# Freshwater Aquariums > General Freshwater Topics > Tropical Fish Emergencies >  Something in my tank?

## Kirsty

Hiya, soz i dont know where to post.

I just went to feed my fish there and seen something on the side of the tank its moving about the tank but is stuck to the side of the glass and moving along there.  

Theres only 2 things i can think of that it is, is either someone having an egg (baby) or else a disease. im just not sure as its the first time ive had fish.

I have taken a picture, its not too good as ive taken it on my phone but i hope it helps.

I have also seen a few wee air bubbles  come out of it. 

Thanks in advance.

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## Kirsty

Here are more that look a little bit better.

However ive just spotted another 2 so there is 3 in total now.

Also theres a wee touch of pink in them and sometime during the week i got more tetras and 2 of them are pink.

I also noticed that on of them had a dark bit underthem yesterday which isnt there anymore. 


Hope it helps.Thanks

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## Kirsty

Just wanted to say thanks to Notanotherone and NJ for your help in me finding out my problem.

They both said it could have been a snail.  After a day of researching i have found out that this does seem to be the case.  When i bought plants for my tank last week there must have been jelly snail eggs on it and now they have came out. 

I have also read that they dont do any harm in your tank but they can grow very big.  For the time being i am going to keep them untill they start to grow big or else have loads of babies, as they do help to clean the tank.

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## Timo

Their little snails Kirsty. Not a problem for your tank at all, they will eat the alge of your glass for you.

If you start getting to many take them out!

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## Timo

How to remove snails from your aquarium.

Although these âcommonâ snails do not do any real harm to your aquarium, they can become very unsightly and reproduce at amazing rate. They tend to feed on leftover food and sometimes plants as well. On the other hand they aerate the sand preventing dead patches that may cause the roots of your plants to rot.

There are many ways to remove snails:

1. Spend a little time every day, once you first find the snails, pulling them out by hand. If you crush their shells many fish will swarm over to eat the dead snail. Or you can just throw them away.

2. My least favourite method is the addition of copper to the tank. Copper additives can reduce the snail population, as the element is toxic to most invertebrates. As an alternative to a copper based medication, some people will add pennies to their aquarium to increase copper levels. However this can be dangerous to your fish since you do not know what might be on a penny. Only use related medications as a last resort and also remember to remove the carbon from the filter when adding any medication.

3. Snail eating fish can also be helpful. Freshwater puffers (most of which are actually brackish water fish and need a little salt in their water and are typically very aggressive) will eat snails, as will some cichlids, and most Botia. The Clown Loach, Yo-Yo Loach, Dwarf Checkered Loach, Skunk Botia and the Bengal Loach are all Botia that may be found in a community tank and will eat snails. Remember when adding a fish to the tank to help with a problem like this that the new fish does contribute to the tank population. You could also add an apple snail that will do the same thing as the other fish if you do not have the size tank for a loach or a puffer

4. Possibly the best and most favoured method to remove snails in larger groups is tempt them with food. After the lights go off for the night and the tank is dark, place a jam jar on the substrate at the bottom of the tank with a piece of lettuce or cucumber in the jar and leave for a couple of hours or overnight. When you come back there will probably be several snails attached to the food in the jar. Remove the jar with the snails and throw away. Repeat over a couple of nights and remove whatever snails you see and you cannot go far wrong. You can similarly use spinach, scallions (green onions) or other fresh vegetables to do this and it is useful to anchor the vegetables to the bottom of the tank using, for example, a lead weight.

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## Kirsty

Ive only noticed 3 wee small ones they look bigger in the picture so we have decided for the meanwhile to leave them in and when they get a bit bigger take them out.  I dont really want anymore fish at the moment as i think what we have is enough and will do for starting off. they look bigger in the pics to what they really are (prob cos i took it very close up)

Thanks for all your help Nj, Notanotherone and Timo.

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## Gary R

Hi 
Sorry had a few days off with the mrs and kids....but its back to work now for me  :Frown:  
anyway snails  :snail:  i think they look good in a tank and they do a good job of keeping tanks clean.
when you end up getting to meany of them just crush  them against the glass, and they end up becoming food for the fish and the rest of the snails in there.

if you ever get into marine fish you would love as meany of them you could get your hands on  :lol:  as the marine snails are not cheap to buy.   :snail2:

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## Kirsty

From 2 days ago when i cleaned the water i noticed that there was wee thin white lines on the glass of the tank,  I just assumed its cos i cleaned the water, however 2 days later and they are still there.  

I was looking at the fish just now and noticed that the wee white things are moving around a bit, they are all moving in different directions.

I dont know what it is, and have looked around the internet and cant see what it could be. 

Could it be that the snails have laid babys or something and thats the way they start out, as i dont think its the way fish lay things.   But i dont have a clue about things like this 

 :snail:  :oops:  :fishy:  ???

Any one any ideas? 

If you need me 2 take a picture of it i can try and get you one.   :thinking:

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## Gary R

sounds like to me that you got hair thin worms which you get when over feeding these will be all over the glass of your tank.

do not feed them tonight and you should see them go by tomorrow....and then cut down on how much food you put in your tank.

Regards Gary.

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## Kirsty

> sounds like to me that you got hair thin worms which you get when over feeding these will be all over the glass of your tank.
> 
> do not feed them tonight and you should see them go by tomorrow....and then cut down on how much food you put in your tank.
> 
> Regards Gary.


Ok thanks but ive already not fed the fish for 24 hours, and just gave them a very very small bit today, thats when i noticed they where moving.  :Frown: 

Also if they dont go away will  i need 2 get something for the tank to get rid of them or clean it out completely.  :Frown: 

And is this a normal thing to happen?

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## Gary R

These still sound like hair worms to me Kirsty .....if you can post a picture for me and i will tell you.....you will 99% of the time see these if you over feed.

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## Kirsty

> These still sound like hair worms to me Kirsty .....if you can post a picture for me and i will tell you.....you will 99% of the time see these if you over feed.


 :oops:   The glass of the tank was covered in these when i first posted....Now i dont see any at all :o

Should i still not feed them for another 24hrs, and if so, will this be ok as i didnt feed them yesterday either. 

Thanks for your help.

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## Timo

Its sounds like Planaria, have a read from the link below,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planaria

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## Kirsty

Ok i have attached a picture i took 2 days ago when cleaning the tank.  I does look terrible, and sorry about this as its the only one i have. 

But i dont see them on the tank again. Do they come out when its dark maybe and thats why i seen them this morning?

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## Gary R

sorry about not being able to post yesterday ....but the works wireless internet is playing up.

i still think that this is over feeding so just cut down by 50% of the food you give your fish and this should stop this from coming back  :Wink:

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## Timo

> Ok i have attached a picture i took 2 days ago when cleaning the tank.  I does look terrible, and sorry about this as its the only one i have. 
> 
> But i dont see them on the tank again. Do they come out when its dark maybe and thats why i seen them this morning?


Lots of small micro organisms live in your tank it’s the bacteria in the sand, filters or gravel which actually keep your fish alive. The whole eco system will take time to settle down. Sometimes blooms happen and you will encounter many small creatures multiplying in your tank, don’t panic. If this continues for more than a couple of weeks then you have a problem but usually they use up all there recourses in the tank which they are feeding from and there number will vastly decease.

As they get larger your fish will probably eat them which is why the mainly come out when it's dark.

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