Planeria, Worms & Bugs in Tank

[gary35111]

Hi all,

Will killies attack those white worms and rotifiers in their tank? Lately, I am seeing transcluent tiny worms, fleas like thingies and a few white sluggish organism in my planted tank. Did some checking on the internet and realised they are some sort of "planeria" (correct me if I am wrong).

Anyway, the reason why I am asking is because I want to know if it is 'natural' that killies will eat these buggers. I am not sure if my killies were too full (with the granulates and frozen foods *yes, I am quite successful with getting them to take "unlive" foods) or they have 'forgotten' how to prey. I saw a flea-like things wisp past my killies and they just ignore, rather prefering to hover around the surface waiting for me to throw in the granulate - and they are orange australe suppose to be mid-dwellers!. Maybe I should starve them and let them attack those planerias.

Any advice from the more experienced and experts here to get rid of those worms and bugs will be much appreciated. Thanks.

Gary

[whuntley]

Gary,

I'm fond of using formadehyde to remove unwanted invertebrates from a fish tank. Most killies will not eat planaria (some Gouramis will), but the flatworms will certainly eat most killy eggs! Hydra will eat smaller babies, too. Get rid of them!

I hesitate to suggest a treatment strength, as some fish are very sensitive to this compound. Use the least possible that still kills the inverts. Watch the fish for any signs of distress. Repeat dosage every 2 days, as the stuff is quickly disabled by mulm in the tank.

Other tanning agents that may work include potassium permanganate and maybe Malachite green.

For flatworms (Planarians), you can try bait. Meat in a mesh bag left overnight can be covered with them at dawn. Draw out and kill them in boiling water.

Healthy killies will eagerly eat Rotifers and Cyclops. Don't worry about them.

Wright

[gary35111]

Guess I was too impatient. I did not feed my killies this morning and guess what? Before feeding them just now, I did not see any worms or fleas. Even the planerias are gone.

[stormhawk]

In continuation of Wright's earlier post, planaria aren't eaten by killies as far as I know. These critters are the hardest to eradicate. They should not be confused with the smaller oligochaete worms, or tiny white worms if you prefer. Planaria are flatworms and have a flat body with a diamond shaped head. They are attracted to rotting flesh and are easily baited with some meaty foods.

Sometimes you might not realise it but these critters may just disappear on their own. The tiny white worms multiply in numbers when you overfeed on certain foods. The "pods" however come along with live plants and also overpopulate in no time when there is a plentiful supply of food, in this case, uneaten fish food.