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FAQs on Freshwater Flatworms (e.g.
Genus Planaria)
Related Articles: Nematodes,
Flatworms, Anchor Worms and Other Worm Parasites of Freshwater Fish
by Neale Monks Invertebrates for Freshwater Aquariums by
Neale Monks,
Related FAQs: Freshwater Worms, Worm Parasites 2, Freshwater Worms, (Freshwater Worms of All
Kinds) & FAQs on: FW Worm Disease
Diagnosis/Identification, FW Worm
Disease Treatments, & FAQs on Parasitic Worms by
Group: Platyhelminths/Flatworms: ( Flukes, Planaria, Tapeworms and Leeches), Acanthocephalans, Nematodes/Roundworms (e.g. Camallanus),...
FW Invert.s 1, Aquatic Insects, Crustaceans, Shrimps, Terrestrial Hermit Crabs,
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Planaria Troubles
7/28/18
Hello WetWebMedia,
<Suzanne,>
Because I am not sure where to turn and there's no good reliable information on
Planaria anywhere, you are my last hope.
<Oh!>
I've been having a long lengthy battle with Planaria for a long time. But most
recently in a tank that housed my Apple snails. I never really understood
Planaria until I came upon an article that explained where it comes from and
what it does. And now I know. Well I am guessing that when my friend gave me
some plants, that's where it came from.
<Likely so.>
I had a colony of almost 100 apple snails in a tank and they were producing eggs
so prolifically that I started removing the eggs before they would hatch out.
Then they stopped laying altogether. And then they started dying.
<Ah, does tend to happen with Apple Snails; keeping them and breeding them is
often easier than trying to get adults to last more than 1-2 years. My pet
theory is that without some sort of dry season aestivation, adults 'burn out'
before long.>
I finally moved them to a smaller tank and only had a small amount of snails
left. I did a treatment to kill the Planaria in their original tank and thought
I would wait a while and then eventually put them back. In the mean time, they
seemed to be doing better in the smaller tank and I even found a small clutch of
eggs. But then I started finding dead snails again. And yesterday I found 4 that
were dead and had Planaria coming out of them. So I know that Planaria was
transferred to that tank.
<Possibly. Or via any wet surface, including filter media, gravel, nets, etc.>
Here's my question. I'd like to save these remaining 10 snails, but how can I
make sure that the Planaria is riding on them if I move them to another tank, so
I can treat the tank they're in now?
<While an antihelminthic should work (such as Prazi Pro) there's no certainty it
won't harm invertebrates too. So there's a risk. Keep aside a few juvenile
snails in one container, while medicating the rest in the main tank.>
I don't want to kill them, and so I'm unsure what I can use to kill the Planaria
but won't kill the apple snails? Is there even a way to do it?
Otherwise, I'm looking at losing every single snail I have if I do nothing.
<Surely the Planaria aren't killing the snails? Most free-living Planaria are
harmless. While they will consume organic material on flat surfaces (and
multiply rapidly where such foods are abundant) they aren't normally implicated
in fish health issues. Why do you think the Planaria are killing your snails?>
I really hope you can help. Thank you for reading my message.
<Most welcome.>
Kindest Regards,
Suzanne
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Planaria Troubles
7/28/18
Hiya Neale,
After having issues with Planaria for many years, I've always had a theory that
they are carnivorous.
<May well be, but lacking mouthparts, most of the free-living ones are limited
to whatever they can suck up. Some can suck fluids out of larger prey. Those
might be borderline parasites if the host doesn't die at
once.>
I've seen my snails die from the inside out,
<As Aaron Sorkin once reminded us on 'The West Wing', "post hoc, ergo propter
hoc" is not always true.>
plus I've seen Planaria wear away the ends of Tylomelania snails shells.
<I'm mystified how they might do that. If you're talking about the 'apex' of the
Tylomelania shells, those become abraded and lost with time anyway, and that's
absolutely normal for these snails. Planarians might gather there, I suppose,
for some reason or another, but they certainly don't cause the shell loss. How
could they? The shell is some form of aragonite, which requires either acid or
abrasion to break down, neither of which planarians could provide.>
For a long time people have been saying that Planaria are harmless and I've
disagreed.
<Planarians aren't that common in fish tanks, and the old school remedy of
keeping fish such as Paradisefish used to be quite commonly mentioned in
aquarium books well into the 1980s. But nowadays they just aren't seen that
often, outside of marine tanks anyway. For sure there are parasitic flatworms
(called Flukes) that do infest some fish, but the free-living Turbellaria (what
you're probably thinking of when you mention planarians) aren't normally
considered anything other than small scale predators.
There's not much for them to eat in a clean aquarium, so while you will find
them in ponds, they're just not that common in freshwater systems.>
Have a read of this article.
http://www.fish-as-pets.com/2007/11/planaria-detritus-internet-answers.html
<Some interesting ideas there, and yes, confusing nematodes with planarians
would be silly. I think the rather dramatic, even extreme tone of some of the
article is overkill, but hey, I'm probably not the target audience.
Encouraging people to read and think about what they find online is certainly
fine by me!>
I agree with their position on Planaria totally and completely.
<Not clear to me where the author suggests planarians can kill snails, but
s/he's right, they might take fish eggs or immobile fry -- though a proper
breeding tank should be kept clear of anything other than the eggs and possibly
the parent fish anyway. Snails, shrimps, and especially companion fish species
are FAR more of a risk to your breeding projects than flatworms.>
Thank you again.
<Welcome.>
Kind Regards
Suzanne
Re: Planaria Troubles 7/31/18
Hi Neale,
<Suzanne,>
I know there's not much more to say on the Planaria situation, but something I
observed tonight I wanted to relate to you.
<Sure!>
I went up to feed my puffers and other fish, and also to check on my Apple
snails. Well, now I'm down to just 5 snails because the Planaria have eaten
them. I also found a snail that was still alive, however it had quite a few
Planaria on the outside of the shell and where they were, the shell was chewed
down quite a lot and it was very thin.
<Yuck. But specifically: what's the pH of your water? Apple snail shells become
eroded in soft water, especially soft and acidic water. Once that happens, it
might well be that flatworms would opportunistically congregate there, feeding
on whatever organic materials or body fluids were released.
This might weaken the snail (Apple snails do seem to have a pretty weak immune
system) and overtime cause death. Not exactly saying the flatworms are at fault,
but they could exacerbate things. Apple snails are quite sensitive animals, and
really do need moderately to very hard water to do well -- under aquarium
conditions at least. They also do not seem to commonly live more than 1-2 years
without a 'resting' stage, and if they're exhausted by being kept in tropical
temperature water indefinitely, they do
start to weaken and die.>
So I went and rinsed them under running water and took a toothbrush and made
sure to get all the Planaria off. I've transferred those last 5 snails into a
tank that I am sure does not have Planaria, and I am hoping I rinsed them well
enough that no Planaria are inside the snails because I believe they do get
inside the shell and they eat them from inside out.
<I'm still unsure about whether the planarians are consuming sick/dead snails,
or doing something to healthy snails that's causing them to die. For years and
years aquarists would blame snails for killing their plants, but we're now more
subtle about the snail/plant relationship, and recognise that most of the time
small snails are simply eating dying plants, and the question aquarists needed
to ask was not "how to kill snails" but "how to grow plants better".>
Now, I realise I'm just an average freshwater aquarium keeper with no
qualifications in regards to Planaria or any other aquatic worms, but I've been
having issues with Planaria for the past 9 years easily (if not longer). At
first they were in my cherry shrimp tanks but then later in tanks with snails,
and I've seen through the years what damage they can do and I've come to
understand them a little bit better than most hobbyists.
<Understood.>
You may be completely right about Planaria not being able to penetrate through a
Tylomelania snail's shell ... but in all honesty, I'm not totally convinced.
<The apex of Tylomelania shells absolutely does wear away with age. I've kept
them many years, and all the big specimens have missing apices. Wild Tylomelania
are similar, so I don't think this is an aquarium pathology.
There's simply no way a planarian could dig through solid aragonite and pierce
the shell of an adult Tylomelania, and really, why would such a technique
evolve? If these snail-eating planarians exist, they'd surely go the easy way
into a snail, from the front!>
I really think that most people don't believe me when I discuss my experiences
with Planaria, and I am sick to death of hearing people say it's from
over-feeding or keeping a dirty tank because for me, that's just not true.
<Understood.>
Anyway, I won't keep bothering you about Planaria, but I do believe more
research needs to go into how these nasty little worms affect freshwater tanks
and snails in particular. I had 90+ snails and now only 5 survive and I can say
that Planaria played a direct role in the decimation of those snails.
<Don't get me wrong on this. There certainly are flatworms known to predate on
snails, including some "garden" flatworms such as Caenoplana coerulea that
naturally come from Australia and New Zealand, but have been introduced
elsewhere (including the US) and may be dangerous pests on useful garden animals
such as earthworms. Some of these can kill snails, and on tropical islands may
pose a real danger to small, native snails already under pressure from habitat
change, exotics, etc. But the vast
majority of flatworms seen in aquaria are things like Polycelis and Dugesia
species, which are demonstrably harmless -- you can have lots of these, and lots
of small snails such as Physa and Planorbis spp., without any obvious
interactions between them. It might well be that you have been unlucky and have
some sort of hitherto unknown species that kills Apple Snails. Let me suggest
that you contact your local university or natural history museum, and find a
biologist there able to identify the flatworms and find out if they really are
something new and different. This isn't completely impossible -- some unknown or
little known flatworm may exist in South America or somewhere, hitchhiked its
way into your aquaria via a plant, and unfortunately for you, it's taking down
your Apple Snails. Furthermore,
snails, like most large animals, can be infected with parasitic flatworms, and
these absolutely can do serious harm, even causing death at high parasite loads.
Identifying these is difficult because they're usually inside the host, and
you'd need a parasitologist to help you out here. But to restate once more: for
most people, most of the time, flatworms such as Dugesia spp. aren't really a
problem. They consume micro-invertebrates, and while a pest in a breeding tank,
are otherwise easily controlled. Many fish
will eat them, most notoriously perhaps the Paradisefish, but most predatory
fish will eat them when hungry.>
There is no good reliable information on the internet or anywhere else that I
can find to help people with Planaria in freshwater aquariums. It shall be
interesting to see if those 5 that I removed from the infected tank survive or
if I've inadvertently transferred Planaria with those snails.
<Larvae or eggs could easily survive, so if you want to eliminate the flatworms,
you really do need to be using an antihelminthic and hoping the snails are
unharmed.>
Thank you for hearing me out.
<I understand your frustration! But honestly, my fish vet books all state
free-living flatworms are harmless, towards fish at least. This isn't to say
that your flatworms are harmless and you're totally imagining things -- but you
do seem to have a very exceptional situation that bears further investigation,
though probably by qualified scientists rather than other fishkeepers.>
Kind Regards,
Suzanne
<One last thought. Don't confuse flatworms with leeches. Leeches are equipped
with biting teeth, and would be well able to suck the 'juices' out of an Apple
snail. Leeches are not common in fish tanks, but they do occur in ponds quite
frequently. Leeches look a lot like flatworms, but they have suckers at each
end, and when released into the water, having a powerful, rather beautiful
undulating swimming motion rather like that of a sidewinder snake, albeit
vertically rather than horizontally. Some flatworms can swim, of course, but at
best they ruffle the edges of their bodies and their swimming is much less
purposeful. Cheers, Neale.>
Planaria or similar in freshwater tank
8/29/15
Hello, I am writing due to an issue I am having in my freshwater tanks. I have
several, including one community, one invertebrate, one snail only and one
Corydoras only. The issue with the worms began in my invertebrate tank.
Honestly, this freshwater home is what I call a "mercy tank". I started it to
save the uninvited guests that I would often find in newly purchased plants,
driftwood, etc.
<It sounds a really neat idea.>
This small tank now inhabits few species of dwarf shrimp, "pest" snails and most
recently Planaria.
<Planarians are safe and common inhabitants of fish-free aquaria.>
I assume these problematic worms to be Planaria based on what I have read in
prior posts on your site. They are tiny, skinny, white worms that seem to do no
harm to those around them.
<Correct. They're fascinating animals under a microscope too, with all sorts of
weird biological quirks to read up on.>
Plus I have to admit I often neglect the mercy tank since it isn't something I
enjoy having.
<Benign neglect isn't a bad thing.>
Regardless, it is not filthy at all..and because of the dwarf (grass) shrimp I
take better care of it than I normally would. After spotting the small worms, I
began to clean the mercy tank more frequently. I have seen an improvement.
<Correct. Planarians like these will be feeding on organic detritus, and the
more you clean the tank, the less food for them.>
Now, to the problem! I always rinse my tools in hit tap water before switching
tanks, but today I suddenly saw a few of these white worms in my snail tank.
This tank is not neglected or overfed. I am confident that the worms were
transferred due to lack of proper sterilization of my equipment.
Am I possibly correct?
<Likely so, but could just as easily got there via aquarium plants or the snails
themselves. Most aquaria (probably all) have at least some planarians in them,
but being very small and often nocturnal we rarely see them.>
I have read about fluke tabs on your site. Are these safe for snails?
<Almost certainly not. It's a pretty obsolete medication that's not widely
recommended anymore. Lots of horror stories on the Internet if you can to
peruse. GeoChem "No Planaria" is a much better alternative.>
I would like to end this issue before it spreads to the tanks in which my fish
inhabit. Plus, I am grossed out!
<Dipping shared equipment in aquarium steriliser will prevent
cross-contamination, but bear in mind numerous fish will eat flatworms when
hungry, so it's pretty rare for them to become a problem in FW aquaria unless
that tank is seriously neglected/dirty.>
Please help.
Thank you,
Felicity
<Cheers, Neale.>
Want to add toy original email: plarania or something similar
8/29/15
I just noticed that my snails seem to be bothered by something I can't see.
Two of my Malaysian trumpet snails were climbing the glass to the surface, then
appeared to be shaking.
<MTS will rise to the top of the tank to get to the oxygenated water if the tank
conditions aren't good. If you see them climbing the glass during the day, as if
abandoning the gravel, that can be a bad sign (at night its normal for them to
climb on the glass).>
I have a mystery snail as well that looks as if it is biting or scratching it's
body directly under it's shell. They all look irritated.
<Possibly so. Check water quality and pH.>
Is this a vicious species of Planaria or am I dealing with something much
worse??????!!!!
<There is indeed a predatory flatworm called Procotyla that will attack small
prey, even baby shrimps (though not fish). Cheers, Neale.>
Planaria snail control ? 5/29/13
I'm ashamed to admit it but carelessly let some pond snails into
the tank with a plant introduction. It's not a huge problem,
just occasionally get some baby pond snails on the glass which I scrunch
out by hand. It's never become as much of a problem as I feared and
maybe this is the reason, but I've never read about this anywhere else?
While watching the tank through a magnifying glass the other day, I saw
a planarian. I know at least one lives in there but as long as it's just
a couple I can live with that. In fact, it turns out to be good, maybe …
<Maybe…>
Anyway, watching it and suddenly zoom ! this guy/girl kicks into
overdrive and rushes across the tank and throws a boa-constrictor hold
on a tiny incipient pond snail pest. They can actually move pretty fast.
Why it chose that one is another mystery, there were a few others in
between that he/she ignored. I watched while it wrapped around and
around the baby pond snail, then eventually the snail was gone. The
juvenile pond snail looked to be bigger than the planarian but
eventually it vanished. Then I went to the reference shelf of the world
and found that the mouth of a planarian is in the middle of its body.
That explains the wraparound.
<Indeed it does.>
I don't imagine most people would want to introduce Planaria into the
aquarium to keep down the snail population but I found it fascinating,
and now like the Planaria more than previously :) The world is pretty
interesting, yes ?
<Quite so, and I've never seen this behaviour nor heard of it. As you
rightly point out, people who dislike snails probably won't want to add
a bunch of flatworms, but it's good that your aquarium seems to have
some sort of ecological balance. This is something marine aquarists
strive for, but freshwater aquarists rarely consider. Thanks for writing
in with this interesting observation. Cheers, Neale.>
"Slash" our Oscar, concerns w/
"worms" in the tank 8/12/08 we got an
Oscar about 4 months ago, and he has come around pretty quick! he is an
amazing fish, as he is our first Oscar. he has had these little
"worm" looking things on the inside of the tank, they are
extremely small, and move around. they have not attached to him, and
don't seem to be bugging him, but they are driving me absolutely
crazy!! we feed him a high grade pellet food, and about 1-2 times a
week he gets frozen treats like meal worms, or brine shrimp. he is in a
55gal tank, with a power filter for 50-60 gal (up grading to a canister
filter), we also do about a 30 % water change weekly. I know its hard
without seeing it, but what could these "worms" be? and how
the heck to we get raid of them!? thanks for the help!! Desiree, Todd
and "slash" <The "worms" are most likely
Planarians, in other words flatworms. They feed on the food you've
given the Oscar. As you know, Oscars are very messy fish. The fine
particles they produce get everywhere, especially if the tank is
inadequate and water changes are infrequent. In both regards,
you're at fault here: cichlids need BIG filters, and you should be
using a filter offering NOT LESS than 6 times the volume of the tank in
turnover per hour. Forget about the rating on the box telling you X
filter is for Y sized tank... these estimates are based on best-case
situations where a tank contains few, small fish, Neons for example --
not Oscars! You also should be doing AT LEAST 50% water change per
week, with the gravel cleaned on a regular basis. It's the stuff
you're not removing that the Planarians are eating. While harmless
in themselves, they're a "wake up call" telling you of an
underlying problem. Long term, excessive nitrate in the water will lead
to issues such as Hole in the Head that are a real bother to treat. So
please, upgrade your tank (too small for adult Oscars), upgrade your
filter, and step up the water changes. Do this and the Planarians
should fade away in time. Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/oscars.htm Cheers,
Neale.>
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Are these baby algae eaters? Or
What? Perhaps Gyrinocheilus... -12/14/07 Hello. Thank
you for reading this.. <Welcome Karen> A while ago I
replaced our algae eater (I am not sure of type -sorry) that had
died. The store gave me two of them. The smaller of these two
also died 3-4 weeks ago. The remaining algae eater has gotten
longer and larger. Tonight, I noticed that there were a lot (like
100 or so) of little tiny (less than 2/10 of a centimeter)
whitish-cream moving creatures all along the sides of the tank.
They are long and thin. They are sort of ovalish -long oval. The
edges are clear. <Interesting> I am assuming that they are
baby algae eaters. I have spent the last 2 hours looking and
looking online for info on this. And, no luck, no photos.
<Mmm, maybe on Fishbase.org... through some of their
specialized links... IF we can first discern the species here>
Okay, I keep taking a second look at the tank....But, now I am
not sure, there were a few crawling up the side -outside of the
water. Ugh, there are hundreds of teeny tiny - like 1/100th of a
centimeter in there. What the heck are these? I don't even
think I could take a photo to send it, they are so small. I am
ready to open my kids Eye Clops, that is waiting for Christmas,
just to get a better look at them. <Need a pic... Cyclops? No
worries re placing these> Here is my tank info. I have one
nice red Betta fish (who did not eat its food today-maybe eating
these little things?) It is in a non heated tank. <Needs a
heater... to be heated consistently... To be/stay healthy... IS a
tropical fish> It is a 5 gallon tank with a few fake plants
and one fake piece of coral rock. The Betta has been with us for
nearly 2 years. But since the algae was getting a bit much to
clean each month, I brought in an algae eater. I feed the Betta
Wardley's Essentials Betta premium food (2-3 pieces per day) and
since I had just cleaned the tank before putting in the two new
algae eaters there was not a lot of algae growing and I purchased
Aquarian sinking algae chips -which the remaining algae eater
eats one chip in one day. What do I do if this is some sort of
infestation - from what? Or is it really baby fish? <Do see
the Net re the word: Gyrinocheilus... is this the fish? I would
do nothing overt here... but would read re Betta Systems:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bettasysart.htm, get that
heater... Bob Fenner> Thank you again. Karen
Re: Are these baby algae eaters? Or What?
Flatworms 12/18/07 Thank you for your input. From
one of your referenced sites, I found that these little white
things are Planaria. I remember dissecting these in Biology in
college. Neat, but not so neat in the fish tank. The fish seem to
be eating them. Since there are a lot less now. Thank you again.
Very helpful. Merry Christmas! Karen <Neat! Thank you for this
follow-up. Bob Fenner>
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Spawning worms 11/28/07 Hi, Hope you can help me
with a 'wormy' problem. My fish (goldfish) spawn and I remove
the eggs and put them in a separate tank for hatching. Within two weeks
of them hatching I notice that I have red baby worms as well, I think
they are called nematodes. How do I get rid of them. I have tried
various means in the past even boiling the gravel etc but they just
come back. I only have them when I have babies, I have had no luck with
internet search thus far. If I leave the worms they grow into long
spine shuddering wriggly things, the adults don't have worms in
their tanks so where do they come from. I really want to get rid of
them. I tried a 'commercial' fish de-wormer (for the adults)
available from my local but that obviously has not worked either, any
suggestions you can make I would be very grateful. Best Regards,
Gillian <Hello Gillian. The good news is these worms almost
certainly aren't nematodes but probably insect larvae (chironomids)
given their red colouration. Even if they were nematodes, the
free-living sorts that appear in aquaria don't do any harm. Anyway,
assuming their insect larvae, they're getting in by insects laying
eggs on the water or with live food or plants. They don't cause any
problems, and adult fish will readily eat them. After a few weeks they
turn into a pupa (looks like a pod with a tail that hangs at the
surface) and then the adult midge appears and flies away. The easiest
way to fix the problem is to stop them getting in. There are no
medications useful for killing insects that are safe to use, so trying
to kill them isn't going to happen. Scoop them out and dispose of
them, and then ensure adults can't lay their eggs in the tank by
covering the tank with a lid. I personally wouldn't worry about
them, and would recommend you use them as live food for surface-feeders
like halfbeaks and Hatchetfish. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Spawning worms 11/28/07 Hi, Thanks for
replying. I must admit I'm not convinced about the insect angle as
I only ever have these worms when the fish have spawned and I have fry,
certainly have not seen anything like the pupae you described. It would
seem the only way to get rid of them is to dump the gravel and replace
all filter material once the young fish go to new homes etc. I
don't think they do harm the fish but there are just so many, they
get into everything and they grow rather long and the 'stick'
to the tank sides and the bucket when I do a water change. They are
just revolting. Once again Thanks for advice. Gillian <Ah, you
didn't say they were stuck to the glass. This suggests they are
Planarians. Again, harmless, but planarians are almost always connected
to overfeeding and bad aquarium maintenance. They consume detritus and
the micro-organisms that live in messy tanks. They are typically around
10-20 mm long, rarely much bigger, very flat, and often some shade of
reddish-brown. Removal is tricky, but certain fish, most famously
gouramis and Paradisefish, will eat them. Basically you need to
manually remove them with each water change, and then make sure you
keep the tank clean so the remainder can't reproduce rapidly.
Eventually the population will die back. Changing the gravel and filter
media would work too. They are rather neat animals and worth
appreciating, though in vast numbers they to indicate deeper problems
with the tank that should be addressed. Planarians will eat fish eggs
and fry, so you don't want them in a breeding tank. Cheers,
Neale.>
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Sick fish and some sort of
parasites 10/25/07 Hello. How is everything? I am once again,
in need of your guidance. I have a 55 gallon tank with 2 great
filters. I have 3 adult mollies, (5) 3 month old mollies, 2 dwarf
gouramis (male and female), and 7 adult mm platies and (2) 3
month mm platies. My tank is 6 months old and is well
established. On Saturday 10/20/07 I cleaned the tank out and
scrubbed the walls of it. There was some sort of white almost
microscopic worms all over it. Where could this come from??? I
use algae tablets and clean the walls every Saturday. I noticed
last night my molly with a beautiful tail has fin rot, so I began
treatment last night with some medicine. Maracyn. I removed
carbon from filters. This morning the white skurmmyworm things
are BACK....and are everywhere. Any advise. and 2 of my mm
platies are covered in slime...so they going to die Melissa
<Hi Melissa. The worms are either free-living nematodes
(thread worms) or free-living planarians (flatworms). In either
case, they're harmless. But they are an indication that your
tank has a lot of organic material lying about, because
that's what they eat. In a clean tank, these worms are simply
not a problem. So, given your other problems, I'd worry less
about the worms and more about the water quality. Mollies and
Platys are both sensitive to water quality, and Finrot and
Fungus, the problems you have, are caused directly by poor water
quality. Have you checked the nitrite and ammonia levels in your
aquarium? These need to be zero. Furthermore, Mollies have very
little tolerance for nitrate, so nitrate needs to be less than 20
mg/l. Regardless, "cleaning" an aquarium has very
little to do with scrubbing the glass. Indeed, tanks that are
covered in algae and look messy can have superb water quality.
Conversely, plenty of superficially clean aquaria have terrible
water quality. So, make sure you are doing all the basics:
Don't clean the filter too often, and when you do (maybe once
every 2-3 months) do no more than rinse the media in a bucket of
aquarium water. Don't waste your filter space with carbon;
instead, fill it with biological media. Sponge, filter wool and
ceramic media all work great. Make sure you do regular water
changes. 25-50% per week is a good amount. You tank isn't
heavily stocked, so you should be fine keeping these fish. One
last thing: Mollies do much better in brackish or salt water than
they do in freshwater. Adding 4-6 grammes of marine salt mix per
litre makes all the difference. If you absolutely must keep your
Mollies in freshwater, it is ESSENTIAL that the water is
spotlessly clean (zero ammonia and nitrite, and minimal nitrate)
and that the carbonate hardness is very high (at least 8-10
degrees KH). Otherwise, keeping Mollies becomes an uphill
struggle against disease. Platies tolerate slightly brackish
water very well, as will most other livebearers. But Dwarf
Gouramis not so much. For now, you need to treat your fish with a
combination Finrot/Fungus medication; Maracyn should do the
trick. Do make sure you remove carbon before using it though.
Lots of people forget this critical step, and wonder why their
fish medications never work! Once you're done, remember: Fish
are basically very healthy and trouble-free animals -- provided
you give them the water conditions they want! Cheers,
Neale.>
Re: Sick fish and some sort of
parasites 10/25/07 I should have mentioned that everything is
reading PERFECT. Zero ammonia and zero nitrate. The pH is
7.0....I really don't know what is wrong. I am using Maracyn
powder packets with carbon removed. How do I get rid of these
little white worm things. They are really grossin' me out and
are very unattractive. They have multiplied very fast.
Also.....my mollies had a ton of babies......they are doing well
it seems.....and have been in the tank for about 4 days. Thank
you so so much for all your time <Well, for a start, pH 7 is
way too low for livebearers, so that's likely a problem. What
this pH says is that your water likely lacks mineral content.
When keeping livebearers, the general hardness (dH) and carbonate
hardness (KH) are the keys to good health. Test the water and
find out. You want at least 5 degrees KH, 12 degrees dH, and
ideally above 10 degrees KH, 20 degrees dH if you want your
Mollies to do well. Nice and hard water should have a pH around
7.5-8.0. There are two approaches here. Firstly, you can add
Malawi salts to the water each time you do a water change. Malawi
salts are NOT tonic salts. Malawi salts are added to the water
like tonic salts though, and once dissolved into the bucket of
water will raise the hardness very effectively. A 50% dose
relative to what you need for Malawi cichlids should be fine, so
if the box says it'll treat 100 litres, it'll do 200
litres in your aquarium. Alternatively, you add crushed coral to
a filter. As the water washes past the crushed coral it will
absorb hardness minerals. Likely every month you'll need to
clean this crushed coral because bacterial slime makes it
ineffective over time. So compared with adding Malawi salts this
is "cheap and cheerful" but a little more work. It goes
without saying that while all livebearers like "rock
hard" water, not all other tropical fish do, so you need to
choose tankmates with care. This is why you have to research fish
before buying them. But please understand this: if your water
chemistry is too soft and acidic for livebearers (which it seems
to be) they will never stay healthy. Simple as that. Do you know
anything about gardening? It's like trying to grow heather in
an alkaline soil: the plant wants an acid soil, so however much
you try to help the heather, it'll just die. As for the worms
-- their numbers are directly proportional to the food in the
tank available to eat. Cut back on the food you give your fish,
and remove uneaten food at once, and Mother Nature will take care
of their numbers! They'll die back gradually. Really, these
worms aren't a problem, and in a stable, properly maintained
aquarium you hardly ever see them. Cheers, Neale>
|
Thin Clear - Whitish Worms - Nematodes/Planaria 7/21/07
Dear WWM, <Andrea with you tonight, Jean> Today I had noticed a
several thin, clear, whitish worms crawling up the side walls of my 6.6
gallon freshwater aquarium tank (visible by a bright aquarium light).
<Planarians or nematodes, most likely. Sign of overfeeding. Cut back
to once every other day, only what your fish can eat in about two
minutes. Net out any uneaten food remaining.> Once a week, I
maintain my tank by vacuuming the gravel and performing a 20 percent
water change. I always premixed my water with aquarium salt and stress
coat, a night or two before I perform my tank maintenance.
<Fantastic regimen. You can dump the salt, it is worthless as a
tonic, and can actually harm some fish. I prefer Prime as a water
conditioner. Less used per water change, and no additives other than
what is needed for neutralizing chloramines/chlorine from tap water.
Prime is a great product. I highly suggest it.> Recently, I treated
my Betta with Jungle Parasite Clear because he had contracted a
parasite. This parasite problem was due to me feeding him live black
worms, which I stopped feeding him. <Shame. I bet he loved the live
feeders. Don't discount them in the future as a treat. Bettas love
them. Perhaps another live feeder provider?> My question is, can
those thin, clear, whitish worms crawling up the side walls of my tank
be a parasite? <Not likely.> Is this dangerous to my Betta?
<He will likely eat them. Not a danger.> If so, how can I get rid
of them? <Reduce feedings, water changes, deep gravel vacuum.>
Treat my tank with Jungle Parasite Clear again? <No, unless the fish
is sick.> Please give advice. Thanks again for all your help; your
site is the greatest. <Anytime, we are here to help!> Jean
What are these tiny brown worms in my 10 gallon
aquarium? 7/21/07 Hi my name is Donna, I've had my 10 gallon
fish tanks for about 3 yrs I was changing the filter tonight and I
noticed a couple of little brown looking worms that are located on some
of my artificial plants that I let float in the top of my tank for my
baby guppies to hide in are they dangerous to my guppies and platies ?
what are they ? and how do get rid of them ? should I completely break
down my tank I was hoping to be able to wait a couple of weeks before
breaking down my tanks until my new mobile home is set up so could put
all my fish in my 55 gallon will my fish be ok till then ? <Hello
Donna. These worms are almost certainly planarians. These are usually
flat and liver-coloured, and around 5 mm long. The slide along things
rather than wriggle. Sometimes they slide along the surface of the
water. They are harmless, although they will eat fish eggs and are a
nuisance in tanks where egg-laying fish are being bred (been there,
done that!). Otherwise all they do is eat microscopic organisms and
detritus. In a tank with guppies and other livebearers they are
harmless. Besides, getting rid of them is difficult and only worthwhile
if they cause a problem. Some fish will eat them (paradise fish are
famous for this). They're interesting animals and worth reading up
on when you get a chance. Cheers, Neale>
Re: what are these tiny brown worms in my 10 gallon
aquarium? -- 07/23/07 thank you so much for replying to my email my
guppies seem to like eating them and as long as they wont hurt my
guppies or platys then I guess I can look at them like free fish food
for my fish I'm glad to hear that they won't hurt fish cause
I've never seen any creatures in my aquarium until I found these
the other day my fish seem to have gobbled most of them up and I will
take your advice and read up on these planarians I want to find out
everything I can about them since it's my first time ever seeing
them I don't know what I'd do if something happened to my fish
I love them sooo much and my children do too thank you for such a fast
reply to my email. <You're welcome, and yes, it sounds as if
those worms are just free fish food! You'll enjoy reading about
planarians. Among other things, they're famous for being able to
regenerate from even the tiniest pieces. Cheers, Neale.>
Dear Brandon, <Hello again Jason.> I know putting the
BTA in my 180 gallon was a bit premature however its
previous 55 gallon tank had sprung a leak and I had to transfer it
over. <You gotta do what you gotta do. I was just
illustrating that these animals need established systems that's
all. Further, I suggested that you read up on the care of
these critters, because you seemed shocked by what is an ordinary
occurrence.> Most of the fish I was able to store in my QT tank
however I did not want to combine the BTA in that small an
environment as it is crowded already with the fish. <Likely a
stressful event.> My question is what should I be looking
for in the anemone to see if it is doing O.K. or if it is in
distress? <Droopy mouth, staying closed all the time,
turning to goo.> The water levels are normal 0 ammonia, 0 nitrates,
ph 8.4 <Nitrite, Calcium, Alkalinity?> The tank has 3-
250W MH with 2 rows of actinic bulbs, a 30 gallon trickle
sump and a 2- gallon mud refugium with mangroves. <Interesting
setup.> Thanks again, <You are welcome. Brandon.>
Jason
[email protected] Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:25:34
-0400 (EDT) Hello This is a Quality Assurance message to check on our
level of customer service. On 03/17/2007 12:06:38 we received a message
from you through our support center. This message is to make sure your
question was answered to your satisfaction and give you an opportunity
to let us know. We appreciate your business and look forward to serving
you in the future. Please reply to this message if you wish to comment
on our level of service. Our Regards, AES Customer Support Staff
<Mmm, still waiting for a call-back re your marketing... Bob
Fenner>
Re: shark rehabilitation/release/placement Thank you
Bob, I wasn't sure that you would be for such an undertaking.
<Mmm, oh yes. To be clear, I am all in favor of what preserves life,
the environment that allows such... Your efforts are confluent with
mine, our philosophies match> You may use my letter, but
please remove Wildlife World Zoo and Brian Joseph's name, as
I have not asked his permission to have his
name on a chat site just yet. When we
get this going, we will come up with some formal name for
your viewers who might be in need. <Ahh... would you please send
along the original? Per your request I deleted our correspondence> I
would like to contact those other organizations that you
mentioned. I guess that I should be able to find them
on the internet? <Oh yes... they are as stated... place the info. in
your search tool/s> Thanks again. I have Scott's
book. It is fantastic. Will keep in touch. Sharmie <I
look forward to this. BobF>
"Bruce Ulmer" <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 08:09:14 -0700 Hey Bruce! Very nice
piece... Do you have this in a format that we might post on our sites?
And great to see at least the UK has an aquatics trade 'zine...
Hope trust you enjoyed your stay in the UK... Brrrrr! And that all is
well with you, your health. Cheers, Bob Fenner> Bruce Ulmer Senior
Vice President CASCO Group, Inc. 17719 Valley View St, Cerritos,
CA 90703 714-522-8373 ex 202 714-562-6502 Direct
Line 800-537-3415 ex 202 714-690-9273 Personal Fax
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://www.casco-group.com
<http://www.casco-group.com> Hi Bob, I'll find out if we
have something you may use. How have you been? <Fine my friend,
thank you> I enjoyed my time in the UK but you are so right...too
damn cold. :) Bruce <Heeee! I do hope to see you about
someday soon. Cheers, BobF> Bob, leave here: Call on
Omega Sea
Marketing 3/20/07 Dear Bob Fenner,
I'm not sure if you're the person I need to speak
with but I am the new head of marketing at Omega Sea, Ltd
(Omega One fish foods) and I wanted to first off introduce
myself as well as try and get in contact with the
appropriate person to discuss our advertising on your
site. I believe we have done so in the past. If you could
give me a proper contact it would be much appreciated. Thank you,
Rachel Latina Graphic Designer/Head of Marketing Omega Sea, Ltd
[email protected] <Pleased to make your acquaintance Rachel... Tis
I or Mike Kaechele you likely want to chat with. Have you seen the
banner we made/placed for Omega Sea? Your time in advertising was
pre-paid and ran out the middle of last year... We've continued it
as a courtesy, promotion of our new Banner Ad program... Please see
here if you'd like to continue in some capacity: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/wwmsponsors.htm
Cheers, Bob Fenner> Aquatic Eco-Systems 3/20/07 Hello
Thank you for checking with Aquatic Eco-Systems. Your email has been
forwarded to our marketing department. Please let me know if I can be
of further assistance. Best regards Kevin Quinn M.S. Zoology Aquatic
Eco-Systems 2395 Apopka Boulevard Apopka, FL 32703 <Thanks Kevin...
I will wait a few days and give a call there. Bob Fenner>
www.aquaticeco.com 407-886-3939 Fax 407-886-6787 Hello my name is Bruce
you may direct your advertising inquiries to myself. Thanks, Bruce
Vizueta <Oh! Bruce. Should I give you a call? Would you make known
what time might be best? Have you perused our outline/offer, with links
to our stats servers here?: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/wwmsponsors.htm
Am an old timey aquarist/lake management type... who used to buy from
you folks way before your interest in more ornamental aquatics... Look
forward to chatting with you, Bob Fenner> Market Analyst Aquatic
Eco-Systems, Inc. 2395 Apopka Blvd. Apopka, FL 32703 Phone:
407-886-3939 Fax: 407-886-0800
Re: Ben, Ken? About your Overall
Marketing, your Website, It's Promotional/Advertising Potential
Hi Bob, Can you tell me the stats of the site? Can you forward the
weblogs? <All posted here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/wwmsponsors.htm>
Also, would you be interested in an affiliate set-up? <Mmm,
don't see the particulars of this proposal on your site> What
number can I call you at to discuss? <858 549 XXXX. Bob Fenner>
Wayland
"US Tetra Consumer" <[email protected]> Date: Tue, 20
Mar 2007 13:55:06 -0400 Hello Bob, I am going to forward your email to
Linda Staley, but I'm not sure if she is the right person or
not. If so, she will contact you. Otherwise, she will
forward you on to the correct person in marketing. Regards, Tetra
<Thanks much. Bob Fenner> -----Original Message----- From:
[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, March
17, 2007 12:52 PM To: US Tetra Consumer Subject: TW -- General Contact
Us Request A Contact Us email has been sent from the Tetra
Site. Here is the information. Email: [email protected]
Message: Whom might I contact there re your Website advertising?
"Euro-Reef, Inc. Marketing Group" <[email protected]> Reply-To:
<[email protected]> To: "'Robert
Fenner'" <By Bob Fenner> Subject: RE: The Big Island...
Notes to Bob and Jeff Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 10:40:15 -0700 Hi Bob, I
passed the Kona info to Robert and Jeff for their vacation, thanks very
much. Looks like a go from this end on our ad deal, yeehaw! Please
invoice us and fax or email it to Jennifer Macare
[email protected] <Yay! You can use PayPal, or I'll bill
you folks in arrears... The addy?> Also, Jeff will get you our
banner and static logo to place on your site. <Am looking forward to
it!> The Kona house looks awesome and I will contact Pete to get an
idea of rental fees and calendar for available time. If I can afford it
I would rather give the money to someone I know than the Hilton
Hotel!!! <Am in total agreement... My principal raison d'etre
for buying such places... Makes me go there... and I am
"forced" to enjoy myself!> Thanks for the free stay offer
and I might take you up on that if I come up alone or with my lady
friend sometime. Let's get this ad campaign reelin' and
a-rockin"! <I'll say! Bob Fenner> Sincerely, Rene Macare
Dir.of Marketing Euro-Reef ph:(949)770-9913 x16 fx: (949)770-3099
www.euro-reef.com
From: "Euro-Reef, Inc. Marketing Group"
<[email protected]> Subject: RE: The Big
Island... Notes to Bob and Jeff Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 14:42:40
-0700 Bob thanks again for your time on the phone today. I mistakenly
called your Kona home number thinking I would reach you in San
Diego....OOPS! I do not have your local home number but here is what I
need form you for us to make a decision today on the ad: <Oh, our SD
number is 858 549 XXXX for your records> You mentioned a two for one
deal but no specific cost related to that. To be up front it may be
easier to let you know what our budget is that we have to work with and
we can get for that. We are looking at $300 max per month at this time.
We will monitor the success (ROI) from this and decide if it makes
sense to throw more $$$ at it as we grow our business. <The offer I
make is the right shared border (the "static" ad space of 100
by X pixels...) PLUS the Rotating Banner Ad (468 by 60)... For the low,
low price of... what you're offering... the Three Hundred U.S. per
mo.> Thanks again for your help with this and for the great Kona
info as well! <I do hope we can/will all make it out there sometime
soon. Oh, forgot Pete's email last time... He's cc'ed
above...> P.S. - Bob, when you have a moment can you provide me with
the contact name/phone number or email address to get info on your
house rental fees etc. <Ah yes... the Jabulani addr. there above...
and his phone: 858 722 XXXX... FWIW, you're welcome to come out
sometime when I'm there (go out every few months, generally for a
month or so at a time, more if folks will be coming to visit/stay) for
free... Do keep in touch re times...> I am planning to head out to
Hawaii sometime later this year with my girls and my girlfriend (the
plein air painter) and son may join. Is there is web site with info on
the house or can you tell me a little about the location, number of
bedrooms, sleeping room, etc., have any pictures? Thanks a bunch!
<Oh, the house, addr. can be seen here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/holualoaproperty.htm BobF>
Sincerely, Rene Macare Dir.of Marketing Euro-Reef, IncT
ph:(949)770-9913 x16 fx: (949)770-3099 www.euro-reef.com
Subject:
The Big Island... Notes to Bob and Jeff Hey Rene! Thank you for
taking the time to chat this AM... For your kin's upcoming visit:
Do make sure to pick up a cooler either at the King's Shops or
Costco, Kmart, Wal-Mart... these are great places on the Big Island...
for packing sodas et al. during your stay... going to, from the
hotel... Though is a haul over the rough hallways there at the Hilton
in Waikoloa... Maybe two coolers. While you're there, do call on
Gerald Heslinga (if he'll see you... he's more than a bit of a
recluse) at Indo-Pacific Sea Farms... and Carol and Craig at Ocean Rider
(they're listed in the local phone books)... down at NELHA (just
south of the airport/Keohole... Make sure and get in a "pizza
night" down at Kona Brewing Company... in town (Kailua Old
Industrial)... And the usual pitches for nice beaches... Hapuna
(public) and Mauna Kea's (private, go early to get a parking
placard... it's free otherwise)... Up for adventure? Got to make a
run down to Kilauea Volcano Park... a day or so at Hilo's
waterfalls et al... (do bring some lightweight rain gear if you have
it... and flashlights if you're going to stay till dark to see the
lava... And Waipio... a haul but real fun... And Parker Ranch has many
attractions for young folks... Do look in "101 Things to do on the
Big Island"... a circular at the Airport... esp. for the coupons
for discounts, two-fors... And don't be shy re asking the locals
what they do, where they eat et al... there are many great things to
experience there... I will be out (at "A" Bay just south of
where you're staying) for the Lavaman tri, but leaving
unfortunately a day ahead of your arrival... Do send along your cell
numbers (I don't have one...) and I'll call you if I extend.
Our house number there is 808 331 0889. Cheers, Bob Fenner Dear
Brandon, <Hello again Jason.> I know putting the BTA in my 180
gallon was a bit premature however its previous 55 gallon
tank had sprung a leak and I had to transfer it over. <You gotta do
what you gotta do. I was just illustrating that these
animals need established systems that's all. Further, I
suggested that you read up on the care of these critters, because you
seemed shocked by what is an ordinary occurrence.> Most of the fish
I was able to store in my QT tank however I did not want to combine
the BTA in that small an environment as it is crowded
already with the fish. <Likely a stressful event.>
My question is what should I be looking for in the anemone
to see if it is doing O.K. or if it is in distress?
<Droopy mouth, staying closed all the time, turning to goo.> The
water levels are normal 0 ammonia, 0 nitrates, ph 8.4
<Nitrite, Calcium, Alkalinity?> The tank has 3- 250W MH with 2
rows of actinic bulbs, a 30 gallon trickle sump and a 2-
gallon mud refugium with mangroves. <Interesting setup.> Thanks
again, <You are welcome. Brandon.> Jason
| FW Plant Leech 03/23/07 Hi Crew!
Hope all is well with you, you've helped me so much in the
past. To make a long story short, I have a 10 gallon
tank that has been used as a plant refuge for when I thin plants
out of the aquariums. I throw them into this
tank. At one time the tank was a failed attempt to raise
daphnia, I never cleaned it out after that, just started throwing
plants into it. After a few months I was given some
cherry shrimp that were too small to go into the main tanks, so I
put those in there. When I added the shrimp I put in a
sponge filter and heater. I don't perform routine
water changes on this tank. This tank has been a
fascinating biological experiment of sorts because it has a blanket
of live blackworms now that must have accidentally come in there on
plants. (I feed the fish live blackworms a couple of
times a week.) The tank is full of shrimp that have bred like crazy
and hitchhiker snails. The water is green, and amazingly
there is no algae in the tank, whatsoever. However, it is time for
me to transform it into a usable tank and I was thinking of putting
a couple of Killies and a group of sidthmunkis in there, of course
making sure the parameters are good first. I really
wouldn't want to see all of this "food" go to
waste. Sound like a good idea? Probably
not... But anyhow, I also have these in my
tank. Do you have any idea what they are? Are
they good slugs/flatworms? Or bad
slugs/flatworms? Should I just forget my dream of giving
some lucky fish the feast of their lives and clean the tank out
before I introduce any fish into it? Thanks! Take care,
Mary. < This is a typical FW plant leech. Fish don't eat
them but they really aren't much of a problem.-Chuck> |
| FW Plant Leech 03/23/07 Hi Crew!
<Hello Mary!> Hope all is well with you, you've helped me
so much in the past. To make a long story short, I have
a 10 gallon tank that has been used as a plant refuge for when I
thin plants out of the aquariums. I throw them into this
tank. At one time the tank was a failed attempt to raise
daphnia, I never cleaned it out after that, just started throwing
plants into it. After a few months I was given some
cherry shrimp that were too small to go into the main tanks, so I
put those in there. When I added the shrimp I put in a
sponge filter and heater. I don't perform routine
water changes on this tank. This tank has been a
fascinating biological experiment of sorts because it has a blanket
of live blackworms now that must have accidentally come in there on
plants. (I feed the fish live blackworms a couple of
times a week.) The tank is full of shrimp that have bred like crazy
and hitchhiker snails. The water is green, and amazingly
there is no algae in the tank, whatsoever. <Because it's
balanced. In balanced tanks, the rate of algal growth is checked by
the growth of plants and predation by algae-eating animals. In
aquaria (and ponds, and eutrophic waters in the wild) the balance
is lost, and often the algae prosper because their natural limiting
factors are taken away.> However, it is time for me to transform
it into a usable tank and I was thinking of putting a couple of
Killies and a group of sidthmunkis in there, of course making sure
the parameters are good first. <You'll lose almost all the
fun, I suspect. To reach a balance with fish, you need a *lot* of
water volume per fish. Look for a copy of the excellent book
"Dynamic Aquaria" for a scientific (and highly detailed)
investigation of balanced aquaria with complete ecosystems.
Certainly possible, but very challenging if you include fishes,
miles easier with just inverts.> I really wouldn't want to
see all of this "food" go to waste. Sound like
a good idea? Probably not... But anyhow, I
also have these in my tank. Do you have any idea what
they are? Are they good slugs/flatworms? Or
bad slugs/flatworms? Should I just forget my dream of
giving some lucky fish the feast of their lives and clean the tank
out before I introduce any fish into it? <Those are
small leeches, annelid subclass Hirudinea. Now, the vast majority
of leeches are predators on invertebrates. Very, very few are
bloodsuckers. But obviously those that are can be very damaging to
fish, particularly very small fish. Identifying leeches to species
level is difficult, and definitely a job for your friendly
neighbourhood freshwater ecologist or parasitologist.
Identification beyond subclass level is below me, I'm afraid!
In the meantime though, don't kill it out of hand. Leeches are
lovely animals, and if you can encourage it to go swimming you will
be treated to one of the most beautiful little spectacles in the
animal kingdom. They also have a very cute "inchworm"
mode of walking. The sucker at the front (blunt end) is armed with
teeth with which it catches its prey, and most species suck up the
"juices" of whatever they've caught either directly
or through a neat little stylet. You can also see the digestive
system quite nicely in your photo, too. All in all, charming, if
weird, animals.> Thanks! <No problem.> Mary. |
|
|
Planaria - On The Menu for Plecostomus? -
10/19/2006 <<Tom here.>> Do Plecos eat Planaria?
<<Not without mustard and ketchup. Actually, I suppose they will
but Planaria sure wouldn't be a Pleco's first choice off the
menu. If you're experiencing a Planaria "outbreak",
better to give your aquarium a good cleaning, particularly the
substrate, and keep nitrate levels to a minimum, i.e. below 20 ppm.
Tom>>
|
|
