Flame Angle Worms?

[jh2pizza]

I have had this Flame in a qt for better than 6 weeks now. He has been the picture of health. Colors are vibrant, he is fat, eats good, A perfect fish!

Until this morning. When I went to feed him, I noticed this 2" or better white string like substance hanging from his butt. Worms?

 

[szwab]

That would be my guess. Unless of course he has been eating a lot of cheato lately.

 

[CleveYank]

I've noted this with new arrivals as well. It looks more like a casing than a worm. The ones that survive this of course it goes away and they pass regular looking waste.
I believe it is the fish's version of mucous and bacterial lining of their intestines. I think that when they shut down their feeding due to the whole capture, transport and arrival to your tank that the lining begins to shed like we do when we get very sick. Unless you see it wiggling it's probably not a worm.