DreaminginBlue Posted September 17, 2017 Report Share Posted September 17, 2017 I can't get a good picture because they're very small, a few milimeters in length. They are white worms that crawl slowly over the glass and gravel and moss balls. Are they harmful to my shrimp? Will they kill shrimplets?? I'm at a loss for what to do; Google proved useless after telling me they could either be planaria or "some other worm"... and that planaria are either "harmless" or "will murder your newly molted shrimp and babies". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotKelly Posted September 17, 2017 Report Share Posted September 17, 2017 So if they have a head kind of like a tadpole and are flat like tape, then they are planaria and need to be treated for asap. If they stay the same size throughout and kinda just look like little noodles, then they're detritus worms. Detritus worms are completely harmless and just mean you're feeding too much. vs. therehere3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishRFriendz Posted September 21, 2017 Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 I've got some free swimming worms that look somewhat larger than detritus worms and have a 'head'. Rarely see them crawling on glass like detritus worms. They're always free swimming and they have very good directional control. Gonna see if fenbendazole clears em out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aotf Posted September 21, 2017 Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 52 minutes ago, FishRFriendz said: I've got some free swimming worms that look somewhat larger than detritus worms and have a 'head'. Rarely see them crawling on glass like detritus worms. They're always free swimming and they have very good directional control. Gonna see if fenbendazole clears em out !!! Before you fenben your tank, realize that you will kill any nerites in there (and some other snails). Your tank will also become inhospitable to nerites for many many many water changes. Not two, not three, many many many. Once you put fenben in there, you basically have to consider that tank a nerite-free tank for... months? Also, tools that you use with that tank (buckets etc...) may have enough fenben on them to kill nerites in other tanks. They are incredibly sensitive. Sorry for the news. Be careful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreaminginBlue Posted September 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 yikes. I'm not entirely sure it's planaria, I'll try to get a better look this weekend. I have mystery snails in there that I don't want to hurt. is there any other option besides fenben? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishRFriendz Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 11 hours ago, aotf said: !!! Before you fenben your tank, realize that you will kill any nerites in there (and some other snails). Your tank will also become inhospitable to nerites for many many many water changes. Not two, not three, many many many. Once you put fenben in there, you basically have to consider that tank a nerite-free tank for... months? Also, tools that you use with that tank (buckets etc...) may have enough fenben on them to kill nerites in other tanks. They are incredibly sensitive. Sorry for the news. Be careful! No snails at all. 1g shrimp desk aquarium. No idea where these worms came from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aotf Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 8 hours ago, DreaminginBlue said: yikes. I'm not entirely sure it's planaria, I'll try to get a better look this weekend. I have mystery snails in there that I don't want to hurt. is there any other option besides fenben? Sorry, I'm not familiar with any alternatives. Doesn't mean there aren't any, though! Hope someone else chimes in. 17 minutes ago, FishRFriendz said: No snails at all. 1g shrimp desk aquarium. No idea where these worms came from Phew, I saw nerites in the "inverts you keep" section so I figured I'd warn you but you're in the clear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreaminginBlue Posted September 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 So I'm clear to dose fen ben with the mystery snails? I observed the worms more today and still can't get a good picture. They don't seem to have the triangle head shape, but they are flat and move around on the glass like slugs. Teeny... I can't find any info on them being anything other than planaria. One of the shrimp was giving birth, I'm worried the babies are at risk. Will they be okay until I can figure out how to treat the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotKelly Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 12 minutes ago, DreaminginBlue said: So I'm clear to dose fen ben with the mystery snails? I observed the worms more today and still can't get a good picture. They don't seem to have the triangle head shape, but they are flat and move around on the glass like slugs. Teeny... I can't find any info on them being anything other than planaria. One of the shrimp was giving birth, I'm worried the babies are at risk. Will they be okay until I can figure out how to treat the tank? Mystery snails aren't safe either. If they're big enough and you don't have a ton you can put them into another tank and then dose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreaminginBlue Posted September 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 Okay. How long until its safe for them to come back after treating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aotf Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 1 hour ago, DreaminginBlue said: Okay. How long until its safe for them to come back after treating? My personal experience with nerites was "never". I waited several months with my nerites in a quarantine bucket and did multiple 90% water changes (I drained the tank to the gravel). Even after that, my nerites slowly died after being reintroduced to the tank. It could have been from other causes too, so I'm curious to see if others have had success with fenben and nerites. pastu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waltergoose Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 There's no telling exactly how long it will take to get the fenbendazole out of the tank but using an activated charcoal filter should help remove it on top of large water changes. Unfortunately this paper I found (Here) suggests fenbendazole is pretty insoluble in water, meaning much of it will likely stay in the substrate unless you can remove it somehow, and it doesn't degrade noticeably in a 30 day period unless exposed to sunlight. Hope that helps with your decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aotf Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 2 minutes ago, Waltergoose said: There's no telling exactly how long it will take to get the fenbendazole out of the tank but using an activated charcoal filter should help remove it on top of large water changes. Unfortunately this paper I found (Here) suggests fenbendazole is pretty insoluble in water, meaning much of it will likely stay in the substrate unless you can remove it somehow, and it doesn't degrade noticeably in a 30 day period unless exposed to sunlight. Hope that helps with your decision. Good find! I should also point out that I had used charcoal in the filter during that time to remove another treatment. This supports the idea that cleaning the water column isn't necessarily sufficient as the fenben is happy to sit elsewhere in the tank. Some say the silicone, I find the substrate explanation more convincing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreaminginBlue Posted September 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2017 yikes. I wish there was another way to get rid of them without ruining the tank for my snails. How'd they even get into the tank in the first place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aotf Posted September 23, 2017 Report Share Posted September 23, 2017 4 hours ago, DreaminginBlue said: yikes. I wish there was another way to get rid of them without ruining the tank for my snails. How'd they even get into the tank in the first place? They hitch a ride on plants. It's always a good precaution to dip new plants before moving them to the tank. I am guilty of not doing this and as a result, have had to deal with pond snails, planaria, and scuds to date. That's a lesson hard learned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastu Posted October 21, 2017 Report Share Posted October 21, 2017 I treated my tank with mebedazol and took full 8 months until nerites could survive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastu Posted October 21, 2017 Report Share Posted October 21, 2017 On 22/9/2017 at 5:46 PM, aotf said: My personal experience with nerites was "never". I waited several months with my nerites in a quarantine bucket and did multiple 90% water changes (I drained the tank to the gravel). Even after that, my nerites slowly died after being reintroduced to the tank. It could have been from other causes too, so I'm curious to see if others have had success with fenben and nerites. No amount of charcoal or constante water changes made a y difference. Thick layer of Amazonia soil , likely acting as a reservoir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreaminginBlue Posted October 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 I might just try something else, rather than use fen ben. I haven’t seen any planaria at all lately, though. It’s strange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aotf Posted October 22, 2017 Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 13 minutes ago, DreaminginBlue said: I might just try something else, rather than use fen ben. I haven’t seen any planaria at all lately, though. It’s strange. GreenPepper sells some stuff that he says breaks down relatively quickly (Predator, I think?), which might let you move nerites out of the tank for a couple water changes before putting them back in. I have not personally used it so don't take my word for it without doing some more research. GreenPepper is also pretty responsive so you could try PMing him if you don't find the answer elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreaminginBlue Posted October 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 Yea I’m considering using his product if I have time to get some, LOL. Things have been crazy busy lately for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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