What is that in my tank??

[MamaPish]

there is some kind of tiny white things that look like miniature leeches or slugs all over my aquarium glass......and also some tiny white things that look like a tree branch...
I have no fish in this tank....just completed a fishless cycle this week, I have never cleaned the glass on the inside, or anything else....I have just left it alone to cycle......I was about to get ready to redo the inside so I could put some fish in later this week.......but I am NOT putting my hand in there!!

What are these things and how do I get rid of them??

 

[fishme2death]

Mama

I had told you in one of my prior post that I had these too after a fishless cycle. One of them is planaria. You can look those up on the net. They arent harmful unless in excess from what I understand. They will kill small fry though. Mine dwindled in numbers after tank cleanings and the addition of fish that ate them.

It gave me the creeps to stick my hands in there though.......You'd think I saw a spider 8)

 

[MamaPish]

I knew I had read something about that on the forum...just couldn't remember from who.....which one did you have, or both?

I have the heat cranked up in the tank right now... was going to see if it would kill them off.....do you mind directing me to that post....I will try to find it, but just in case I can't!

Thanks again!!

 

[MamaPish]

I found it!!

Mama

Good luck with your fishless cycle. I did one too and it worked out great. I had no beneficial bacteria to start with, but completed the cycle in 14 days.

The only thing I see in one of your posts was that you use some food to cycle it in. I know there doesn't seem to be "the right or wrong amount" but out of experience I must have been the one that used to much food. I ended up with a swarm of planaria and had to knock the blooming down before the fish were added as the quantity was just too much from other posts that I had read. I just thought I'd mention it.

I remember now....I had no idea what a "swarm of planaria" were, so I guess I just kinda dismissed that part of your post.... )

Well I defiantly know what they are now!



What did yours look like because I have 2 different things in my tank....is it all considered "planaria"?

I posted some pics of what is in my tank...I had to draw the second one....the first one is a pic of the planaria.....anyone know what the 2nd one is?? ...look here.....EEEKKKK!!!!!!!

I have since checked out all my other tanks....and have found a couple here and there......just the planaria in the first pic
is that a problem?

I will go to the web to see what I can learn about this too.....

Thanks again!

 

[reg2k2]

The other is hydra. They can both be controlled by cutting back on feeding.
I think the planaria can also be baited. Meat in a mesh bag or placing a saucer w/ food overnight.
Someone else could prob. give you better detail on that....I've never had the pleasure...

 

[CFC]

Starve them and theyll go,or add some gouramis that will eat them if nothing else is on offer.

 

[MamaPish]

Thanks much........I am not as freaked out now!!

I did find this article if anyone else is experiencing this.......

Hydra

Hydra, small white worms with feathery tentacles, are introduced by live foods or on plants and like snails are not harmful to adult fish. Hydra do however, thrive on fish eggs and trap fry with their tentacles and thus must be eliminated from the breeding aquarium.

Hydra can only survive on live food so they can easily be controlled by changing to a diet of flake. If your fish cannot cope with this, a careful dose of 0.5ppm Copper Sulphate will do the trick. Copper Sulphate is toxic to fish so this treatment must be a last resort and used with extreme cation. Bear in mind also that some water conditioners have a high metal ion binding capacity and may render a Copper Sulphate treatment useless. Alternatively, again assuming that you fish can cope, a raise in temperature to 108°F for four hours will kill Hydra.

 

[Redbled]

Speaking of these parasites hurting fry, I just lost all by 1 of my tiny dempsey babies. Had put them into a separate 10 gallon tank with the parents water from the 55 to keep the parents from eating them. Can these things come around easily in a new tank even when old water is used that I would think would be somewhat cycled? Have seen nothing visible in the tank, but still trying to determine why I lost the fry.

 

[Jamnog]

i just replyed to a thread that was asking about a hydra i remeber seeing a peice about them in a cold water book thus i was able to identify it as for the other leach like things they could be leaches if they appear to get verry long and then verry short start to worry. they tend to strech themselves out into the water anf hook onto fish. they are more likely to be able to p[enatrate the smaller fish. or fish with no scales. at the sort of sizes im thinki9ng of but they will grow in time. if they do not tend to grow and shrink in length then they are probably some type of worm perhaps tubeflex, blood or some other kind a few are parasitic in terms of fish but i dont tend to worry too much about worms.. not when there is a gian asteroid heading toward the earth and i send a team of oil rig workers up into space to blow it up from the inside.. no one bothered to red this far did they i dont know why i bother brain the size of a plannet and they ask me to park cars... im off to read another post

 

[fishme2death]

mama

I'm so glad I didnt end up with hydra along with the planaria. I think both of them together would have kept me from indoor fishkeeping all together. (hate worms) I am a big baby when it comes to worms.

To really find out if you have them, when you turn your lights off at night wait about 15 minutes and shine a flashlight in the tank. They usually come out at night if they are only in small numbers. If you have large numbers you see them day or night. I have had them attach themselves to the fish thinking it was ick, but they left go and drifted off just to be eaten