[winter_frost]

I have an aquarium (round about 100 litres) with 18 baby guppies and 2 algae eaters. I've had the algae eaters with two other guppies (parents of the babys) for about 3 months. When I bought some new plants, as I like have real ones. I discovered that with them I also got some very small snails which have now grown quite a bit in size and number but that didn't really bother me as I can see no harm in them for my fish. But three days ago my male guppy died (the female died giving birth) and today I saw a small worm swimming in the water and then hiding at the bottom in between the little stones.

Does anyone know if these worms are a problem for my fish? This is my first time with tropical fish, and I really want to do a good job of it. Thank you =)

 

[Sasami]

What did the worm look like? Was it tiny and white? It might be a planaria worm. They tend to pop up when there's a lot of fish waste/uneaten food/poor filtration...it can be a sign of an ammonia spike so get your water tested. They aren't harmful but they mean you should probably be vacuuming your gravel more often.

You can get rid of them by doing some water changes .

 

[winter_frost]

Oh thanks ^^ I'll take all the fish out and do a good clean of the stones. I haven't really done a full water change since I got them. Thanks again for your help

 

[Sasami]

Oh thanks ^^ I'll take all the fish out and do a good clean of the stones. I haven't really done a full water change since I got them. Thanks again for your help

You don't need to do a full water change. In fact, you really shouldn't since it's stressful for fish.

Just get a gravel vacuum . They're inexpensive and are sold at most pet stores. Take the vacuum and put the whole thing into the tank and let it fill up with water. Then take the small tube end out and place it in a bucket/container. Water should start flowing and create a vacuum. Then just move the vacuum end over the gravel and it'll suck up any fish waste/uneaten food.

This will remove water, too, so you're not only cleaning the gravel but also changing the water. I would recommend changing about 10-20% of the water a week using this method .

 

[winter_frost]

I really appreciate your help. The vaccum sounds like a good plan. I'll go down tomorrow and see if I can get one.