What else lives in your fish tank that you cannot see?! Pics

[Vancmann]

Today while cleaning out my filter, I noticed some miniscule movement in a droplet of water on the top of my bathtub side. A drop of water had fell from the canister filter when I was emptying it out. I was suddenly curious as to what exactly lives in the water with my fish weather it be good bugs (food for fry) or parasites. I am not educated in the species of the subject but I was able to combine some of my lenses for my camera and take these pictures. The worm was visible to the naked eye, it was very fine and about 3 or 4mm when straight. The other bugs were much shorter than 1mm.
Enjoy

[millsn]

that is grim

[Donna]

It doesn't pay to peer too closely at our own drinking water, either.

But from a pure photography point of view, those are superb pictures.

[NancyD]

Those spines look nasty

[palaeodave]

Hmm...I might have some people I can ask. Might take a little while as people are on holiday but I'll try to find out over the next few weeks.

[wasserscheu]

Hi Vance,

great lense you have Due to the amount of hairs and their spacing, as well as the wormsegments, the pic's schow, I dare to say those belong to the group of Oligochaeta (very large group, also garden worms belong to), which are harmless in your tank and are indeed a very fine food for fry and small fish like tetra. Nematodes have no hair, and thsoe are not so easy to claim harmless.
I can watch tetra spottimg and eating them, loaches eyesight seems not withz sufficient resolution. I see them rarely but put them under the mikroskope, and they look like yours. I also found cyclops in my tanks, also good food.

I did show pic's at LOL of my worms under the microscope, but can't locate the thread.

German drinkingwater contains water louse (sowbug/slater), it's all biological ok and not dirty just looks akward

Even found some old pic's of my worms, which I guess I caught with live tubifex, 6 years ago, and the did not harm, I am actually happy to have them, unfourtunately, I have not spotted them for almost 2 years now:

[chefkeith]

Nice pics.

When I emptied my 190 g tank this past summer, I found tubifex worms everywhere in the gravel.

[palaeodave]

Yeah, nematode jumped into my mind then I noticed the hairs. I can't help wanting an exact identification!


Chefkeith, do you think the tubifex would have been providing constant live food to your tank or did they stay so low down nobody would have gotten to them?

[wasserscheu]

To my knowledge nematodes have no segments neither. Nematodes can be parasites, O's do not, but can be a good part in the natural balance of a tank). As a fact, many fish sold to eat, contain nematodes (fresh- and sea water). So Vance is lucky, in my opinion.

[Vancmann]

Hey all, sorry for the late response, I never got email notification for this post...

[Vancmann]

Donna, thank you and yea, I am not going to look at any drinking supply anytime soon

Nancy, they sure look like spines or even spikes but infact, they are delicate hairs.

Everyone else thank you!!

Palaeodave, Wasserscheu, I am so clueless on what these are but i am happy they are natural and not any harm or side effect of any problems.