Tiny Black 'Worms'!?!?

[art_iz_d3ad]

Hi guys, umm I'm quite scared but I just moved my 6 year old girl over to a new, sand substrate tank last week and I'm doing her weekly clean and I just found 3! teny tiny black worms!!! ummm! does anyone know what they are/if they are dangerous?

One was dead but the other two are moving around...i dont even know how they got in there as I washed the sand super well...

 

[art_iz_d3ad]

Ekk!! I think they are drain fly larvae nauseated_face. Does anyone know how to get rid of them and if they will harm her?
I dont even know how they got in there!

 

[Murk]

Drain fly larvae, or a similar larvae, sounds likely.
If you recently put in new sand, I'd assume the eggs came in with the sand (where did you get the sand?). It's also possible that an adult drain fly laid her eggs on the aquarium; they seem to like damp places.

It's hard to tell if this is actually drain fly or some other type of fly/moth.
None of them would be directly harmful to your axolotls. If there are many of them and they die and decompose in the sand, it could be a slight risk to your water quality.
If they pupate and grow into adults, they could be annoying to you. Your axolotls won't mind though - I'm sure they'll enjoy the snack.

Getting rid of them all would be more difficult - completely redoing the interior of the tank (and the filter, especially if it's an external filter) would be the only guarantee.
Personally, I'd say: put a good, closed lid on the tank, and sit it out for a season. As long as you carefully keep the lid closed no new eggs can be laid and next season you'll be clear again.

 

[TomahawkLotlMom]

Is this the same black worm? Drain fly larvae? Not a harmful parasite? Found 6 after cleaning my tank.