Urgent Care :: red worms in filter???

[lyndsey]

i was cleaning out my filter today for my 2 res and i noticed in the foam media little red worms that looked dead, and im wondering what ther are. i have my tank next to the window and it dosent have a screen, my turtles have been acting normal and ther temp is 76 degrees. but i changed the water and cleaned everything and put all new filter medias in but i have never seen anything like it before but i thought maybe it was mosquitoes larvae or some other type of bug that decided to lay eggs in my tank if any one has seen or heard of this please let me know. lyndsey

[marisa]

It could be planaria (which often come in on aquatic plants) or, since you said the tank was near a window, midge (mosquito larvae). In either case, it shouldn't bother your turtles. Clean the filter well. If you do give your turtles aquatic plants, rinse them well before putting them in the tank.

[lyndsey]

i think i may have found out what they are lol i googled little red worms i the first thing that poped up was this site http://www.ponddoc.com/WhatsUpDoc/FishH ... Worms.html
and this is what it said

Don't Get Rid of Those Little Red Wigglers...
...FREEZE DRY THEM!

Don’t be alarmed if you find little red worms in your filter material. They are nothing but harmless blood worms, the larvae of the midge fly. They are a very natural occurrence in the pond and, although they aren’t very attractive, are okay to feed your fish. After all, once freeze-dried, this blood worm becomes what marketers call "Tubifex Worms". They’re packaged and sold in pet supply stores as a fish delicacy.

Oh, and don’t start measuring how "dirty" your water is by how many worms are in your filter. Blood worms are found in "clean" water.

thank marsia you always have the answers

[marisa]

Not always (but I wish I did )

[TurtleMama]

I am so relieved to have found this post, even if its from a year ago. I just had the same problem although the larvae were VERY much alive when I opened my Rena filter to see what what clogging it. very disgusting, but I am so glad its nothing harmful.

[SpotsMama]

Thank goodness for this post!!!!! I just found them in Spot's tank. YUCK!!!!