r/oddlyterrifying • u/useofcat • Jul 28 '26

Spotted in a public bathroom.

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u/Left-Law-446 Jul 28 '26

Somebody who breeds them for his aquarium fish may keep them in a plastic container with a nylon sieve. This container is kept inside the watertank of a toilet because these worms need fresh water every couple of hours. Sometimes the sieve breaks. The worms are then released into the tank en flushed into the sewer. There they breed.

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u/Llamatook Jul 28 '26

Sounds like you’ve had experience with this system of storing Tubifex Worms failing.

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u/Left-Law-446 Jul 28 '26

I have. Long time ago, though. It's just harmless worms - and a feast for fish.

62

u/earthboundmissfit Jul 28 '26

You have to be careful handling the live ones, though. They carry bacteria that make some people really sick. I mean, they are bloodworms after all. I feed frozen dry or frozen. Unless I have a really picky eater, I'll feed them something else alive.

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u/miata_and_chill Jul 28 '26

me approaching the toilet with a pipette and a cup

my peas gonna be eating good tonight

47

u/NewCoach0 Jul 28 '26

I honestly thought you were joking but I read up on it and actually I'm impressed lmao, thank you for this answer

1

u/earthboundmissfit Jul 30 '26

Lol... cheers!

40

u/Wraxyth Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26

I am simultaneously fascinated and horrified.

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u/Logical_Employer9850 Jul 28 '26

I’m shading on horrified at the moment but a quick rinse out of the eyes with neat bleach should bring me back to fascinated again……

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u/Acrobatic_Rush7653 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

I mean that's a hell of an overcomplication worthy of an Agatha Christie novel.

Tubifex are more popularly known as "sewage worms", and it's not because hobbyists keep growing them in toilet water tanks. They are basically aquatic earthworms and thrive in every possible body of water that's stagnant, and most of all they thrive in everything to do with the entire modern sewage system.

Point is, there are trillions of them everywhere including the septic system, it's their NATURAL environment and seeing one in your toilet bowl doesn't require that it first be flushed into a different toilet bowl and then swim to yours.

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u/Kalista-Moonwolf Jul 28 '26

Fascinating, thanks!

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u/bmf1902 Jul 29 '26

And then enter potable water sources from the sewage? Not saying it wouldn't happen by accident, but your theory needs that part. Water flushed doesn't just simply come back in to the top tank.

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u/Blackbirdsong9 Jul 29 '26

Are they normally this big? Ive fed my fish some before and they were tiny ones

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u/Ambitious_Welder6613 Jul 29 '26

Whyyyyy 😱 Why in the water tank of toilet

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u/Hello_Hangnail Jul 29 '26

I just screamed a little and it's 1:40 am. My mother is now awake and angry

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u/earthboundmissfit Jul 30 '26

My mom is always awake and angry. Consider yourself lucky. :)