Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently discovered my moss was turning brown. The next day discovered small white worms (like thread worms on the glass of my tank) in my moss. The were holes in the moss. Its like the worms ate it . Im furious! Please help. Today I didnt notice the worms.

AJC

I think what your seeing are nematodes. Nematodes are not normally a problem in a tank unless you have a heavy population of them. You'll usually see them when your tank humidity gets high. As far as I can tell, the types of nematodes I’ve seen in my tank have not bothered the moss or my frogs. However, they are very fond on frog feces or died flies. If you lower the humidity in your tank they’ll go back in the substrate.

Here a link on Nematodes:
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/pathogens/nematodes.html

While nematodes are a possibility, I think it is unlikely that you would see them in the numbers you are describing, and they are much smaller than what you have described (.4-1.1 mm in length). Check out the picture of Grindal (also spelled Grindel by some) worms at http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~rodpick/fd_grindal_worm.htm . You should have all the info there that you need. No, they aren't harmful to frogs, and usually only eat decomposing matter. However, they can have quite a voracious appetite when actively breeding.

I hope this helped.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

I looked into it a little deeper. There are literally hundreds of thousands of different species of worms and nematodes. As far as worms goes, it appears that the Grindal worms, Enchytraeus buchholzi, (I could not find much specific scientific information) and the Whiteworms, Enchytraeus albidus are used extensively in the pet industry. As description, it appears that I may have Grindal worms or whiteworm in my tank. The Microworms, anguillula silesiae and Vinegar eels, Turbatrix aceti are nematodes and are also used in the pet industry. These are close in appearances however, somewhat smaller then the worms species.

Regardless, all these critters do not eat live moss. They would prefer if it decomposed awhile. Thanks for the grindal worm.

I have cultured each of the species you mentioned in the previous post, and I can tell you that vinegar eels and microworms are MUCH smaller than grindal worms and whiteworms, and vinegar eels could not even live in terrarium conditions. Microworms give off a distinct odor, and are so small that you really need a hand magnifier (and preferably a dissecting scope) to see them. That's why it is unlikely that he is seeing nematodes . . . they're just too small unless you are really looking for them.

Whiteworms are an unlikely culprit in the terrarium because it is too warm for their liking (ideal temps in the 55-68 F range). Grindel worms do well in dart frog setups . . . I actually have some in my terrarium that rode in on plants. It is true that they are decomposers, but that means that they help speed up the decay of organic matter. When culturing these, you realize that their ideal source of food is milk-soaked bread (because there are complete proteins, etc. for rapid reproduction), but they will eat almost anything . . . especially if they are on a boom cylcle. I've fed them wilted lettuce, carrots, etc., and they have a voracious appetite when booming. So, they could have easily eaten moist moss, especially the "roots" of the moss.

While these are cultured in the pet trade (usually for tropical fish--that's how I became familiar with them), they are commonly found in soils with high organic content--i.e. commercial potting media, or even woodland soil where one might collect moss. It is true that it could be some other type of worm (yes, there are thousands of different varieties), but it is a good chance that they are grindal worms or a close relative that are harmless to frogs, but might be a pest during their boom cycle. Incidentally, they tend to rapidly decline after a boom cycle, and you might not see them again for months.

So, it is possible that
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

I havent seen the worms for two days now. So hopefully it was a natural cycle that I dot have to worry about. Thanks for the info.

AJC