How long can planaria eggs last?

[cheetf]

I have a cube tank which I keep cherries in. Quite some time ago I dosed no-planaria to remove the pest inside. It seemed successful as there were no visible planaria for months after that. Recently, I just saw a few planaria appear again. As I have not added anything in that tank for a long time. I can safely say that they came from eggs that were deposited in the tank.

Anyone have the same experience? How long can the eggs stay dormant I wonder.

[avex30]

Flatworms



Flatworms or Platyhelminthes include flukes, tapeworms, and turbellarians. The first two are familiar parasites. The latter move around on surfaces using cilia and eat small living or dead animals. Planaria, a common turbellarian, often over-reproduce in aquaria but I do not think they are a problem in ponds. Other turbellarians are also rather harmless. Dugesias tigrina is the largest free-living flatworm, growing to an inch long.
Planaria:
If small white creatures are seen crawling all over the glass and ornaments, especially at night, they may be planaria. Planaria commonly show up in tanks with an excess of food. Most are introduced to an aquarium from other aquaria with live foods like black worms, live plants, or anything else moved from an active aquarium that has them. There is some belief that they can survive in freeze-dried or frozen foods. If a lot of food is left in a tank; including dead and dying fish, snails, other animals, and plants; then a few planaria may divide into hundreds very quickly. They usually reproduce by asexual fission. Their heads are shaped like arrow heads. If a tank is found to be infested, planaria can be controlled by a good vacuuming of the gravel and better tank maintenance. To remove more planaria, see the next section on controlling planaria. Planaria will eat dead fish, fish eggs, and immobile fish larvae (fry newly hatched). They do not pose any risk to mobile fry or adult fish.
Controlling planaria in aquaria: 1. Set out bait like meat in a mesh bag. Remove the bait a few hours after the lights go out on the tank. It should be covered with planaria. Throw away and repeat until the population goes down.
2. Add planaria eating fish to the tank. One species is the paradise fish.
3. Vacuum the gravel very well and do a 50% water change. Often, planaria proliferate when the tank is too dirty. This will remove not only some planaria but their food source as well.
4. Reduce the foods added to the tank. Planaria often proliferate if too much excess food is provided.
5. As a last resource, tear down the tank. See here for information on tearing down tanks.

Above is google

[avex30]

Reproduction
Planaria are hermaphrodites, possessing both testicles and ovaries. Thus, one of their gametes will combine with the gamete of another planarian. This type of gamete fusion is sexual reproduction because it involves the formation and fusion of gametes. In asexual reproduction, the planarian detaches its tail end and each half regrows the lost parts by regeneration, allowing neoblasts (adult stem cells) to divide and differentiate. However, several problems can occur with this, so this does not happen often. Instead, in sexual reproduction, each planarian transports its excretion to the other planarian, giving and receiving sperm. Eggs develop inside the body and are shed in capsules. Weeks later, the eggs hatch and grow into adults. Sexual reproduction is desirable because it enhances the survival of the species by increasing the level of genetic diversity.

Another info from wikipedia

[stormhawk]

As per the Wiki link that avex looked up, they give a time period of "weeks later". Since this term can mean anything from 1 to more weeks, I guess the eggs can survive for quite some time.

I think with No Planaria, you might have to keep dosing even though the Planaria are dead, just to ensure that there are no survivors hiding deep in the substrate.

[eviltrain]

Planaria is the way to immortal life~~~~they are immortal~~~~

Send from my GT-P1000 (Overcome 7 Series v4.0.0)

[felix_fx2]

As long as conditions are there. They will auto revive.

[cheetf]

Yah, I find that very annoying.

[Navanod]

The only reason they haven't taken over the planet, is because they cannot survive on land or in salt water.
One of the worst pests to have.

[chansl]

I will always scoop an amount of water .. add in ph down ... to make it acidic .. Then i will use a syringe to spray the acidic water on them .. they just melt .. mean while .. i can lower my ph for my shrimps . so win win situation ... just melted like near to 20 of them ...

[avex30]

I will always scoop an amount of water .. add in ph down ... to make it acidic .. Then i will use a syringe to spray the acidic water on them .. they just melt .. mean while .. i can lower my ph for my shrimps . so win win situation ... just melted like near to 20 of them ...

Ph down how acidic is it? I got feeling you are senting ph shockwave thru your tank. Best is suck them out also you are creating unwanted ammonia built up in your tank.......

[cheetf]

I will always scoop an amount of water .. add in ph down ... to make it acidic .. Then i will use a syringe to spray the acidic water on them .. they just melt .. mean while .. i can lower my ph for my shrimps . so win win situation ... just melted like near to 20 of them ...

How much PH down did you use that it can melt planaria?

[chansl]

Don't misunderstood me. I didn't send shockwave down. Like a few drop of the concentrated solution on them but when it dilute , the general Ph of the tank reduce by little. I didn't measure how acidic the solution is but will judge base on the Ph of the tank. I had a Ph meter attached to my tank so I can accurately determine the movement of ph

[felix_fx2]

Don't misunderstood me. I didn't send shockwave down. Like a few drop of the concentrated solution on them but when it dilute , the general Ph of the tank reduce by little. I didn't measure how acidic the solution is but will judge base on the Ph of the tank. I had a Ph meter attached to my tank so I can accurately determine the movement of ph

Chan, small amount of ph change is ok to some. Well not to all, thats a fact already.

Likewise, this only good for small outbreaks. If you have a serious one then that also won't work.

Thus, we can proclaim the triangle heads winning the war

[chansl]

Oh well. Haha. My crs are berried so would not want to send shock down.usually I will just suck them up.next day the population will be back.I am pretty cool with them. Not hydra but they all are natural organisms in a fish tank.yup. they are winner.

Chan, small amount of ph change is ok to some. Well not to all, thats a fact already.

Likewise, this only good for small outbreaks. If you have a serious one then that also won't work.

Thus, we can proclaim the triangle heads winning the war

[hyun007]

I have a question for people who want to use No Planaria.
Won't it cause water parameter changed when the Planaria died in the tank?
You can't even remove the body as they are buried in the soil.

[felix_fx2]

Can any bro advise which lfs have stock no Planaria now?
Even better if I can buy half pack from a bro

[avex30]

Can any bro advise which lfs have stock no Planaria now?
Even better if I can buy half pack from a bro

Not sure sheldom see them stock it. Maybe you check with the eastside shrimp specialist last heard they have some. Wonder if mosura can come up with such a product than really solve the shopping woos.... hahaha can kill planaria and also hydra . I know the catch pen works well.

[Noobz]

Can any bro advise which lfs have stock no Planaria now?
Even better if I can buy half pack from a bro

Think Y618 have stock bro. Can call them first before you go down to double confirm wouldn't be wasted trip.

[felix_fx2]

Think Y618 have stock bro. Can call them first before you go down to double confirm wouldn't be wasted trip.

Thanks. I'll ask someone to confirm for me

[avex30]

Thanks. I'll ask someone to confirm for me

Wah you got telemarketer service?? hahahaha