# HELP! White worm in Java Moss!



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Without a clear photo, it's tough to identify them. If they're planaria, you should be worried and treating the moss in the container it is in. If it's not planaria, there's probably no reason to be worried.

And Malaysian Trumpet Snails won't get too out-of-control if you don't overfeed.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (Feb 4, 2013)

somewhatshocked said:


> If they're planaria, you should be worried and treating the moss in the container it is in. If it's not planaria, there's probably no reason to be worried.


You might want to switch that around.


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> Without a clear photo, it's tough to identify them. If they're planaria, you should be worried and treating the moss in the container it is in. If it's not planaria, there's probably no reason to be worried.
> 
> And Malaysian Trumpet Snails won't get too out-of-control if you don't overfeed.


Well good thing is I never put it inside the tank. Only jar. As for the MTS I don't want any snails  and sorry that's a phone photo zoomed in. I'll see if I can take a better picture.


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

Aulonocara_Freak said:


> You might want to switch that around.


I mean I don't know how the worm things even exist.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

?

Planaria can cause problems with shrimp - especially young or freshly-molted shrimp.

Flat worms and other white detritus worms aren't much to worry about.



Aulonocara_Freak said:


> You might want to switch that around.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (Feb 4, 2013)

somewhatshocked said:


> ?
> 
> Planaria can cause problems with shrimp - especially young or freshly-molted shrimp.
> 
> Flat worms and other white detritus worms aren't much to worry about.


I've never had planaria bother anything even in my shrimp tank. Also didn't know the OP had shrimp.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Shrimp = mentioned in their post beneath the photo.

Feel free to search the forum for planaria and shrimp. Usually not an issue in tanks that aren't developed just for shrimp. Their populations - like common snails - also tend to explode with overfeeding.



Aulonocara_Freak said:


> I've never had planaria bother anything even in my shrimp tank. Also didn't know the OP had shrimp.


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

Any idea how I get rid of these things though?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Unless you can provide a more detailed photo, it's tough to tell you what to do about them.

If they're not planaria? Just ignore them, honestly.


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## Dolfan (Apr 8, 2005)

Here is a link to another post where we were discussing white worms that look similar to planaria but are different....

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=340946

I had some in my tank a few days ago that looked like the ones in Clemsons2k's pics. I wasn't sure what the white worms I had were, could have been ok, or could have been planaria. I used the safeguard method to get rid of them, and now 2 days later my tank looks clear, and it didn't affect my cherry shrimp at all. I used 1/10th of a 1 gram packet of safeguard for my 10gallon tank. Some have said it they may not be a problem, but I don't like worms in my tank, and wanted to get rid of them before it possibly became a problem. 

Hope this helps, good luck.


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> Unless you can provide a more detailed photo, it's tough to tell you what to do about them.
> 
> If they're not planaria? Just ignore them, honestly.


I'll try to get a better pic. But I think they're flatworms!


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

*thank you!*

Thank you so much! These are the things that are there in the moss jar :'(



Dolfan said:


> Here is a link to another post where we were discussing white worms that look similar to planaria but are different....
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=340946
> 
> ...


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## Neevie (Apr 26, 2013)

If you want to treat the container the plants are in and don't mind killing the snails you could do a potassium permanganate dip. I think you can get it at lowes or Home Depot in the water softener section. I remember seeing a thread about it somewhere on this forum.


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> Unless you can provide a more detailed photo, it's tough to tell you what to do about them.
> 
> If they're not planaria? Just ignore them, honestly.


I just took this picture. So this is what it looks like. It's not pink nor reddish? It's white. 











What do I do? What should I do?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

It's just a nematode and won't harm your shrimp or other critters. They tend to pop up in new tanks and in tanks where overfeeding is common.

If you want to get rid of them, you could add some tiny fish to eat them up and then remove the fish. Or you could treat with a medication that kills worms (but that can also add complications).


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

Oh thank God! You guys are the best. So just avoid overfeeding and that's it? I mean any reason why they show up in the first place? They aren't planaria right?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

That's not planaria, nope. They're just a common part of aquaria.

They've appeared in nearly every planted tank I've ever maintained. Nice treats for fish. Have occasionally seen shrimp eat them.


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## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> That's not planaria, nope. They're just a common part of aquaria.
> 
> They've appeared in nearly every planted tank I've ever maintained. Nice treats for fish. Have occasionally seen shrimp eat them.


Thank you so much! You're awesome!


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