Many people want to have a large aquarium at home, filled with bright tropical fish. But do not forget that a special closed biosystem is formed in the aquarium, which is very easy to disrupt by improper care. Of great concern are the suddenly appeared nematodes in the aquarium. Their importance for aquarium fish and the danger to humans will be discussed in this article.
Nematodes: what is it?
Nematodes are considered to be small round worms measuring no more than two millimeters. They are very active and are in constant motion. At the moment, scientists have described about eighty thousand species of nematodes, but in reality there are more than one million.
Externally, nematodes are similar to thin spindle-shaped strings, they live in large colonies and have high adaptability to environmental conditions. These worms can survive in almost the most adverse conditions, and their ability to reproduce does not disappear, but only increases.
Features of Nematodes
Nematodes belong to heterosexual worms. The female is larger and lays eggs. Nematodes breathe completely with their whole body, many have anaerobic respiration. This feature allows worms to survive in an oxygen-free environment.
Nematodes can be found almost everywhere: in water, rotting plants, land, and even piping. The main thing that is necessary for these worms is a humid environment. In its absence, they die or become less active.
Types of Nematodes
Of course, we will not list all types of nematodes, but we will clarify that for the most part they are divided into parasitic and ordinary. The latter are not able to harm humans or animals, their life cycle does not exceed several days and they are very sensitive to changes in humidity. Often, such nematodes do not withstand high temperatures and do not like soils with a high salt content.
Parasitic nematodes are more dangerous. They feel good in any conditions and infect all living organisms without exception. Such nematodes in the aquarium will lead to mass infection and death of fish colonies, and infected plants begin to wither and die in the shortest possible time. There are types of parasitic nematodes that coexist perfectly in the human body, and they have several stages of development, and often several hosts. That is, the larva is in one living organism, and the adult is in another. Nematodes are dangerous because they multiply very quickly and can move through organs. As a result, they affect almost all organs, which leads to severe diseases.
So, let's find out whether to worry if nematodes appear in the aquarium.
Where do they come from?
Imagine a situation where you relaxedly watching fish and suddenly white worms appear on the glass of the aquarium - nematodes. Where do they come from? And what to do with these worms?
Experienced aquarists know that there can be two types of worms in an aquarium:
Depending on the type of worms, a scheme of your actions will be built. If you really got nematodes, then don’t worry. Ordinary worms are good food for fry and some adult fish. Thanks to them, they grow very quickly and get all the necessary trace elements. Therefore, take an interest in what kind of fish the nematodes are a treat for and start them in your aquarium. In just a few days, the nematodes in the aquarium will disappear. But their appearance should be for you the first bell that you are not properly caring for your pets. Most likely, the abundance of feed caused decay and the appearance of worms. Try to feed the fish less often and reduce a single serving of food.
It is much worse if planariums are wound up in your aquarium, these worms are not so harmless.
Nematodes in an aquarium: how to get rid?
If you are still embarrassed by the worms in the aquarium, then try to get rid of them immediately after detection. Although none of the known methods guarantees a 100% result. Get ready to use various means. Nematodes in the aquarium are very tenacious.
First of all, increase the temperature of the water, the worms do not tolerate high temperatures and begin to die en masse. When the temperature of the water in the aquarium rises, adding ordinary table salt will be very effective. This will not hurt the fish, but the nematodes will become even more uncomfortable.
As additional funds, you can use special preparations from pet stores, they are able to destroy up to a hundred species of aquarium parasites at the same time. During the fight against nematodes, many aquarists advise to often add fresh water to the aquarium and siphon the soil. But in any case, not everyone can completely get rid of the worms.
Parasitic nematodes: how to recognize infected aquarium fish?
Parasitic type nematodes affect many aquarium fish. Scientists know more than six hundred species of parasites belonging to the class of nematodes that can kill the inhabitants of your aquarium.
Most often tropical species of fish become infected, one such individual, once in your aquarium, will infect the entire colony of fish in a few months. Parasitic nematodes can infect fish through excrement or directly from a living individual.
Primary infection is almost asymptomatic. Fish behave as usual, in some cases they become more lethargic with increased feed intake. In the future, the number of parasites increases, and the fish’s belly swells. With a large number of nematodes, the inhabitants of the aquarium may experience spinal deformity, leading to the death of the fish.
How to get rid of parasitic nematodes?
So, you realized that nematodes appeared in the aquarium. How to get rid of parasites before they kill all your fish? First of all, clean the soil more often and remove excrement - they contain more parasites. Be sure to use anthelmintic drugs purchased at the store. Depending on the severity of parasite damage, they can be used as a food supplement or diluted in accordance with the instructions in aquarium water. If one of the fish is very infected, then it should immediately be isolated from the rest of the aquarium inhabitants. So you save the rest of the fish from infection.
Is there a risk of human infection?
Many worry about how dangerous nematodes in the aquarium are to humans. This topic is really rarely discussed in the society of aquarists, but beginners are always very worried about their safety.
All owners of the aquarium are in constant contact with water, which may contain parasites. In addition, when draining water through a hose, it very often gets into the mouth. All this raises the natural question of whether the nematode is dangerous to humans?
Diseases of fish caused by nematodes cannot be transmitted to humans. In most cases, nematodes do not survive in an environment other than an aquarium, therefore, they will not affect human health in any way. You can get infection only after eating raw fish, which is absolutely impossible in the case of the inhabitants of the aquarium.
It should be borne in mind that other types of nematodes are dangerous for humans. They are found in raw meat and raw water.
Nematode for an aquarium: methods of cultivation
Live food is very useful for the life of aquarium fish, so some types of nematodes are specially bred and used as top dressing. Such safe worms are found in beer barrels, rotting plants and unpasteurized vinegar. It is vinegar cinemas that are the most famous nematodes that are fed to fry of aquarium fish.
Experienced aquarists breed nematodes at home. It is not difficult to do this, in a few days you can get a whole colony of worms suitable for feeding. Glass and plastic bowls that are not too deep are best suited for breeding nematodes; they must be covered with a lid with an attached wet sponge that maintains the desired humidity level.
In order for worms to actively multiply and grow, they need to provide a breeding ground. It is placed at the bottom of the bowl, and a small number of worms are laid out on top. The following products are suitable for nutrition:
- crumb of white bread soaked in water;
- oatmeal or oatmeal porridge with milk;
- grated carrots soaked in boiling water.
Live feed must be added in small quantities to the aquarium, otherwise it will clog the biosystem. Live nematodes can be in the bowl for no more than one month, in the future the food needs to be changed.
Nematodes do not always bring trouble, but aquarists must have good knowledge of the pros and cons of these worms in the aquarium.