I'VE GOT WORMS IN MY TANK...

[wayne020668]

hi everyone I've had quite a few calls and e-mails this week about little worm type things in my tank... as Dan will tell you as he has had this experiance... we don't judge anyone here at turtle rescue indeed we have and will have this problem from time to time and most keepers will do if we are honest although most keepers think its something we shouldn't ask just in case they think we're not good keepers of turtles & terrapin's... not true here... this is in fact very common and is caused by a wide varied number of causes from not washing plants added to set ups to flies laying eggs etc... so whats the answer....

well 90% of the time a heavy dose of methylene blue will kill these worms and most parasites but should these little suckers still be around and look like worms come leeches... then remove your turtles from the tank prior to cleaning it out and add a massive dose of salt... keep the filters running with the water in for around an hour before a total clean down & scrubbing... problem solved...

we learned the hard way and are still learning every day after nearly 21 yrs ( hay its our birthday on the 2nd of June ) so you can ask the stupid questions if it means you and your critters get the best care and help... we don't promise to know it all but hay we will try..

[Turtle Rescue UK]

Hi all

Wayne is right, i had a worm problem for quite a while. I thought i got rid of them when i cleaned my tank out, but i was wrong. They were inside my filter.

Wayne then advised me to use King British Snail Away. I used it the first time but it had no effect, he then said to remove the turtles from the tank for 72hours and add more than the recommend dose, then check the problem. If there is no signs of worms do a 10% water change and add the turtles back in.

I done exactly what he said, and touch wood not a single worm in sight! ;D ;D

Dan

[neilb]

Short of having wild caught turtles, the VAST majority of "worms" in people's tanks are planaria, which are harmless little critters which just look seriously unsightly. They live on the uneaten food in the filter which ends up their if you're over-feeding or not cleaning the tank properly. If you have them, then the easiest way to get rid is to totally strip and clean the tank AND FILTER, but bear in mind that you'll need to re-cycle your tank once it's all back together. Adding chemicals to your tank will more often than not wreck all the good bacteria in the filter anyway, so should be avoided if at all possible.