identify please

[cailan]

i've got these little things all over my tank- don't know if they are good or bad. they are little gold flake things. they crawl on the glass and all over the sand. sometimes they are little balls and sometimes they are more long shaped- only a couple of milimeters long. i try to post some pictures in a little bit.

[Tim Marvin]

Sounds like pods to me.

[cailan]

i added the best pic i could get. does it help any?

[JimD]

That looks like Planeria or red flatworms to me. Can you get a close up of one? You describe them as "gold flake things" in the pic they look more rust/red colored.

[GaryP]

I agree, looks like flatworms. They are sometimes called Planaria, but they are in a seperate group of critters.

Here's a link to info on these guys.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pestflatwrmanthony.htm


Gary

[JimD]

And not good, you need to research them and call apon fellow members who have battled them and won, quick like... If in fact thats what you have. A better pic would help.

[GaryP]

Whatever you do, don't panic. More harm has been done to aquariums trying to get rid of them than has ever been caused by the worms themselves.
I've had them in my tanks for a couple of years. While they may get to large populations we have learned to live with each other and co-exist and I have learned to control them so they don't grow to plague numbers.

Gary

[cailan]

that's the best picture i could get with the camera i have. the pic on the link gary gave looks like them so i guess it's flatworms. any suggestions on getting rid of them?

[GaryP]

Cailan,

Check my PM and give me a call.

Gary