Re: [Killietalk] Identify worm

[Scott Davis <unclescott at prodigy_net>]

If they are really thin, could they be Dero worms?
Those worms evidentially grow well in duckweed. While
they can be vectors for a protozoan carrying a gill
disease for koi, if the duckweed and worms were
cultures for a time on the side, the cycle should be
interrupted. (All freshwater livefoods can be vectors
for illnesses; hence the advantage in captive cultures
so the cycle where they are secondary hosts is broken.
(One cycle that might not be broken is that of
Camallanus and cyclops.)

Dero worms and the Naididae are spoken off as fish
food. Maybe one of the few reasons for having duckweed
around. The Naiads also grow in hair algae and
detritus. Both duckweed and dero worms show up from
time to time in my daphnia cultures outdoors -
probably brought in from a modest wetland, on the
whiskers of inquisitive varmints. That still doesn't
make me thankful for raccoons. ;)

By the time the dero worms are discovered, they may
have gone through a few generations. They seem to be
no threat to my killies' health.

Bloodworms (Chironomid midge larvae), assuming you
don't handle them and wipe your eyes, are usually no
threat to you or your fish. They also eat decaying
leaves and other veggie odds and ends. The adult gnats
(in the procreation business for about a week) will
fly in and lay their egg masses, which look a bit like
snot hanging from the container sides. The gelatinous
egg masses must really take on water after being laid.
I always wonder at such a large egg mass from such a
little insect.

I would guess, but want corroboration if anyone has
experience here, that blood worms wouldn't grow in a
container treated with mosquito dunks. Have no clue
how dero worms would survive in that environment. 

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/moviegallery/pondscum/annelida/naididae/
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/olympusmicd/galleries/moviegallery/pondscum/insects/chironomid/index.html
http://www.rcsa.co.za/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_DSCF2019.jpg
http://www.micrographia.com/specbiol/helmint/annelhom/olig0100.htm

All the best!
Scott

To join the AKA see http://www.aka.org/pages/join.html
Archives are at http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/