I am feeding 7 day old baby Oscar fry fresh hatched brine shrimp. While watching them feed I see several squirming things swimming among the fry. They are smaller, but at first glance look like very small fry. They are much bigger than the brine shrimp. I can see them a little better with a magnifying glass. After being removed from the tank they appear more “wormy” either dark green or black. I have tried to Google images but got no where. I yanked ‘em out and put ‘em in a jar with their own brine shrimp…thought maybe if they survive I could identify them better. Any ideas? parasite, larvae??? Wonder if I’m introducing them along with the brine shrimp or if they were there and I’m just now noticing…eeewww!
Well, I am kinda ruling out fish lice.Looked at a couple sites…not relating much. Much more wormy looking, and squiggles at the top of the water. These things are definitely visible but small enough to not get a lot of detail. I don’t see any legs but the body seems a bit like the dragonfly body…thing is I am in the middle of the suburbs no water sources other than my tank and spring hasn’t really hit here. hmmm. My adults seem perfectly healthy, no signs of any ailments. No problems until I put in the brine shrimp but may not have a thing to do with it. Just don’t want to have some nasty stuff in the tank.
Okay, maybe we’re on to something here. The Midge thing seems to fit. I am seeing a few of those flying insects…the larvae is about as long as they are!..So everything should be cool?http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/biodiversity/invert/midges.html
you dont give enough description. go and look under fish lice. it could be there larvae
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They sound like a parasitic worm. Your batch of brine shrimp may have been contaminated. Did you buy them from a reputable dealer? I would suggest you feed your oscar with fish flakes.
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Do you notice any legs? The first thing that came to mind given the color and size were damselfly larvae. These are aquatic insects related to dragonflies that lay their eggs in water, and the larval stages live int he water. There are 3 gill plates (“tails”) on the rear, but you might not notice these if they’re folded for swimming.
photo of a lavrae with the gills showing: http://www.fnr.purdue.edu/inwood/images/damselfly.jpg
One with the gills folded: http://bugguide.net/images/cache/2K0KNKQKVKPQF01QJ09QLS1QZSIKAKGK307KCKGK307KRS6QUK4KTKWQHS5K1KIKPKMKLS4KZSWQV06QD00KPKRK.jpg
And an adult: http://www.lakecountyohio.org/soil/Pictures-jpg/Macroinvertebrates/Damselfly%20adult.jpg
I’ve had these come in as eggs or small larvae on plants, and it’s possible that an adult may have found your tank and laid eggs. They aren’t parasites, but will be predators on anything small enough to eat (and they have a large mouth for their size).
If actually “wormy” (without legs), they might be midge larvae, but these are typically light brown-white or red (the red form is what’s sold as bloodworms).
A number of actual worms are possible too: http://aquarium-answers.blogspot.com/2007/03/trematodes-and-nematodes-in-fish.html
The good news is that if they’re large enough to see, they probably not parasites.
If none of these seem to be what you’re seeing, would it be possible to post a clear photo of these? Email me if you’re not sure how to post a photo or have any questions.
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