Help with worms in tank
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:25 pmI wanted to start this threat by answering these basic questions.
How big is your turtle? Around 4 inches
How long have you had it? 2 years and 3 months
What is the water temperature? 78 degrees
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes, Eheim Jager submersible
How much water is in there? It's about 3/4 of the way to the top of the tank
Are you using a water conditioner? We use Fluker's Eco Clean, once a week and Reptisafe when adding new water to the tank
Are you using any filtration? Yes, Fluval 306 canister filter
What is the basking temperature? Between 90 and 95 degrees
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Zoomed Medium Turtle Dock
Is there a UVB light? Yes
What have you been trying to feed it? Omega One turtle pellets (recommended by a previous poster)
When was the last time your turtle ate? Today
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40 gallon breeder tank
Is the tank near a window? It's about 4 feet from a window
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes, Franklin enjoy's playing with us while we watch TV
Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes
Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? No
I posted several months ago about residue building up at the bottom of my tank. One of the posters on here helped us to determine that they were detritus worms. When opening the canister filter we discovered quite a build up of what we believe are detritus worms. The problem initially started about a year ago. We normally clean any poop and debris out of the tank on a daily basis and feed our turtle (Franklin) out of the tank. Since my last post, we have done a full clean of the tank 3 times. When doing the full clean, we replaced all of the water, cleaned all of the items and the tank with a bit of bleach diluted with water and let them sit overnight, we changed all of the filter medium and cleaned out the filter. The last clean, we even quarantined Franklin in a separate container for 2 days (he was not happy). Unfortunately, the worms came back after 2 to 3 weeks. It seems that I start to see bubbles build up on the edges of the tank a week or two after the cleaning, then the worms start to slowly show up. I realize that a full clean is probably not the best option, but we have tried everything possible to get rid of the worms. When the worms are multiplying, I spend quite a bit of time wiping the bottom of the tank, suctioning out as much debris as I can, and adding fresh water on a daily basis. This can be time consuming, especially when done on a daily basis. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions as to how to get rid of the worms or at least manage the number of worms in the tank? It's incredible how resilient they are. We thought for sure that we would get rid of them the last time. Maybe we need to do another full clean and quarantine Franklin for a longer period of time to let the worms die. Other than the worms, Franklin is very active, he basks daily, and is a very social and a happy turtle. We try to take him out in the yard to walk around on a regular basis. I've attached some pictures so that you can get a better idea of the setup of the tank and what Franklin looks like. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
P.S. I realize that being about 4 feet from a window is not ideal, but we live in a townhouse and there really isn't another spot given the setup of our home.
How big is your turtle? Around 4 inches
How long have you had it? 2 years and 3 months
What is the water temperature? 78 degrees
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes, Eheim Jager submersible
How much water is in there? It's about 3/4 of the way to the top of the tank
Are you using a water conditioner? We use Fluker's Eco Clean, once a week and Reptisafe when adding new water to the tank
Are you using any filtration? Yes, Fluval 306 canister filter
What is the basking temperature? Between 90 and 95 degrees
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Zoomed Medium Turtle Dock
Is there a UVB light? Yes
What have you been trying to feed it? Omega One turtle pellets (recommended by a previous poster)
When was the last time your turtle ate? Today
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40 gallon breeder tank
Is the tank near a window? It's about 4 feet from a window
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes, Franklin enjoy's playing with us while we watch TV
Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes
Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? No
I posted several months ago about residue building up at the bottom of my tank. One of the posters on here helped us to determine that they were detritus worms. When opening the canister filter we discovered quite a build up of what we believe are detritus worms. The problem initially started about a year ago. We normally clean any poop and debris out of the tank on a daily basis and feed our turtle (Franklin) out of the tank. Since my last post, we have done a full clean of the tank 3 times. When doing the full clean, we replaced all of the water, cleaned all of the items and the tank with a bit of bleach diluted with water and let them sit overnight, we changed all of the filter medium and cleaned out the filter. The last clean, we even quarantined Franklin in a separate container for 2 days (he was not happy). Unfortunately, the worms came back after 2 to 3 weeks. It seems that I start to see bubbles build up on the edges of the tank a week or two after the cleaning, then the worms start to slowly show up. I realize that a full clean is probably not the best option, but we have tried everything possible to get rid of the worms. When the worms are multiplying, I spend quite a bit of time wiping the bottom of the tank, suctioning out as much debris as I can, and adding fresh water on a daily basis. This can be time consuming, especially when done on a daily basis. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions as to how to get rid of the worms or at least manage the number of worms in the tank? It's incredible how resilient they are. We thought for sure that we would get rid of them the last time. Maybe we need to do another full clean and quarantine Franklin for a longer period of time to let the worms die. Other than the worms, Franklin is very active, he basks daily, and is a very social and a happy turtle. We try to take him out in the yard to walk around on a regular basis. I've attached some pictures so that you can get a better idea of the setup of the tank and what Franklin looks like. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
P.S. I realize that being about 4 feet from a window is not ideal, but we live in a townhouse and there really isn't another spot given the setup of our home.