Planaria in my tank

**siobhan** · 2nd Dec 2011, 10:15

Hi everyone;
I am a new owner of this 30 gallon fish tank, I have only had it for 1 week....I bought it of my neighbour....and thought it was a great buy. But after a NEW tank started I started to notice these little worms in my tank and I mean little. After doing some research I have narrowed it down to planaria. I am so lost and I was hoping that some one could help me. I have a large loach, rainbow shark, angelfish and 1 zebra fish. Not sure what to do and I don't want to kill the fish, my 5 year old and 2 year would be devasted. HELP

**hardric** · 2nd Dec 2011, 10:38

The fish will catch the worms. Give them time.

**zenus** · 2nd Dec 2011, 18:40

They are pretty harmless.. Don't worry.. the fish will get them as snacks

**stormhawk** · 4th Dec 2011, 03:37

Not all fish eat these worms, provided they are Planaria. siobhan, you can DIY a worm trap if you wish. These video will help as a rough idea on how to do these traps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saU7S2ybskw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q_rve7nSek

There are many ways to eradicate them. I find that keeping a bare bottomed tank is best to prevent them from multiplying like crazy.

**felix_fx2** · 4th Dec 2011, 06:09

Originally Posted by hardric

The fish will catch the worms. Give them time.

Time will let the worms breed too lol.

**siobhan** · 4th Dec 2011, 21:53

I am been doing alot of research and most of what I found recommended aquarium salt and a treatment called quick cure.

Have anyone used it or would recommend using it? I have alot of question regarding the salt and this so called treatment. I would think adding salt to a freshwater tank would be harmful to the fish. And if I did use the salt, one of the main cures to getting rid of this pest is to do a 20% water change every day for a few weeks. But if I add the salt, do I have to continue to use the salt every day.
And the same goes for the quick cure, is it the one time use or do I use it every day....so may questions....

I am such a new fish owner that I probably should of started of fresh with my own tank and fish instead of taking on someones else problems. I know it wouldn't harm the fish, but it just doesn't look that great.
I may be going out on a limb here but to bet to them it would be like having insects in your home. It doesn't harm you or your home, but it feels dirty.
I want to clean them of their burden

My fish doesn't seem to be eating them

And your right stormhawk...providing they are planaria....I am so out of my comfort zone..

Keep your comments coming...and thank you so much

**hardric** · 4th Dec 2011, 22:01

Go to the market place in the forum. U can try the 'no planaria' or try the gush trap by green chapter.

**marimo** · 4th Dec 2011, 22:05

revise your feeding habits, siphon the gravel
there is a product , No planaria . no sure if works ,
other than that , its does not cause harm to your fishes.

**stormhawk** · 5th Dec 2011, 17:11

Siobhan,

Salt is not a cure-it-all and should only be used as and when is necessary. Using the right treatments and/or medications will help more than just dumping salt in the tank.

Controlling planaria is as simple as trapping them on a regular basis and controlling the amount of food that you feed to your fish. Overfeeding invariably causes all sorts of trouble so it's better to err on the side of caution. Using drugs like fenbendazole can help to eradicate them but certain critters will react differently to such drugs and treatments available at the pet stores. They are basically flatworms so a commercially available dewormer will kill them.

I don't know what is sold in LFS over in Canada, but they should have worm control medications available.

**siobhan** · 6th Dec 2011, 09:29

After reviewing some attachments that you guys have so kindly attached...I am not really sure if I got planaria. What I have in my tank is only about 1 mm in size, very hard to see and you really got to get close to the tank to see them....they are white or transparent in color. If I had to say what they really look like, I would say they remind me of someone who cut their hair over the tank...so small and so fine...

I may never figure this out...it could be a water fleas, nematodes, planaria...and the list goes on.

All I got to say is I live on the south coast of Newfoundland and Labrador (CANADA) a community of 800 and my closest resource that could provide me any advise or treatment is 3 hours away. Plus when I did speak to this so called resource they didn't have a clue of what I was talking about and they never heard of such cases before.

So I guess I will try the NO PLANARIA treatment and if that don't work I will try the fenbendazole...

Thanks

**stormhawk** · 6th Dec 2011, 09:37

I think you have a problem with oligochaete worms or some aquatic annelid species. Easily controlled with the drugs but be careful with the dosage. It would ptobably be a good idea to net the fish out and place them in a separate container if you're going to nuke the tank with those drugs.

Some of these worms are easily controlled with small fishes like Boraras (pygmy rasboras) and other small benthic fishes. Good luck with the treatment though.