Planaria or Rhabdocoela

[Cutty]

Can anyone please help with identifying whether these are planaria or Rhabdocoela

Thanks

 

[Sunnyspots]

They don't look quite right for planaria because they don't have the 'crossed eyes'. Is the pointy end the bottom or front? If it's the trailing end I'd fairly confidently say they are not planaria.

 

[Cutty]

I can’t see the eyes either.

They definitely have a pointed head, but not really the characteristic arrow head.

I don’t know what to do..

 

[Sunnyspots]

If you're really worried then start with a large water change and really thorough gravel vac. It can't do any harm as long as your tap water doesn't differ much from your tank water (for pH etc. for your fish). After that there are chemicals I believe, but I'm still not convinced they're planaria. Can you look at one down a microscope / with a magnifier? That would clinch it.

 

[Cutty]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I think I will need a magnifying glass - as I am sure all the pics online are magnified. Especially when you see the very arrow like head and eyes.

 

[Sunnyspots]

At least they should stay still enough to examine!

 

[Cutty]

More pics

 

[Sunnyspots]

I think one or two of those photos, like that last one, may resemble this enough to assume they are planarian worms. @Colin_T said to me they are only a threat to fish eggs. I thought they were a bigger risk than that, but only based on things I'd read on the net. If you're really worried I know there are chemicals to rid them but have no experience in them I'm afraid. Also the Siamese Flying Fox is meant to eat them, if you were looking for another fish.

 

[Cutty]

Thanks for that. It does look very similar.
It’s funny how some pics show a very arrow like head and prominent eyes, and others, like above do not.
I have shrimp in the tank that is why I am worried, as they eat small shrimp.

 

[Sunnyspots]

I'd only seen the very arrow like pics too which is why I thought I'd scout around for comparisons with your new photos. That last one looks like it has 2 darkened areas where the 'eyes' go so, if the lighter spots just weren't clear enough due to resolution issues, I thought it might be a planarian. It's still not definite. Slippery little sods, aren't they!

 

[Cutty]

No, the eyes aren’t clear at all to the plain eye - maybe under a microscope it’s different.

Thanks for all the effort.

It’s so hard to tell the difference between planaria and Rhabdocoela.

I think so far it’s 60% planaria and 40% not.

 

[Cutty]

Final post with some better pics. Hopefully it clarifies what they are

 

[Sunnyspots]

Final post with some better pics. Hopefully it clarifies what they are

They have the eyes! Brilliant pics, by the way. So, definitely planaria. I'd give the tank and substrate a good wipe and vacuum if I were you and then consider treating it once you've removed any snails you want to keep, and probably the shrimp too.

I reckon you got there in the end identifying them!

 

[Slaphppy7]

Planaria in Aquariums: How to Identify and Eliminate Them

Find out how to identify and eliminate planaria from your aquarium. Learn effective methods to keep your tank clean and pest-free!

fishlab.com

 

[Cutty]

Thanks so much.