Hi everyone, I really need your help and advice because I’m honestly losing hope right now.

We recently started our first aquarium. We’re in week 4 of the cycling process — it’s a 70-liter planted tank. So far, we haven’t added any fish yet because our water test results weren’t great: • Nitrite was a bit too high • GH (hardness) was too low

Up until that point, everything was going okay. Then someone at the pet store advised us to buy Elodea (waterweed/waterpest) to help absorb nitrite. So we did — rinsed it thoroughly and placed it in the tank.

And now… a week later: ???? I suddenly started seeing small and larger bladder snails in the tank. I’m sure they came with the new plant. I’ve been manually removing the ones I can find.

But today I noticed something worse: ???? tiny, thin white worms crawling on the glass. After some Googling, it looks like planaria (or nematodes?).

I have no idea what I’m doing wrong.

Today’s water test: • Nitrite = 0 • Nitrate = low (looks fine) • GH = still too low I was planning to add Colombo GH+ to increase the hardness, but now I’m completely unsure what to do because of these worms and snails.

What really worries me is that this is happening without any fish or feeding at all. I’m scared it’s going to turn into a full-blown infestation.

So my question is: • Is this something that can still be treated or controlled? • Or is it permanent once it starts — should I just give up before adding fish?

Any help, reassurance, or advice would mean a lot right now. This was supposed to be a calm hobby, but I’m honestly stressed out and disappointed at the moment.