# White worm ID



## calhoun3186 (Nov 1, 2019)

Any idea if these are white worms or something else? The crawl and move like FF larvae, but look thinner and longer to me.


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## calhoun3186 (Nov 1, 2019)

Any idea? Really hoping not nemertems


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

calhoun3186 said:


> Any idea? Really hoping not nemertems


Sure could be. If it waves its 'head' around as it moves, and eats FFs, then it is indeed a predatory nemertean. There are 435 hits in the archives to peruse and compare photos if you want more input.

If it, there is nothing to be done about it short of starting the viv over -- not that it really matters, as they don't harm frogs. IME, they bloom and then reach a small stable population. I had them in one of my thumb vivs, and no issues -- tads grew into frogs just fine in there.


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## calhoun3186 (Nov 1, 2019)

They do wave their heads around, stand up kinda like a cobra at times. I have not seen them predate flys, that's not to say they don't. Thankfully this is not in my vivarium, it is in both of my isopod cultures. I'm thinking of harvesting some isopods from said cultures and starting over. Is it feasible to do this without contaminating the new culture? There are a lot of fungus gnats in the culture as well, but I think they look way to long to be larva. I am in the process of drying it out right now.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Yes, I'd restart new cultures. Making sure everything else added (substrate, leaf litter, etc) is properly processed using heat is the most important element. 

I don't know if they can tag along on isopods, but that's likely not the weakest link in this situation.


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## calhoun3186 (Nov 1, 2019)

I heated the leaves in the tainted cultures for 30 minutes @ 225, do the temps need to be higher?


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## Broseph (Dec 5, 2011)

I'm not an expert on this topic, and I've never had to deal with nemerteans. But doesn't the fact that they've infested what looks like a chunk of Bug Burger suggest they aren't predatory?

If it were me, I'd separate that chunk of infested food with some of the surrounding soil media and see what becomes of it. I'd also separate a handful of isopods to a clean mini culture as an insurance policy. All while keeping the main culture going as is.

ETA: Regarding processing of media; If I'm collecting leaves from the wild, I pour boiling water over them in a bucket and let it steep until the water cools, then dry the leaves thoroughly before using. All purchased media; fancy leaves, wood, soil, etc come totally dry (but not sterilized). I trust the drying and storage process to kill any nasties, and would simply dry my wild collected leaves for a few months except I don't want things hatching out of them in the house.

2nd EDIT! Look up "pot worms" and others from the *Enchytraeidae* family. My money's on these guys, and I totally forgot I have similar ones in my isopod cultures, but I neglect my isopods so much I forgot they were even in there until just now. Don't tell @fishingguy12345


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## calhoun3186 (Nov 1, 2019)

Broseph,
I've done all you have suggested minus putting the worms in a culture and see where it goes, brilliant idea I'll be doing that. Also, yes its morning wood they are congregating to.


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## calhoun3186 (Nov 1, 2019)

To any wondering, I think they were grindal worms. I took some and put in a separate culture and it did produce some flies. I misted less and allowed the isopod cultures to dry out a lil and have not seen any more of them and my isopods have exploded in population.


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