Do you have any "live " plants if so it is probable that they are pond snails. This is not a problem. However the inhabitants could be an issue. Bettas and gourami are in the same family. Rule of thumb never have a male betta and gouramis in the same tank. Also the guppys could be a problem. male Bettas usually do not like other fish with big fins they sometimes consider them a rival. I have heard of all theese fish living together with no aggresion. But 99 out 0f 100 they will injure or kill each other.

I've never had any issues with gouramis and bettas - but in my tanks there are plenty of hideouts and floating plants to keep the fish comfortable and able to stake out clear territory.

Also it depends on the gouramis. Dwarf gouramis are fairly peaceful (compared to gold or blue or kissing) I've found in my tank, Moonlights and Pearls are also very peaceful gouramis and get along well in a community tank - including a male betta.

With the guppies - I've only been able to keep guppies going well in a tank with some salt in it. And I definitely agree - bettas and male guppies can be a disastrous mix.

They're probably not parasites because they weren't on the fish.

I'm just suprised the guppies and gouramis didn't eat them ;)

Adrea

Hello,

I wish to thank all of you for your responses.

After further research I think they are planaria worms. I have held feeding and will do so for approx. 48 hours, perform a water change with a good vacuum, clean the plastic plants and corral and reduce the amount of food introduced each feeding time.

To each reply:

Woeisme: No live plants. Previous female Betta survived with DG but died soon after BG and male Guppies were introduced. The two male bettas introduced have also perished in an environment with gouramies (if we get another Betta we will try a female - ideas?).

Skygee: Our tank has a "relatively" small base surface area as compared to the height of the tank. We are limited as to the amount of hideouts we can provide. PS, what do you mean by "floating plants"?

Isis_Nebthet: We concur.

Since our original posting we have lost more fish (RIP). The residents are now: 2 Upside-down catfish, 1 Dwarf Gourami (all long term survivors), 1 male Blue Gourami, 1 male Guppy.

Our water quality is the same. We wish to introduce more fish, gradually, and wonder what species would be appropriate. We are thinking of a female Betta and possibly Zebra Danios. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Tagary

I am assumeing that your aquarium wasn't completely cycled and the combo, fish load and possible overfeeding, spiked your ammonia level. That would cause the death toll and planaria worms. If your set up is new and still cycleing you should test your water daily. Treat accordingly.A suggestion on fish would be 1 angelfish they do well in hex type tanks. Also your taste seems to be the more colorful big finned fish , a black angel would be a nice contrast.Possibly a school of small tetras (neons,glowlight etc.) If you go with tetras get 6-8. They dont take up much space for fish load and are fun to watch. What ever you choose, add slowly and watch your fish load. With guppys 3 females to a male or no females (they get busy, alot)This goes with any live bearer fish.Good luck.

Aren't planaria flat & dark with a triangular-shaped head? We used to use them for experiments in high school biology.

That said, if you're talking about tiny, white, thread-like worms that have appeared on your tank glass, I've had them crop up from time to time - usually right after planting new live plants. They have never harmed my fish & seem to disappear on their own after a short while.

They do have a triangular head but usualy the ones found in aquariums are white. I'm sure they vary in color otherwise. They are pretty harmless unless they get into the gills of the fish. It annoys the fish and they end up scrapeing themselves into the gravel or rocks etc. A good cleaning of gravel and filter usually gets rid of them. Also not over feeding is a good idea.

argh. I'm having the WORST time trying to access this site everyday! It's really getting to be a pain. I can't seem to use mozilla - and aol access is spotty. I HAVE to use popup ridden IE!

In any case, floating plants - ie: little plastic plants that float up at top. Get the type of plastic that is soft - there are many out there that are fine for bettas. And I've found that my dwarf gouramis like to hang out amidst floating plants, too.

Thanks everybody!

I think woeisme may be right in that the tank was not fully cycled. The tank has been running now for about 6 weeks with owners who now have insight as to what we need to do - after an ignorant period of around 4 weeks (we bought an aquarium and we did not know what it would entail to keep fish - so sorry.)

Yesterday I did I big gravel vac - boy, the colour of the water removed opened my eyes big time! - cleaned all the plastic plants and corral. The catfish got a little stressed but then settled down. After the big clean and water change we introduced a new gourami and the other two have left him alone, that is they have looked, come close and left him be.

Today the worms have disappeared. Looks like our interventions and reduced feeding have helped.

Woeisme we will investigate angelfish as a new fish and possibly add a max of five more guppys or some tetras.

Thanks to all of you and all of your input,

Tagary

To verify a complete nitrogen cycle daily testing is essential. Breifly what to look for. Ammonia appears first then spikes to a dangerous level. The ammonia disapates and nitrite starts to rise then spikes to a dangerous level. Both nitrite and ammonia disappear and a nitrate reading is seen for a non planted tank 40-50ppm and below are safe. NO ammount of ammonia or nitrite are safe. DO NOT add any more fish until your tank has completed this cycle. It will only cause you aggrevation. After you have cycled slowly stock until you are at a manageable limit. Some gouramis get to 5" as adults the dwarf's only 2" the upside down cats I believe 3" guppys 1" that would be a total of 19 " always think of the adult size when stocking. 2 large gouramis in a hex could be crowded. This is a good forum and alot of issues are addressed. I stumbled on it looking for info for gardening since aquaria is an interest of mine I started to read posts. I also frequent another group that is hands down the best help.(of course this is my opinion) It has plenty of articles and is run by a person who can answer any possible question you have and will walk you through any problem you encounter. If you wish for a link or address I guess its OK to post it? I dont remember if there is any rule for suggesting a different forum. If you are interested let me know.