So I think I have bloodworms in my tank ...

[ClockworkParrot]

A few days ago I when I lifted my cover I found what looked to be a few gnats on top of my water and was thinking oh great ... and low and behold I have been battling tiny little larvae. I looked on the tank invader page that people post but I still dont know what they are. I am sure they are bloodworms because of the little gnats but they arent bright red ... more of a whitish tan but I dont know if its because this bloom of little pains in the butt are still immature.

They are so small and skinny I cant get a photo but the swim in little squiggles. I have been trying to siphon them up with my a water change but my siphon isnt really strong enough to get much out of the sand and whenever I see one swim past I suck up with my turkey baster.

I dont know how to get rid of them since my axolotls have no interest in something so small and I dont have fish in with them to keep the population under control. I have no clue what they are eating. I dont leave any food in the tank but I do have some live plants that I keep trimmed of any dying leaves. Every time I look I seem to catch sight of more of them and its driving me nuts since I dont want them in my tank or little gnats in my room.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[auntiejude]

Certainly sounds like some kind of insect larvae, but they won't harm your axies. They will be eating bacteria, tiny particles of waste, microscopic plankton-type things, algae etc.

Have you tried sweeping the water with a fine net? Or a battery or air pump powered vac?You don't want to add chemicals if you can avoid it.

The other option is to completely drain your tank, give it a thorough scrub and replace the substrate. But that will probably upset your cycle, and is probably a bit much just for a few gnat larvae.

And get some insect repellant just in case .

 

[Chinadog]

I would never normally suggest mixing axolotls with any kind of fish, but a couple of guppies would soon clear the insect larvae for you. Surely better than stripping the tank and ruining the cycle? The axolotls would eat the guppies eventually anyway, so I doubt you would be stuck with them!

 

[ClockworkParrot]

@Jude: I've tried using my aquarium net but that just hasnt been fine enough to catch the lil buggers and I'd rather just be stuck with sucking them out with a turkey baster than to risk adding any chemicals that could hurt my little guys.
I have never seen a battery or air pump powered vac. Do they work well? Any recommended brands to look up?
I've been trying to google using repellents around the tank but cant find much of anything. I dont want to spray anything near the top of the tank that could leach into the water. So I dont know a safe way keep them away. One of the big problems of Florida is so many bugs ...

And as always thanks so much for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

@: Chinadog: I've been tempted to get around six common guppies since there is more than enough space in my tank for them (40 gal with two 6-7" axolotls) to see if they eat up the little invaders. I'm just worried since I dont have a quarantine tank and I dont want them to spread any nasties to my little guys. I dont trust getting them from the big chain stores and the one place nearby that wouldnt fear using their fish is only salt water fish (I swear it is the cleanest most well maintained fish store I have ever seen in my life).

 

[ClockworkParrot]

So I am a bit frustrated with these worms. I had to leave for two days because the house was getting retiled and I had someone here to feed them. I came back and the first thing I came home to find was hundreds of those larvae swimming around. Ive been trying to net them out and use the turkey baster to get as many as I can but the numbers just dont seem to be going down. When I lifted my cover there were a bunch of dead gnats so I am wonder does anyone know a way to deal with the adult bugs?

And I am still so torn with getting a few guppies to keep the numbers in check.

 

[mackinthebox]

So I am a bit frustrated with these worms. I had to leave for two days because the house was getting retiled and I had someone here to feed them. I came back and the first thing I came home to find was hundreds of those larvae swimming around. Ive been trying to net them out and use the turkey baster to get as many as I can but the numbers just dont seem to be going down. When I lifted my cover there were a bunch of dead gnats so I am wonder does anyone know a way to deal with the adult bugs?

And I am still so torn with getting a few guppies to keep the numbers in check.

Im going to be adding guppies to my tank eventually
I had some danios in there for a short time, they were eaten within a week
if you do add any fish be sure and quarantine them for at least 2 weeks if not 4 before adding them to the tank, watch any signs of infections or disease

 

[neeemo]

A few days ago I when I lifted my cover I found what looked to be a few gnats on top of my water and was thinking oh great ... and low and behold I have been battling tiny little larvae. I looked on the tank invader page that people post but I still dont know what they are. I am sure they are bloodworms because of the little gnats but they arent bright red ... more of a whitish tan but I dont know if its because this bloom of little pains in the butt are still immature.

They are so small and skinny I cant get a photo but the swim in little squiggles. I have been trying to siphon them up with my a water change but my siphon isnt really strong enough to get much out of the sand and whenever I see one swim past I suck up with my turkey baster.

I dont know how to get rid of them since my axolotls have no interest in something so small and I dont have fish in with them to keep the population under control. I have no clue what they are eating. I dont leave any food in the tank but I do have some live plants that I keep trimmed of any dying leaves. Every time I look I seem to catch sight of more of them and its driving me nuts since I dont want them in my tank or little gnats in my room.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thank you very much for the wonderful information

 

[ClockworkParrot]

My problem is I dont have another tank to quarantine any fish -_-


I am starting to wonder if they are bothering my golden since I have caught sight of her every so often scratching herself with her hind legs even though my tank parameters are all in check.

This last time I saw her doing it I saw one on her side and I am wondering if they irritating them. They dont look to be latching on but I am wondering if they are getting on their gills. I keep checking and dont see anything on them except the occasional one of these larvae but they seem to fall off.

Ive been pulling out these things for over an hour with a turkey baster.

 

[ClockworkParrot]

Also does anyone have luck with quarantining guppies in a fish keeper with no filter? I have some that I can keep like two or three in for two weeks.

 

[JustKenna]

I think the only answer would be fish or draining. I buy fish from people who live nearby who post ads online. Fish from people are usually healthier than pet store fish. You could even buy a small 1.5 gallon tank (if you can find one that small) to quarantine them.