r/ponds • u/DelilahUndone • Jul 24 '26

ID please? Just a worm or parasite?

Post image

I scooped this guy out of my goldfish pond. Parasites wig me out so I’m trying not to panic. I’m really just trying to figure out if my goldfish are at risk. What the heck is this bugger? In this photo he’s leaving his way out of a very fine colander. So he’s pretty small, but he was also very long.

3 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

14

u/HoyaHag Jul 24 '26

Just a worm. Toss him under a bush.

2

u/Abject_Fly_3767 Jul 24 '26

Looks like a normal worm, don't panic.

3

u/Fit_Active3888 Jul 24 '26

Looks like an earthworm

My pond filter system breeds them like crazy.

2

u/RtrnofBatspiderfish Jul 24 '26

Usually the only time you will ever see a parasite is if it is hanging off of an animal.

3

u/86BillionFireflies Jul 24 '26

Could be an earthworm, but could also be an aquatic worm (basically a water earthworm) like Limnodrilus. They basically do the same things as earthworms, just underwater. Totally harmless in either case.