Ficious
Fish Addict
this was left unanswered in the emergency forum so here goes. my tank appears to have hydras and i need to know of their bad. theyre on all the sides and pretty small. i have shrimp in the tank so will they be ok?
Hmm... Watcha' Think?
- Thread starter Ficious
- Start date
OK i'll admit it, no idea what Hydras were, so I googled, this is what wiki has to say on them.
Hydra is a genus of simple, fresh-water animals possessing radial symmetry. Hydras are predatory animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria and the class Hydrozoa. They can be found in most unpolluted freshwater ponds, lakes and streams in the temperate and tropical regions by gently sweeping a collecting net through weedy areas. They are usually a few millimeters long and are best studied with a microscope. Biologists are especially interested in hydras due to their regenerative ability. Hydras appear to be unique among animals in that they do not undergo senescence (aging).
Hydra is a small animal with a body length ranging from 1 mm to 20 mm when fully extended. It has a tubular body secured by a simple adhesive foot called the basal disc. Gland cells in the basal disc secrete a sticky fluid that allows for its adhesive properties. At the free end of the body is a mouth opening surrounded by one to twelve thin, mobile tentacles. Each tentacle, or cnida (plural: cnidae), is clothed with highly specialised stinging cells called cnidocytes. Cnidocytes contain specialized structures called nematocysts which look like miniature light bulbs with a coiled thread inside. At the narrow outer edge of the cnidocyte is a short trigger hair. Upon contact with prey, the contents of the nematocyst are explosively discharged, firing a dart-like thread containing neurotoxins into whatever triggered the release. To humans, this poses a nuisance at worst; however, to some prey, this strike can be paralyzing.
Hydras mainly feed on small aquatic invertebrates such as Daphnia and Cyclops. All species of Hydra exist in a mutual relationship with various types of unicellular algae. The Hydra affords the algae protection from predators and in return, photosynthetic products from the algae are beneficial as a food source to the Hydra .
Personally, Id get em out of there.
Hydra is a genus of simple, fresh-water animals possessing radial symmetry. Hydras are predatory animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria and the class Hydrozoa. They can be found in most unpolluted freshwater ponds, lakes and streams in the temperate and tropical regions by gently sweeping a collecting net through weedy areas. They are usually a few millimeters long and are best studied with a microscope. Biologists are especially interested in hydras due to their regenerative ability. Hydras appear to be unique among animals in that they do not undergo senescence (aging).
Hydra is a small animal with a body length ranging from 1 mm to 20 mm when fully extended. It has a tubular body secured by a simple adhesive foot called the basal disc. Gland cells in the basal disc secrete a sticky fluid that allows for its adhesive properties. At the free end of the body is a mouth opening surrounded by one to twelve thin, mobile tentacles. Each tentacle, or cnida (plural: cnidae), is clothed with highly specialised stinging cells called cnidocytes. Cnidocytes contain specialized structures called nematocysts which look like miniature light bulbs with a coiled thread inside. At the narrow outer edge of the cnidocyte is a short trigger hair. Upon contact with prey, the contents of the nematocyst are explosively discharged, firing a dart-like thread containing neurotoxins into whatever triggered the release. To humans, this poses a nuisance at worst; however, to some prey, this strike can be paralyzing.
Hydras mainly feed on small aquatic invertebrates such as Daphnia and Cyclops. All species of Hydra exist in a mutual relationship with various types of unicellular algae. The Hydra affords the algae protection from predators and in return, photosynthetic products from the algae are beneficial as a food source to the Hydra .
Personally, Id get em out of there.
My, My,!!... Long time since I've seen those.... only dangerous to very, very small fry, but not healthy/desirable to have in any tank.... Kill 'em!!!
Yes you do get fish that eat 'em, but I cannot remember which... Last had a problem with them in early 80's...
Ficious
Fish Addict
lol well if you or anyone can think of the fish that will eat these, or a way to let me know!! my tank looked good, now its kinda gross
Ficious
Fish Addict
any medications for this??? i came home from work and theyre in my big tank too!!!!! ahhhhhh it looks like crap and i want them gone!
Corleone
Fish Herder
Does anybody know if a copper based medicine kill them. They'll kill invertebrates like shrimp, snails, and crayfish. Not sure how safe that would be in the tank - what else do you have in there?
Ficious, been doing some looking around for ya, this article is interesting: http
/members.optusnet.com.au/chelmon/Hydra.htm - explains quite a bit about them.
This is taken from it:
Treatment
In the past, the only way I found to eradicate hydra successfully was to sterilise the tank with a chlorine solution. Some copper medications claim that they will kill hydra but they can also be deadly to the fry. Other treatments usually recommended include ammonium nitrate, quinine sulphate, raising the temperature to 40�C for 15 minutes or more, and adding salt until the hydra are killed. An even more elaborate treatment I read once was the use of a 9V battery connected to leads that fed into the aquarium water. Most of these treatments simply do not work and in addition, they can be harmful to the young rainbowfish fry.
Dactycid (a product available in Europe) is an effective treatment against gill and body flukes, and other types of internal worms (hookworms and roundworms) including Camallanus cotti, hydra and planaria. The active ingredient is flubendazole. This product was available in powder form in capsules when I was using it, but I think it is only available in liquid form these days. Use according to manufacturer's recommendations.
Flubenol 15 (15%) is a product available in the United Kingdom. This product is used for the treatment of skin flukes, gill flukes, camallanus worms, tapeworms, anchor worms and other helminthics commonly found in tropical and coldwater fish. It has also been used successfully with 'skinny disease' in clown loaches.
Both of the products above have Flubendazole as the active ingredient. Flubendazole is a veterinary drug and can be found under a number of synonyms: Fluvermal; Flubenol; Flumoxal and Flumoxane. Flubendazole 5% is very effective in killing hydra and is very safe to use with small rainbowfish fry used at 1-2 mg/L. I have used this chemical with rainbowfish fry only 10 days old, without any problems. Pre-dissolve the flubendazole 5% in a container with some aquarium water, and then pour it in the aquarium. After 5-7 days, following treatment, do a 50% waterchange. Flubendazole is a "wettable powder" and as such does not completely dissolve. It may leave a white residue in the aquarium, but this can easily be removed with following waterchanges. Remove any deposit of white powder left on the aquarium walls with a sponge and siphoning the bottom with a gravel siphon. I did not have any problems with the residue and it also had no effects on brine shrimp nauplii when fed to the fry. However, this chemical is very toxic to snails.
Flubendazole is not available in Australia as far as I can ascertain. I use to get the chemical from Europe. However, a number of other products have been reported to have similar effects on hydra and other worms. Fenbendazole is a similar chemical that has also been reported as an effective control for hydra. This chemical is available in various formulations and trade names. Praziquantel is another chemical that has been reported to be effective against hydra and other aquarium worms at a recommended dose of 2 mg/L. Praziquantel is available as an aquarium formulation under a number of brand names. However, before using any of these products consult a veterinarian.
© Copyright Adrian R. Tappin
Updated February, 2007
So hopefully you can get rid of the little blighters. Personally I would (if I could) remove the fish and try the chlorine solution in the first paragraph or the temp raising, sounds like the easiest method.
/members.optusnet.com.au/chelmon/Hydra.htm - explains quite a bit about them.This is taken from it:
Treatment
In the past, the only way I found to eradicate hydra successfully was to sterilise the tank with a chlorine solution. Some copper medications claim that they will kill hydra but they can also be deadly to the fry. Other treatments usually recommended include ammonium nitrate, quinine sulphate, raising the temperature to 40�C for 15 minutes or more, and adding salt until the hydra are killed. An even more elaborate treatment I read once was the use of a 9V battery connected to leads that fed into the aquarium water. Most of these treatments simply do not work and in addition, they can be harmful to the young rainbowfish fry.
Dactycid (a product available in Europe) is an effective treatment against gill and body flukes, and other types of internal worms (hookworms and roundworms) including Camallanus cotti, hydra and planaria. The active ingredient is flubendazole. This product was available in powder form in capsules when I was using it, but I think it is only available in liquid form these days. Use according to manufacturer's recommendations.
Flubenol 15 (15%) is a product available in the United Kingdom. This product is used for the treatment of skin flukes, gill flukes, camallanus worms, tapeworms, anchor worms and other helminthics commonly found in tropical and coldwater fish. It has also been used successfully with 'skinny disease' in clown loaches.
Both of the products above have Flubendazole as the active ingredient. Flubendazole is a veterinary drug and can be found under a number of synonyms: Fluvermal; Flubenol; Flumoxal and Flumoxane. Flubendazole 5% is very effective in killing hydra and is very safe to use with small rainbowfish fry used at 1-2 mg/L. I have used this chemical with rainbowfish fry only 10 days old, without any problems. Pre-dissolve the flubendazole 5% in a container with some aquarium water, and then pour it in the aquarium. After 5-7 days, following treatment, do a 50% waterchange. Flubendazole is a "wettable powder" and as such does not completely dissolve. It may leave a white residue in the aquarium, but this can easily be removed with following waterchanges. Remove any deposit of white powder left on the aquarium walls with a sponge and siphoning the bottom with a gravel siphon. I did not have any problems with the residue and it also had no effects on brine shrimp nauplii when fed to the fry. However, this chemical is very toxic to snails.
Flubendazole is not available in Australia as far as I can ascertain. I use to get the chemical from Europe. However, a number of other products have been reported to have similar effects on hydra and other worms. Fenbendazole is a similar chemical that has also been reported as an effective control for hydra. This chemical is available in various formulations and trade names. Praziquantel is another chemical that has been reported to be effective against hydra and other aquarium worms at a recommended dose of 2 mg/L. Praziquantel is available as an aquarium formulation under a number of brand names. However, before using any of these products consult a veterinarian.
© Copyright Adrian R. Tappin
Updated February, 2007
So hopefully you can get rid of the little blighters. Personally I would (if I could) remove the fish and try the chlorine solution in the first paragraph or the temp raising, sounds like the easiest method.
Flubendazole is available in the UK (and online) as Kusuri Wormer Plus (maybe other brands too). A 5g sachet of Wormer Plus (about the size and thickness of a small envelope) treats 500 gallons and will travel easily through the mail if you need to order it from somewhere else. It's mainly marketed at discus keepers to treat the parasites that afflict them (the discus that is, not the keepers!), but says it is suitable for all tropical fish. It also says it may kill snails and invertebrates, so don't know what it will do to your shrimps.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
hydra generally occur where there is excess waste/ammonia in the tank, the best way to get rid is to fix the root cause of the problem.
so first port of call, as always, is what are your water stats?
i believe gourami's will eat them.
so first port of call, as always, is what are your water stats?
i believe gourami's will eat them.
Ficious
Fish Addict
my ammonias fine, nitrites are a little above .25 and nitrates appear to be below 40 (About 20)
do hydras live in the water or just on things? heres my plan...im going to go to petsmart today and find something that will kill them. ill buy a 1.5 gallon for 23 bucks, add the tank water and shrimp from the infected 3 gallon tank and hope that hydras didnt make it to the new one. ill then scrub the new tank with hot water, soak the driftwood in hot water, change the substrate to sand (been wanting sand) and prune my plants while im at it. will these get rid of hydras w/o hurting my shrimp or plants? how long should i leave the shrimp in their temporary home? will the copper in the hydra remover continue to pleage this tank with copper? i dont want my shrimp to die. im going to leave the filter and bio wheel running while i treat the tank.
do i even need to treat the tank? or will a complete scrub down with hot water do it??
i just notice them clinging onto my plants too. this is really a pain in the butt!!!
do hydras live in the water or just on things? heres my plan...im going to go to petsmart today and find something that will kill them. ill buy a 1.5 gallon for 23 bucks, add the tank water and shrimp from the infected 3 gallon tank and hope that hydras didnt make it to the new one. ill then scrub the new tank with hot water, soak the driftwood in hot water, change the substrate to sand (been wanting sand) and prune my plants while im at it. will these get rid of hydras w/o hurting my shrimp or plants? how long should i leave the shrimp in their temporary home? will the copper in the hydra remover continue to pleage this tank with copper? i dont want my shrimp to die. im going to leave the filter and bio wheel running while i treat the tank.
do i even need to treat the tank? or will a complete scrub down with hot water do it??
i just notice them clinging onto my plants too. this is really a pain in the butt!!!
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
the nitrite is a problem and that's what's causing it. more importantly it's also very dangerous to the fish.
what you need to do is resolve your nitrite issue and then the hydra will go by themselves.
so, few questions to establish why you have a nitrite problem..... how long has the tank been set up? how was it cycled? what fish do you have and how many of each species? describe your maintenance route
what you need to do is resolve your nitrite issue and then the hydra will go by themselves.
so, few questions to establish why you have a nitrite problem..... how long has the tank been set up? how was it cycled? what fish do you have and how many of each species? describe your maintenance route
Use flubendazole 5% powder. I get sporadic outbursts all the time in my fry tanks ( killifish) due to overfeeding bbs, just a tiny pinhead dose of this stuff melts the buggers in an instant the fry are unaffected by the medication.
Regards
BigC
Regards
BigC
ALW
What works for one may not work for another!
Any ray-finned fish are classed as Hydras natural predators so fish like barbs, livebearers, killifishes, tetras, danios should all prey on them.
EDIT: The easiest way to get rid of the Hydras is to "Raising the temperature to 45 degrees (110F). Prior to this remove the fish and the snails from the tank. The plants can be left in the tank since they can stand this temperature. The temperature only needs to be kept this high for a short period, 5 minutes will suffice".
Info from http/aquaworld.netfirms.com/Predators/hydra.htm
EDIT: The easiest way to get rid of the Hydras is to "Raising the temperature to 45 degrees (110F). Prior to this remove the fish and the snails from the tank. The plants can be left in the tank since they can stand this temperature. The temperature only needs to be kept this high for a short period, 5 minutes will suffice".
Info from http
/aquaworld.netfirms.com/Predators/hydra.htmSimilar threads
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