Planaria and other pests and plant ID

Tom the bomb

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Dec 24, 2019
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Toronto, ON, Canada
My axolotl tank with 2 hornwort and an unknown plant (ID plz, the one in the middle) has planaria and 2 bladder snails. I know its from the plants probably. I've bought a pack of planaria zero but it takes long to ship. The infestation of planaria is not too bad. I removed 9 already and none seen so far.
Is planaria dangerous to axolotls?
Can I feed my clown loaches in my other tank these snails?
What should I do?

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tlindsey

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Aug 6, 2011
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My axolotl tank with 2 hornwort and an unknown plant (ID plz, the one in the middle) has planaria and 2 bladder snails. I know its from the plants probably. I've bought a pack of planaria zero but it takes long to ship. The infestation of planaria is not too bad. I removed 9 already and none seen so far.
Is planaria dangerous to axolotls?
Can I feed my clown loaches in my other tank these snails?
What should I do?

View attachment 1405767View attachment 1405768
Planaria is not harmful to fish so it can be controlled by not over feeding and aquarium maintenance. I personally wouldn't treat the aquarium with the Axolotl. Also Clown Loaches will eat snails.
 

FishEZ

Plecostomus
MFK Member
May 16, 2017
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Brampton, Ontario
www.fishez.ca
I would like to make a suggestion here based on my own experience. I found that ordering Planaria Zero (from Japan) does take a LONG time and it comes from overseas--I think Japan. However, there are some distributors that already should have some in stock. I didn't know this and I ordered the packet myself. I had never seen it before, so I didn't know better. However, one day about a week ago, I dropped into a shop which specializes in shrimp. They had plenty of Planaria Zero bags on hand. Wow! if I had only known. However, if you go to their website, you will find that they do not have it listed there. In this case, they are located in Canada, but I would suggest you actually get on the telephone and start calling around to places in your area. Ask them if they have Planaria Zero. After exhausting the possibilities, I would then start on the internet and contact these places that sell on-line and ask them if they carry it. It would probably result in getting a North American business to sell to you and it would enable you getting the item much faster. By the way, the shop I was in also had "No Planaria" for much cheaper. I asked about the difference and it was explained to me by the Japanese in the store that they are identical in substance. (The instructions are all in Japanese so I had to find someone to translate for me when I first purchased it.) What they explained is that Planaria Zero is made by a more renown company (Benibachi) and because of their name they charge a lot more for a lot less of the substance. So when I run out of my Planaria Zero, I'm going to try "No Planaria" instead. Why pay for the Benibachi brand just to have a more name brand?
 

esoxlucius

Alligator Gar
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Dec 30, 2015
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UK
Planaria is pretty harmless. They seemingly appear out of nowhere mainly because there is excess uneaten food and other waste in the substrate. Don't overdo it at feeding time and do regular gravel vacuuming and they'll disappear as quick as they came. You've wasted your money on that planaria treatment.

Clown loaches will eat snails but you are right to be wary just in case of parasites. To be on the safe side I wouldn't give them to the clowns.

Haven't got a scooby do what the plant is. Is it really that important that you need to identify it?
 
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esoxlucius

Alligator Gar
MFK Member
Dec 30, 2015
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UK
I would like to make a suggestion here based on my own experience. I found that ordering Planaria Zero (from Japan) does take a LONG time and it comes from overseas--I think Japan. However, there are some distributors that already should have some in stock. I didn't know this and I ordered the packet myself. I had never seen it before, so I didn't know better. However, one day about a week ago, I dropped into a shop which specializes in shrimp. They had plenty of Planaria Zero bags on hand. Wow! if I had only known. However, if you go to their website, you will find that they do not have it listed there. In this case, they are located in Canada, but I would suggest you actually get on the telephone and start calling around to places in your area. Ask them if they have Planaria Zero. After exhausting the possibilities, I would then start on the internet and contact these places that sell on-line and ask them if they carry it. It would probably result in getting a North American business to sell to you and it would enable you getting the item much faster. By the way, the shop I was in also had "No Planaria" for much cheaper. I asked about the difference and it was explained to me by the Japanese in the store that they are identical in substance. (The instructions are all in Japanese so I had to find someone to translate for me when I first purchased it.) What they explained is that Planaria Zero is made by a more renown company (Benibachi) and because of their name they charge a lot more for a lot less of the substance. So when I run out of my Planaria Zero, I'm going to try "No Planaria" instead. Why pay for the Benibachi brand just to have a more name brand?
Why buy it at all when, with better husbandry, you can get rid of planaria for FREE!
 

Tom the bomb

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Dec 24, 2019
100
39
31
Toronto, ON, Canada
the planaria appeared before any food or animals were ever put in.
Also the ID is not too important.
The treatment I'll have just in case (future use) it also kills hydra
Also how do I remove the parasites on the snails to be safe
 

FishEZ

Plecostomus
MFK Member
May 16, 2017
171
159
61
Brampton, Ontario
www.fishez.ca
Why buy it at all when, with better husbandry, you can get rid of planaria for FREE!
I don't think you could ever actually get rid of the planaria for "free" through simple cleaning unless you had a bare tank and then they might still be in your filter media. Your proposed method might keep the numbers down but eventually they will show up again one day. If you see one. You probably have 50. I have tried a different approach now that I've eliminated the planaria from all tanks. If I get any new plants from LFS or auction or fish club, I quarantine the plants and treat them for planaria before putting them into my tanks just like I would quarantine any introduced fish.
 
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