Algae? Looks like Dendelion seeds...

[remedyseeking]

I have a 29 gallon freshwater tank in which I have 3 goldfish. 1 Telescope Moor and 2 Ryukins, they are all about the same size, no bigger than 2 inches for the bodies. I use an Emperor 280 filtration system and have the extra cartridge for carbon filled with Marineland Diamond Blend white/black carbon. It is still a new tank I have had the fish for almost three weeks. The lighting is on approximately 8 hours per day (sometimes it is on at night). It is just a florescent tube as far as I can tell. The fish are fed twice a day I use Sera Goldy Color Granulated food, they are fed no more than can be eaten in a couple of minutes. Some of the food escapes them and sits in the gravel at times hwever they seem to find it. MY PROBLEM : I arrived home today to see tiny particles attached to the glass. They appear to be white and closely resemble a dandelion seed. they are attached to the glass by where the seed would be and extended from that a thin line ending in a hair like particle...Should this concern me...because it does!!I appreciate any help! Is this what the other strings refer to as hair algae?

[Nooboon]

Welcome to the boards.

It doesn't sound like algae to me. I haven't heard of such a thing before.

Take a close look with a magnifying glass. Could they be snails? Are the moving? How many are there?

[remedyseeking]

well, i unplugged the filter to stop the water flow and pulled out the magnifying glass. the tiny particles seemed to stop moving, the parachute part seems to flow with the water. There are TONS of these things all over the glass, them seem to be spaced out an inch and a half from each other or so..evenly spread out all over the glass. they do not appear to be snails, however if they start that tiny it could be...

[Nooboon]

I have no idea, perhaps someone else will reply. If you haven't had a reply soon I'll ask another mod to take a look.
Keep an eye on things and keep us posted.

[vjvl51]

They sound like a worm or parasite to me. Unfortunately, I can't look in my books right now. If no one has answered in the morning, I'll see what my books say about it.

If your fish look happy - not gasping nor rubbing - I would say that they are feeding on the left over food and will not harm the fish. This appears to be a problem with goldfish as they are messy eaters.

Vickie

[remedyseeking]

After some research it appears they might be anchor worms...if they are anchor worms, any ideas for treatment?at this time the fish appear to be healthy..check out this link..
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~parasite/lernea.html..does this sound right/wrong to anyone?

Lernea sp
("anchor worms")

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Members of this genus of parasitic copepods are highly specialized morphologically. At first glance, they do not even resemble a copepod. The life cycle form seen most often, the parasitic female, is long and slender, and the anterior end is highly modified. No appendages are visible, although egg cases are easily seen.
These parasites get the name "anchor worms" because the female's anterior end is embedded or anchored in the host's flesh. These parasites infect a number of aquatic teleosts, and the infections can result in large lesions that can become infected with bacteria or fungi. These parasites are important pests of many commercially important fish, and infections of small fish may be lethal.


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A female Lernea (probably L. cyprinacea) from rock bass. These parasites can measure up to 12 mm in length.


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A line drawing an an entire female Lernea cyprinacea. The head or "anchor" is at the left.


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Lernea (probably L. cyprinacea) attached to the external surface of a bass (yellow rectangles). The hemorrhages associated with such an infection are evident.


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As copepods, members of this genus undergoes development similar to free living copepods. The above is an advanced nauplius stage

[vjvl51]

Sorry I didn't get back to the forum yesterday.

If they are anchor worms here is what Baensch's Aquarium Atlas recommends for treatment

"Try a 10 to 20 minute bath in a solution of table salt (20 g to one liter of water), and a solution of Masoten (2 1/2% solution for 1 to 10 minutes - Masoten is available by prescription only and is extremely poisonous) followed by a longer bath (several days) in Lindane (1 mg to 100 liters of water).

I would note - to the best of my knowledge (I'm not an expert), you usually find anchor worms attached to the fish not the aquarium glass. If you cannot see any on your fish, then I would look some more. (Your link didn't work for me.) Per Baensch again, "Lernaea are readily visible, though often you can only see the egg sac projecting. The worms usually attack the skin and rarely the gills. They may also penetrate the liver."

I think your "dandelion" sounds like a hydra but since I am not sure, I will ask Dave, the expert, to take a look at this.

Vickie

[AquariumPro]

These are either the holdfasts ("roots") of a new growth of algae, in which case they will eventually change color to green or brown, or they are Hydra. Either one would resemble Dandelion seeds. If they were Anchor worm, they would be attached to your fish, not the glass. Almost all fish parasites never leave their host except to breed, and the breeding forms of most parasites, including Lernea, are usually very small. What you have is either algae or a pest, and if it's not algae, it is most likely Hydra.

It is quite possible they are Hydra, and a magnifying glass would help to tell. Thy would be about 1/8" to 1/2" long with multiple tentacles at the end. Hydra almost always are introduced on plants added to the tank, but it is possible one came in with some fish store water. They are not parasites, but can sting very small baby fish. Without food they will die, but unfortunately, they can sometimes adapt to eating fish food. They are pests but will not harm larger fish like your Goldfish. Below is a close-up of a Hydra

http://www.aquariumpros.com/images/forums/hydra.jpg

Look at the structure with a magnifying glass and see if it matches this picture.

BEFORE you treat with anything, make sure what you have is not algae. If you have Hydra, the best solution is usually to dissolve a Tablespoon of aquarium salt per ten gallons of water and slowly introduce this liquid into the aquarium over about twelve hours so the fish get used to it very gradually. If that doesn't work, then you can try Dyacide by Aquatronics but be forewarned that this is a very powerful medication and should be treated at half dose.

[remedyseeking]

I believe they are holdfasts for new algea growth from your suggestion above. Nothing has changed color at this time. I did a 25% water change and this seems to have killed off the holdfasts that were in the top half of the tank. No noticeable color chang where I could see these things however my white gravel seems to be turning brown. Which I guess is the algea. Thanks for the help.

[vjvl51]

I'm glad it turned out to be algae. :)

Here is what Baensch says about algae on gravel

"The algae found on the bottom of an aquarium is often incorrectly called "brown algae". The true brown alage are seaweeds such as kelp, found only in the ocean. The "brown algae" found on the sides of an aquarium indicates a shortage of light. The glass appears brownish and seems covered with a thin layer of shalk. The algae can be easily removed with a sharp-bladed scraper. When similar algae is seen on the bottom gravel it generally indicates extra-hard water. Plants seldom do well in a tank with super hard water and the water values should be checked immediately. Replace part of the contents with soft, desalinated water. The quantity of light should be increased, doubled or more. You may need to add an additional tube or a more powerful bulb."

Vickie