Tubifex colony build up in my subtrate!!!!!

[equidorz]

i just got a bag of tubifex worm and fed them to my fishes. but those that the fishes missed drop to the ground and made their way into my ada subtrate. a tubifex colony seemed to be forming and its growing. any idea how to remove the worms? i dont wan to stirr my subtrate as i dont wan any ammonia spike. any one can help me? i heard there is a medicine midgex or something that can help me solve this problem. any one used the medication before? thanks in advance

[gummynut]

How are the worms bothering you? why do you want to get rid of them? i guess that they will eventually become fish food, so i guess that leaving them there for a while will not do any harm to your tank.

[ranmasatome]

wow..i love having natural worms in my substrate..

[soulfinder78]

I used to do that when i was having angels in my tank. every time when i don't see those worms wriggling from the soil then i go buy more and throw in.

angels love to pick them out from the bottom.

cheers

[equidorz]

acutally i dont mind if the worms are at the surface, the thing is they are gg deeper into the subtrate not near the surface and my fishes cant eat them. will the worms mutiply at a very fast rate? because i feel that it is kind of unsightly a bit gross also.lol.. any more suggestion? maybe fishes that will dig the worms out? or any medication i can use to wipe out the tubifex? and last questions any negative effects if i leave the tubifex untouch?

[bryan]

Lat thing you want to do is to use medication as it may complicate things. The worms are also a form of scavenger. They got to eat. If it really bothers you,a bunch of Kuhli loach or Corydoras should do the trick.

[equidorz]

oh. ok since so many bros out there suggest corydoras. then corydoras it will be. would buy some tomorow,hope it helps but even if it does not will the tubifex foul the water? or any negative effect to my tank?

[Jaffar]

I understand that corydoras may disturb some aquarium plants (especially the smaller one's) as the tend to dig into the subtrate when searching for food.

[equidorz]

yeah thats right jaffar they do disturb the subtrate and those plants, just hope they will clear the tubifex as well.. lol.. wish me good luck.

[cairocks]

Maybe kuli loaches will work if you really wanted to get rid of the worms. My kuli loaches basically keep my substrate clean of uneaten food as they wiggle their way under my undergrowth of mainly moss and pelia but never really disturb my substrate though I do not use ADA soil.

[taygu]

Agreed with Byran, using any medication may complicate thing. You may end up with ammonia spike.

You will have a never ending supply of clean tubiflex worm for your fish, is it good? Using cories will be good but need to be careful of the species as it may stir up your ADA soil..

[DazzleDiscus]

I have some young 1inch corydoras juliis in my 30gal community tank, and I haven't had a problem from them moving the small gravel around. Although, the guppies are a different story... I do agree with taygu- should be careful what species you get.

Another thing you might want to consider is shrimp, although depending on the type of fish you have this might not be a good idea as the shrimp will become snacks. I have 3 glass shrimp in the same 30gal and nothing gets by them in the way of food. One thing I like about them is that if there is any decaying plant matter that I didn't get out with the water change, I'll find them stuffing it in their mouths. They add some character to the tank too, especially when they get bigger. Anyway, hope this helps somehow.

[BFG]

A loach should be the option as they are thinner than a corydoras, which could bulldoze the substrate. Maybe an eel if your tank can accomodate it.

[aj5122003]

will the tubiflex worm grow in my stone gravel? no soil but with some plants rooted to some woods

[JasonRipped]

I doubt the worms can grow in the gravel itself because they have to be up at the surface to breathe too, and that's when they got eaten by any fishes that sees them.. No worries i guess..

[freyster]

Bro Try using this, cheaper and simple to solve your problems.


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[hurrumph]

i've tried those before but somehow the worms "leak" through it and they still fall into my tank.
Anyway - i've stopped feeding tubifex in my tank to prevent that from happening.
I have a whole bunch of pygmy cories and they seem to enjoy digging into the undergrowth without really uprooting anything