What's the best way to remove planaria worms from my freshwater tank?

Thanks for reaching out about your aquarium. Fenbendazole can be dangerous to use. The likely worms are not parasitic but commensals living in the detritus of the substrate. When doing water changes, try vacuuming the gravel/bottom, as this is likely where the eggs are hatching. Try controlling in this manner prior to adding chemicals/drugs. Adding some snails or fish that will feed on the worms might also aid in control. Good luck.

The best method to keep detritus worms in check is to perform regular tank maintenance. this includes regular partial water changes, vacuuming the substrate regularly, removing dead plant matter and not overfeeding. Detritus worms are a normal part of the tank ecosystem and play a large role as the "clean up crew". They will not harm fish. You can treat an overpopulation with praziquantel. Find it in the aquarium section of the local pet store. Follow label directions carefully and monitor for an ammonia spike from decaying worms. You will likely need to clean the tank (as described above) after treatment to stabilize chemistry and/or to improve water quality. Using this treatment does not mean you can skip out on regular tank maintenance.

It is not uncommon to get external parasites living in aquariums. For example anchor worms are really common and will bury into the fish leaving a white trail hanging out. I would suggest changing 70% water to reduce parasite and eggs, clean your filter and then treat the water with bettafix or bettazing which helps to kill parasites. Be careful you arent overfeedibg as this can encourage parasites.

Spanish Dancer Nudibranch (Hexabranchus sanguineus) are delicate animals which have very specialized diets feeding on a variety of tropical sea sponges. They are not ideal animals to maintain in marine aquariums. The Blue Velvet Nudibranch (Chelidonura varians) has a specialized diet feeding on Planaria (Red Flatworms). To eliminate red Planaria from marine reef aquariums, manual removal during water changes by utilizing airline tubing and physically siphoning them out is ideal, along with removing detritus and maintaining low nitrate and phosphate levels. Lastly, increasing water flow in the reef aquarium will also helps to keep red Planaria populations in check.

I can't blame you for not wanting to pick up the worms on your carpet, but unfortunately, that's the only way to get the job done. Consider putting on disposable gloves or using tongs to pick them up to dispose of them in the trash. I can't clearly see the worms in the picture that you've posted to determine which type of worms (roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms, etc.) that you are seeing. Roundworms resemble spaghetti, tapeworms resemble grains of rice, and hookworms look like longer, flat noodles with an "o" shaped mouth. Since Chance obviously has worms, be sure that he has been dewormed recently. Pyrantel pamoate ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1430 ) can be used to treat both roundworms and hookworms, and praziquantel ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=35693 ) can be used to treat tapeworms. Try to disinfect your carpet as well as possible (bleach would be ideal, but would obviously ruin your carpet) with a steam cleaner to kill any eggs that may be left behind, because Chance could become reinfected depending on the parasite present. I hope that all goes well!

It is quite possible the eggs are infected. This can be a difficult parasite to treat. It is reportedly resistant to most wormers. Levimasole may be your best bet. To be safe, the eggs may need to be removed, dried out on paper then discarded in the trash. Do not flush them or wash them down the drain. The same should be done with fish that die or are humanely euthanized.

The cone-shaped snails you are referring to are most likely Malaysian Trumpet Snails. A sustained population of Malaysian Trumpet Snails is supported by an abundant food source usually in the form of organic debris or sludge in the substrate. The green water algae can also be attributed to excess nutrients in your aquarium. If you haven't done so already, be in the practice of siphoning your substrate during every water change to remove trapped organic debris and prevent build up. While it maybe tempting to siphon your entire substrate bed, be sure to clean no more than 1/3 at a time to maintain a healthy population of beneficial bacteria that live in the substrate and make up a significant portion of your biological filter. Be sure to use a dechlorinator and a bacterial additive with each water change to ensure a healthy environment for your fish and biological filter. The population of Malaysian Trumpet Snails will diminish naturally over time as you reduce their food source. In addition to enhancing your maintenance regimen, consider the introduction of Assassin Snails for additional natural control. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=1075+3106&pcatid=3106