Worm eating plant

[firsttime-fishkeeper]

hi everyone

i just got some new plants from my local fish store and as i was planting them i noticed that a red worm (about 4 inches long) was swimming bout in open water. I tried to catch it but b4 i cud even get the net itd gone into the gravel =P

today i saw that holes were appearing in my plants and i thought worm

now im rly cheesed bout it and wondering if ne1 has ne suggestions on how to get rid of it

thanks =D

[Darkflames77]

Re: Worm eating plant

If you have some fish big enough to eat it, then you shouldn't have to worry too much about it. Also those holes might be indicating that there is a nutrient deficiency.

[firsttime-fishkeeper]

Re: Worm eating plant

hmmmmm by big do u mean mollies n tetras? i thought they might see it and like go like feeding frenzy or something....

btw how do i increase nutrients??

thx for the info btw

edit: do glass catfish eat plants?

[Brownsnoutuk]

Re: Worm eating plant

Vacuum the gravel into a bucket, then check the bucket for the worms.

Are you really in Australia?

[Mzungu]

Re: Worm eating plant

What do the holes look like? Sometimes holes can result from nutrient deficiency, like Darkflames said. Sometimes they can be from fish nibbling on the plants, and sometimes from snails eating them. Lots of different possibilities.  :)

I'm pretty sure glass catfish don't eat plants.

[firsttime-fishkeeper]

Re: Worm eating plant

Are you really in Australia?

heh yeah i am... thats y im offline while ur online... time difference i think is 16 hours...

ill try vaccuming the gravel into a bucket.. luckyily the plants havent really had a chance to root =P

[Brownsnoutuk]

Re: Worm eating plant

So whos going to win the RWC2007, I know its not gonna be the USA.

I think New Zealand will probably win, but im Welsh so fingers crossed it'll be us.
We both know Australias not gonna win....

[Darkflames77]

Re: Worm eating plant

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nutrient.htm

That site tells you the effects of certain nutrient deficiency. Keep in mind that if you vaccum the gravel you lose the nutrients in the gravel since your sucking up all the mulm and stuff. But then again you could also get root tabs and things like that.

[firsttime-fishkeeper]

Re: Worm eating plant

hmmm i just skimmed through that site you gave me n all the signs are pointing to worms.... my plants have only 1 sympton listed and thats holes in the leaves but on the same leaves there are literally MUNCHES out of them....

[PlanB]

Re: Worm eating plant

Do you think you could get your hands on a newt? You could throw it into the tank to police the area. I have a newt that's really fond of worms and unlike a small turtle that would also be pretty good for worm-hunting, it would leave your fish and plant alone.

[firsttime-fishkeeper]

Re: Worm eating plant

hmmm and also i heard that snail killer is good because snails n worms are both invertebraes BUT i also heard that they usually contain copper sulfate or something and its like playin russian roulette with ur fish if u noe wat i mean

[PlanB]

Re: Worm eating plant

Yeah, I know it. I usually like to try something natural before turning to chemicals. Chems have helped me out before and made things worse.

[firsttime-fishkeeper]

Re: Worm eating plant

mmm i dun think i could get my hands on a newt... besides newts r semi aquatic... he/she wont have newhere to go out to...

edit: wahahahahhaha problem solved... i couldnt get my hands on a vaccum in time so i just picked the driftwood up n put it to the side n shoved my hand into the gravel n bam work came out =D caught it n it got flushed

the only thing im afraid of is that there r baby worms cuz i heard dat worms dun need anoda worm to make babies

[armthehomeless]

Re: Worm eating plant

yup... worms are hermaphroditic !!

[Brownsnoutuk]

Re: Worm eating plant

That doesnt mean they can impregnate themselves, just that they have both the male and female sexual organs.
They would have to be Asexual.