# Strange Worms in the water



## Detrick105 (Apr 16, 2006)

So today I was looking at the water area in my Iquitos tank and noticed several whitish worms hanging from the waters surface. It looks like they are suspended from the waters surface and they seem to move around a lot, like they're are searching for food. Any ideas on what they could be? Thanks, Steve


----------



## Guest (Jun 11, 2007)

Do you use springtails? Can't think of anything else they could be; do you have pictures?


----------



## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

Blow on them and see if they "spring"  

EricG.NH


----------



## OneTwentySix (Nov 11, 2004)

There are a lot of invertebrates that could fit that description, but I'm guessing you've got the larvae of fungus gnats, or some other dipteran. A photo might help, though it's not always easy to get a good photograph of small inverts.


----------



## Detrick105 (Apr 16, 2006)

Thanks for the replies. I couldn't get a pic, because they were to small. I think Peter is right that they are some type of larvae (they looked like super tiny maggots). Thanks, Steve


----------



## tyler (Feb 23, 2006)

Do they just dangle at the the surface and then move once vibrations are in the water, or do they wiggle constantly?


----------



## Detrick105 (Apr 16, 2006)

They would hang right below the waters surface and move around quite a bit and then sometimes they would kind of just sit there. I haven't seen any in the water now for several days though, maybe they morphed into their adult forms.
Steve


----------



## Derrick (Oct 28, 2005)

"grindel worms" are another possibility. I have lots of them in my tank. They just eat the waste (poop, dead flies and dead leaves). I have seen them in my water dish and in the jelly mass of eggs. They seem to get stuck in the water or jelly mass and squirm around a lot. They dont harm the eggs that I am aware of. They jelly seems to keep them protected. They are white and vary in length. They are 1/2 mm wide at most. I see them on the glass all the time.


----------



## alifer (Oct 24, 2005)

I’ve noticed aquatic larval worms in the water feature of my viv also. I’m pretty sure the ones in my viv are some type of small black bodied fly that are slightly larger and heaver bodied than fruit flies, with large wings in proportion to the bodies and they have noticeable 45% turns on the antennae, if that helps with the ID. I have watched one of my Vents hunt & feed on the flies, so they’re not all bad. I would guess the aquatic larval worms probably feed on dead fruit flies in the water. The flies are annoying because a couple of them fly out every time I open the viv to feed the frogs. The flies are attracted to damp areas because I have found escapees in the shower.


----------



## Detrick105 (Apr 16, 2006)

Thanks for the info. 
Thanks, Steve


----------

