# What eats planaria?



## holly12

So.... found some small worms in the substrate and on the moss balls. The planaria I'm used to (gr.7 Biology), were brown and you could see their eyes.... these are too small to see any detail other than they are white. I'm guessing they are planaria - they look flatish.

know anything that will eat them? Dwarf rasboras decimated the hydra! It was awesome! But they are mid - top swimmers......

Thanks.

(Also, they won't hurt anyone right? Will they breed till thats all you can see in the substrate? I've heard some horror stories!)


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## susankat

They can breed till there is so many that at night when the lights are out they can cover the walls. Siphon out as many as you can when doing water changes. They live in the substrate so should be able to get rid of a bunch that way. Cut back on your feeding also as that can make them mulitply faster. You don't have room in there to add any fish that will eat them.


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## holly12

Thanks.

That's disgusting! I definitely will be feeding the frogs less blood worms and cutting back on fish flakes, (as well as the shrimp pellets and algae wafers for the Otos.)

I was hoping I'd be able to get a bunch out when I vac' the gravel! 

I was all excited because I didn't have do H.P. dip my plants since the hydra is gone, but now I think I may have to because I don't want any planaria traveling into the new tank on the plants! (Always risky dipping plants - may kill the plant or the residue could harm the animals.)

Maybe the little Chillies will eat the planaria they see on the glass.... they decimated thousands of Hydra in just a few weeks.


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## Amie

any thoughts on planaria eating fish would be nice though to get rid of mine. My 55 is full of them!!! Thanks to my 2 year old who thinks half of everything she eats belongs in the tank!!! 4 angels 1 black phantom tetra and a male swordtail in the tank. I would have thought that the angels would eat them but they seem to be leaving them alone.


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## holly12

You could try putting the tank up where she can't open it? Or set something heavy on the lid?


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## automatic-hydromatic

TRUE Siamese Algae Eaters eat them. Couldn't tell you how effective they are at it though. I have SAE's in my tank, but I got them for BBA, not worms


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## holly12

I thought about that.... but they need to be in groups and can get up to 6" long.... kinda' big for a 20g, especially since they need more than 1 to be happy. I guess if it gets too bad I'll have to think about it. Thanks!


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## automatic-hydromatic

yeah I've got 4 in my tank and they tend to stay grouped together everywhere they go


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## holly12

Are yours big? Are they territorial? Will they bother other inhabitants? (Sorry for all the questions, lol.) Just don't know much about them, other than it's hard to get _actual_ SAE's because LFS tend to sell similar looking fish as SAE's.


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## automatic-hydromatic

the largest is about 2 1/2" long, the other 3 are still pretty young and are only 1" to 2" long. I bought mine (along with 7 Nerites) off aquabid. same reason as you; no one around here carries anything but the fakes, or Chinese Algae Eaters...

and they pretty much ignore the other fish in the tank and just go on about their business of eating algae 



YouTube - ‪Fresh Water Aquarium Cleaners going to work - Nerite Snails, Siamese Algae Eaters, and Ghost Shrimp‬‏



here's a great little article on them

Crossocheilus siamensis - True Siamese Algae Eater


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## holly12

Thanks! Definitely something to think about!


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## inkmaker

What eats planaria? Levamisole.

Charles H


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## susankat

Holly as you know the tank is already overstocked you don't need to put any more fish in it. Just deal with it until the 20 gal is ready. Before putting the plants into the new tank, clean them. You shouldn't move them over that way. Clean with peroxide dip and rinse good. Won't hurt the fish. I have put peroxide on plants while still in the tank to kill algae and didn't harm any fish.


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## holly12

Oh no no, I didn't mean to put the SAE's in the 10g, lol. I know I can't put anymore in there. I was thinking if the planaria accidentally got into the 20g or even if I have them in the 36g in the future, then the SAE's were something to think about. Don't worry - nothing new going into the 10g.


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## inkmaker

Hydrogen Peroxide will kill Plecos and most algae eating fish in minutes. Be careful those fish are not present when using it to take care of algae and sterilizing plants.

Charles H


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## susankat

She would be sterilizing the plants out of the tank before putting them into a new tank.

When using peroxide to help with algae, you do it while the water is down from a water change and using a spray bottle. That little amount doesn't do any harm to plecos because as soon as the water is added back to the tank it is deluted enough to where it doesn't harm them.


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## holly12

Definitely no animals in the tank when I do it!! I was actually going to give them a quick dip in H.P so the roots get it too, because the worms are in the substrate. Then rinsing with clear water and soaking in clear water and then rinsing again before going in new tank.


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## JoannaBanana

I am having the same problem! Found planaria, and yes, I was overfeeding. I had to adjust to a change from platies to tetras. 
I cannot dose with anything that I know of because I also keep zebra nerites (2), and Red Cherry Shrimp.

I am trying the approach of cutting way back on feeding and siphoning the gravel. 
I have found that when I siphon at night, when the light has been on all day, I get like 2 planaria in 2 gallons of water siphoned. So I thought the problem was getting better. 

But when I turn the light on in the morning, stopping and looking closely, there are several out on the gravel; (and several on/in a sickly nerite--don't know which came first, his sicklyness, then his planaria trouble; or the planaria trouble, hence the sicklyness.) So I am going to start vacuuming the gravel first thing in the morning since they don't like the light and aren't out at the end of the day.

Also, what is a good amount/schedule to feed 5 tetra?

10G heavily planted tank, 10+/- RCS, 2 zebra nerites, 5 cardinal tetras
Also if I should start a new thread let me know! Not intending to hi-jack your thread.


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## coralbandit

JoannaBanana said:


> I am having the same problem!
> 
> Also, what is a good amount/schedule to feed 5 tetra?
> 
> 10G heavily planted tank, 10+/- RCS, 2 zebra nerites, 5 cardinal tetras
> Also if I should start a new thread let me know! Not intending to hi-jack your thread.


Cardinals are a fish that will live longer and do better if only fed every 2 days at the most.In the wild they are almost thought to be annuals(living for one year),but in aquariums they say you are doing pretty good if you make 4 years.They also say the more you feed them the shorter their lifespan will be.
Feed only every other day at the most and they must consume ALL food within 2 minutes.None should even hit the gravel,NONE.
Good luck!
I have like 20 in my 180 community and they usaully hang on one end so evry other day I feed that end of the tank,the other I feed in the middle and the "frenzy" doesn't usaully leave them much.


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## orosurf

inkmaker said:


> Hydrogen Peroxide will kill Plecos and most algae eating fish in minutes. Be careful those fish are not present when using it to take care of algae and sterilizing plants.
> 
> Charles H


Sorry, but that's nonsense, I regularly use it in my tanks , with super red bristlenose , SAE, and flying fox, as well as shrimp. Nothing except the algae has ever died from it. I came across your statement on the internet and signed up especially to debunk this incorrect advice.


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