Planaria infestation?

[ahiggin1]

Hi everyone,
I just finished cycling a 10gallon tank for a new axie that Im getting this weekend. I cycled with feeding fish (I know! If I would have known about "fishless cycling" I would have done that) but I took out the feeder fish yesterday and havent put anything in the tank (food/fish wise) since yesterday morning. I looked at the aquarium just a few minutes ago and saw a TON of white thread like worms inching around on the bottom of my tank!
After freaking out and searching all over the forum I found out that they look like planaria. I have heard some people say they wont hurt your axies, others say that they will irritate their gills...so how on earth do I get rid of them. Im not going to put any chemicals in there, so please dont advise on that. I was curious if there are any shrimp that eat them or if I should just let the tank alone (I already cleaned all the excess food and whatnot) until this weekend.
Can they climb up the walls and get out of the tank? can they survive outside of the tank?
and should I worry about putting an axie in there with them?
any advice on how to get rid of them, other than just cleaning and hoping for the best?
Thanks, I really appreciate it

 

[Jennewt]

You can find answers to most of those questions here:
Caudata Culture Articles - Aquarium Invaders: Algae, Snails, Worms and Other Critters
In short, no, don't worry about putting an axie in there. And don't tear down the tank trying to get rid of them. I've never heard of threadworms or planaria causing any irritation.