I have 5 Neon Tetras, 4 Black phantom Tetras, 3 Guppies and 1 Platy. Ive lost 4 fish due to lack of Knowledge in relation to Amonia but i think thats sorted now.

The problem i have started when i bought live plants for my tank and unknown to me some snails hitched a lift and within weeks the tank was over run with them eventually i had to put a treatment in to eradicate them. At the same time as the snails these tiny white thread like worms appeared i assumed they were something to do with the snails but now the snails are gone and the worms are multiplying.

They are minute you have to look very closely for them they are about 5mm long and as thick as a thread and white. I have put Sterazin Parasiticide in the tank but this has had no effect.

Can anyone tell me what they might be and how to get rid of them, Also i cant get my Amonia below 0.25 even with Cycle is this acceptable or should it be 0.

Cheers
Gordon

 

Hello Gordon. I'm pretty sure these are planaria. planaria are flatworms and members of the Platyhelminthes phylum.
Planaria are often found in aquariums with uneaten food. The planaria won't hurt the fish, but they are a symptom of too much gravel containing too much uneaten food, and that is not good for fish.

Uneaten food causes all sorts of problems, and uneaten food in your aquarium may have been part of the reason that your fish died.



1.Clean Your Aquarium
2.Add Aquarium Salt to your aquarium up to a maximum of 1 Tablespoon for each 5 gallons of water in your aquarium
3. Don't Over React. Clean your gravel every day with the Gravel Washer. When you've removed 20% of the water, stop and top your aquarium back up with tap water from the faucet
4.It may take several days of gravel washing to get your gravel really clean

hope i helped

 

The flatworms may also be a problem because of high nitrAtes. We cleaned the tank a lot, along with a ton of water changes to get them sucked out while they were free swimming. Having high nitrAtes is also a part of the cycle your tank will go through.

Your Amonia may also be high because you're a tiny bit over stocked.

Tyler and Amanda

 

Thanks for your help guys

 

no prob