# Nemertean? Fungus gnat larvae?



## jchollenb (Mar 30, 2010)

I know its a bad pic, taken with my phone. Best I can get atm. They are pretty small, the longest one I can see is about 7/16" long, thin, clear, slow moving "worms". There is alot of these on the glass of one of my vivs, but just the one so far for now luckily. Any ideas as to what exactly they are and what might be done to get rid of them?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

A clearer picture would help but I would guess free living nematode. 

Ed


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## jchollenb (Mar 30, 2010)

I wish i could get a clearer pic, i'll try tomorrow. there has to be 50-100 of them on the glass of the viv.


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## ashb (Dec 9, 2009)

Ed's probably right. If you dry out the tank for a while they'll die back.


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## jchollenb (Mar 30, 2010)

My main concern is if there is a danger to the frogs, immediate or long term?


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## ashb (Dec 9, 2009)

Neither.

Also, look up "grindal worms" and see if they seem to fit the description.


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## jchollenb (Mar 30, 2010)

They do look quite a bit like the grindal worms. I need to find someone with a macro lens. But so long as they arent a threat to the frogs, they dont bother me to much. Its a temporary setup, so they will soon be moved. Just dont get how i only have them in the one viv, i started 4 temp vivs at the same time from the same pothos plant, so seems odd. Grindal worms seem like they could potentially be a food source for my little friends though.


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## jbherpin (Oct 16, 2009)

jchollenb said:


> They do look quite a bit like the grindal worms. I need to find someone with a macro lens. But so long as they arent a threat to the frogs, they dont bother me to much. Its a temporary setup, so they will soon be moved. Just dont get how i only have them in the one viv, i started 4 temp vivs at the same time from the same pothos plant, so seems odd. Grindal worms seem like they could potentially be a food source for my little friends though.


I use organic soil as a large component in my substrate, so I get nematodes. My smaller frogs will occassionally eat them off the glass. 

JBear


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

ashb said:


> Neither.
> 
> Also, look up "grindal worms" and see if they seem to fit the description.


They are unlikely to be grindal worms (Enchytraeus buchholzi) since grindal worms prefer temperatures under 70 F and do not do well in acidic substrates (which are common in terraria using leaf litter, and/or ABG mix (or style of mixes). Somewhere in the distant past, someone decided that all small whitish worm in the tanks was a "grindal" worm and never followed through to get a correct identification. It is much more probable that they are a free living nematode. 

Ed


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## jchollenb (Mar 30, 2010)

These probably arent much better pics, I tried. Just dont have access to anything but my cell phone. I did pull one out of the tank, it squirmed around for a minute or two, then died once the droplet of water it was in absorbed fully into the paper it was on.


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

They definately look like nematodes. No cause for alarm. I have seen my frogs occasionally eat them off the glass for years(or try at least somtimes they are able to stick to the film on the glass despite the frogs continually smacking them with their tongue which is pretty funny) with no apparent ill effects.


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