Planaria worms! How do you get rid of them?

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tooth517

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 21, 2009
703
15
18
Eaton Rapids , Michigan
Out of nowhere my tank is peppered with the tiny worms. I hear they aren't harmful to fish but I want them gone. What can I do to get rid of them?
 
One 12" managuense. Feed him only 8-10 hikari cich. staple pellets a day. Also how do they get in there and how do I prevent them from coming back?
 
Are you sure, good water chemistry results in types of small worms from time to time, that are not harmful. Have you got a picture for an ID?
 
they are not harmeful EXCEPT dwaf shrimp. damn planaria
 
tooth517;3580059; said:
One 12" managuense. Feed him only 8-10 hikari cich. staple pellets a day. Also how do they get in there and how do I prevent them from coming back?

you cant prevent them and its a war you cant win. planaria are in every aquarium but they are usually out of sight. if you are seeing a population boom then something is wrong in your system, either:
feeding
waterchanges
gravel vacs
filter maintenance

one of these is where your being slack or you may have dead spots you dont vac because you cant get to them very easily. either way you need to correct something.
think of them as an alarm system that gives you time to fix something before your fish suffer.
 
cichlid2006;3580199; said:
you cant prevent them and its a war you cant win. planaria are in every aquarium but they are usually out of sight. if you are seeing a population boom then something is wrong in your system, either:
feeding
waterchanges
gravel vacs
filter maintenance

one of these is where your being slack or you may have dead spots you dont vac because you cant get to them very easily. either way you need to correct something.
think of them as an alarm system that gives you time to fix something before your fish suffer.

Thanks for the info! I'm guessing I need do a better job on the gravel vac. But I will stay on top of the filter maint. also.
 
set a planaria trap
 
limz_777;3581891; said:
set a planaria trap

The oldtimers set traps by baiting a soda can/bottle with a chicken liver. Leave it in the darkened tank overnight and the majority of the worm population will be lured to the liver. Next morning, remove the bottle and empty into a toilet. This works best if the tank isn't fed for 24 hours before the trap is set.
 
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