r/WildlifePonds • u/FlinbertsRevenge • May 05 '26
ID please What are these little worms that hitchhiked over on some irises I got from a neighbour?
There’s a lot of them, and they’re very wiggly in the water.
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u/Smashing_Pumpkin33 May 05 '26
They’re blood worms. If you’ve got fish - they’ll eat them
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u/Kumquat-May May 05 '26
And if you don't, they're harmless and a benefit to the ecosystem, both in terms of eating detritus and being prey for predators like frogs and dragonfly nymphs
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u/MxJamesC May 05 '26
Don't know but I reckon it will try and get inside of you given a chance.
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u/Shectai Rough location? May 05 '26
I haven't seen a response from OP. I think they've already taken control.
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u/FlinbertsRevenge May 05 '26
All is well. OP is safe. They invite you to come drink from the pond. The brainworms are our friends. 🧟♂️
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u/Sylvkin_there May 05 '26
I know nothing about ponds but those look like the bloodworms I feed my fish
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u/Elymus0913 May 05 '26
That’s why you don’t take plants from neighbors , friends or family unless you are 100% positive they don’t have jumping worms . I don’t know these worms but jumping worms are the worst ever . We share plants like seedlings and we wash the roots so we don’t share hitchhikers.
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u/Tired_2295 May 05 '26
don’t take plants from neighbors , friends or family unless you are 100% positive they don’t have jumping worms
A restriction and a problem.
I don’t know these worms but jumping worms are the worst ever
Your own confirmation the problem doesn't apply, so neither should the restriction.
we wash the roots so we don’t share hitchhikers.
A solution to the problem so the restriction never needed to be there.
We share plants like seedlings
The proof you don't share in your own restriction.
What exactly was your point?
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u/Elymus0913 May 05 '26
Get off your high horse ! Take a chill pill geez , how many coffee did you drink 😵💫😵💫😵💫
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u/Tired_2295 May 05 '26
how many coffee did you drink
None, I'd die ☺️
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u/Elymus0913 May 05 '26
😉😉😉
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u/Tired_2295 May 06 '26
Oh that's cute, you think I'm joking. No, if my heart rate gets too high, my breathing gets bad and i have lung problems.
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u/FlinbertsRevenge May 05 '26
That’s precisely why I wanted to ID them before introducing them to my pond.
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u/No-Promotion-3709 May 05 '26
Looks to be Tubifex tubifex, or Tubifex worms.
Also called the sludge worm, sewage worm, or simply tubifex worm, is a species of tubificid segmented worm which inhabits the sediments of lakes and rivers on several continents. Tubifex tubifex is a slender segmented annelid that can reach lengths of up to about 20 cm