small algae eating worms or something..............

This also happened last year about this time. Note: the weather here in the Northwest is still ten degrees below normal for this time of the year. Up until about a week and a half ago I was battling green algae and string algae in my water fall. I was having to shoot it with the garden hose and then hit it with a scrubbing brush. All of a sudden I noticed that it looked like someone or something had scrubbed my water fall of ALL of the algae that was growing a week before. upon looking real close I noticed these small (for the lack a better way to describe them), thin worm type water slugs about three eights of an inch long. They seem to have come form no where I can explain, and every where they are, there is no algae. Looking into the pond, I have a normal thin carpet of algae all around the walls and bottom of the pond. I can't see any of these worms in my pond, if they are there I would able to see them because they are black and would blend in with the black walls of the pond and dark green algae.

These worms obviously are not or haven't been a threat to my pond or fish. Does anyone have any idea what these critters are and where they come form? I think this is a good thing, and would like to know more about them and how to cultivate their presents in my pond and water fall.

Happy ponding,

HI I hope they aren't leaches. The only places I can find or see them is where the water is flowing in the water fall. The shubunkin's appear to be quite healthy. My assumption would be that the little worm looking things are harmless to the fish.

Happy ponding,

Are they attached at one end to the surface and the water kinda swishes over them leaving them swaying just like the water?

Hi Esther,

No, their whole underside seems to be attched, because their bodies don't wave in the current. They kinda remind me of those little flat worms that we used to disect in Biology class in high school, but he are no thicker than they wide and about 3/8ths of an inch long. The look to be dark brown or black.

I'm not as concerned about their presence in the water fall as I am curious about where they came from. Remember, this is the second year they showed up.

Happy ponding,

Close, but no cigar. They look simuler, but aren't the same. The worms in the pics above are too fat and seem to be hanging on with thier mouths, not their whole body like a slug.

Happy ponding,

I did some searching on the intranet last night looking for larva or flies that may live in ponds or streams, but I just can't seem to come up with what I've got living in my water fall. I thought that maybe that JW was onto something, but that's not it either. I'm thinking whatever these little worms are, they don't seem to be to harmful. Thinking back to last year didn't stay around for very long, but I can't remember just how long. They could be some kind of larva for a bug or fly that hangs around water, just not sure. It is interesting how quickly these little worms have cleaned up the algae growing in the current of the water fall.

Happy ponding,

Now wait... At one point you said they were attached all along the bottom of their body and then you said they were attached by their mouth.

No, their whole underside seems to be attched----- seem to be hanging on with thier mouths [i]

I'm confused. Anyway,I have seen something like that in the creek that runs around our duplex. That creek has a slippery clay base and little things like that are attached all over the place. But I don't know what they were. I also wondered if they were baby leaches. But I've spent a lot of time in that creek cleaning it and have never found one attached to me. So I'm no help.

that's interesting. I didn't know we had anything like that in our northwest waters. Our water is usually to cold for something like that. I guess I'm wrong.

Happy ponding,

I have to admit, this has been interesting. The little water worms are now all gone now, and the aglae is starting to get darker from growth. My assumption now is that these little water worms were some kind of larva, and have turned into whatever they were going to turn into. Just like last year this time, they have come and gone.

Happy ponding,

Yep, the algae is coming back in the water fall. It was interesting to witness this unexplainable short life spam of whatever lived in the flow of water.

Happy ponding,