i have run out of ideas

**red64toy** · 03-09-2004, 11:57 AM

Ok so I have run out of ideas on how to kill the little white things living in my tank. I have used salt, copper sulfate pentahydrate and I clean my tank often and do not over feed. What am I doing wrong? Any other suggestions? Thanks for the help.

**2petuniasmom** · 03-09-2004, 02:03 PM

Have you tried Clout? It contains Trichlorphon and can be effective on planaria. It will kill invertabrates as will anything else that kills the planaria. Otherwise, the usual stuff like vacuuming, changing water and making sure there is no extra food to starve them.

**the209jungalist** · 03-11-2004, 01:44 AM

Maybe cover the tank with a blanket for a week and treat like you were treating bad algae with no light source for a week.

**cichgirl** · 03-11-2004, 07:05 AM

Is your tank infested? Or do you just see a couple every now and again?

**red64toy** · 03-11-2004, 11:36 AM

There are quit a few of them in the tank. Does that blanket trick actually work? I wouldn't think that they need light to live. How do they even get in the tank usually? I have never put anything from a pond or from outside in the tank. Thanks.
Chase

**2petuniasmom** · 03-11-2004, 02:53 PM

If it is planaria, I do not think that covering the tank will work. Planaria are from the Phylum Platyhelminthes. Planaria are actually photo phobic hence are much more apt to enjoy a dark tank. They could have come into the tank from rocks, fish, plants or anything else that is either brought from another aquarium into your or from the environment into your aquarium. They are very common "flat worms". They thrive in an aquarium with uneaten food or poorly vacuumed gravel.

Is your problem getting any better with water changes, vacuuming and limited feeding? Usually invertebrates are very susceptible to most aquarium treatments like coppersafe or clout. If these things are not working, maybe it is not planaria?

**cichgirl** · 03-11-2004, 03:07 PM

Have you tried taking a filter media bag or nylon stocking and putting meat in it overnight for a week (remove and refresh daily)? I know, baiting is a long tedious remedy, but it does get them under control without harsh poisons & crashing your biofilter.

I never minded seeing one every now and again but can understand frustration of an infestation. I got them from adding rocks (only thing I could imagine). They are very common...

**Seedy** · 03-11-2004, 04:29 PM

[qoute]If it is planaria, I do not think that covering the tank will work. Planaria are from the Phylum Platyhelminthes. Planaria are actually photo phobic hence are much more apt to enjoy a dark tank. They could have come into the tank from rocks, fish, plants or anything else that is either brought from another aquarium into your or from the environment into your aquarium. They are very common "flat worms". They thrive in an aquarium with uneaten food or poorly vacuumed gravel. [/i]

Thats correct! I like the platyhelminths....(studied them in lab a lot) They are pretty cool...the largest species gets to be about a cm long (huge, for a flat worm, they have no internal vascular system...they have to absorb all nutrients...and can only be a few cells thick..)...I don't know how they will affect your fish though...But before you kill them all you should look at them under a microscope...(a wet mount slide or a petri dish on a 40x disecting microscope should be sufficient)....
And 2petuniasmom is correct...they do not like light...so the blanket idea would be a bad one....

**red64toy** · 03-11-2004, 05:11 PM

Thanks for the help so far guys, I really appreciate it. I am not so sure that the baiting idea will work as my fish will just tear it up and probably eat what is inside

I will try more frequent gravel cleaning. When I feed my fish, I feed him one pellet at a time so there is never any left overs. I will keep you guys updated. Thanks again.

**the209jungalist** · 03-12-2004, 02:46 AM

Oops, sorry bad blanket idea. Hope you didn't cover your tank for a day and have them double on you!

[But on the bright side...!] heh... I know bad joke...

well bad line I guess reminded me of something you might see in The Far Side comic -just made me laugh...

**the209jungalist** · 03-12-2004, 02:58 AM

C'mon guys I know you can picture this... the caption on the bottom of the comic says [But on the bright side...!]

and in the little balloon caption you see "Oops, sorry bad blanket idea. Hope you didn't cover your tank for a day and have them double on you!"

In the picture you see a room with a tank by itself with a blanket over the top of it and a large tail hanging out the side.

I think Gary Larson died, but I think he would have appreciated my sense of humor.