Unwanted visitors

[AndyT]

Hi folks,

I've just noticed a small group of bugs/larvae in my aquarium. If anyone
could help identify them, or offer advice as to if they are dangerous etc it
would be appreciated.
The aquarium holds 2 oscars, a kissing guorami and a plec. Maybe the fish
will eat them but I'd rather be safe.

Please excuse the quality of the photo but they are really small, 3 - 4mm,
white with segmented bodies.


Thanks

Andy

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Love to help Andy. But the picture no workie

 

[adeyc]

Andy. Could you give us a description? seeing as the "piccy no worky" Oh and Have you added new plants to the tank recently?

 

[AndyT]

Hi Davy, I can see the picture when I view the forum but its also on my server so maybe thats why.
I also posted the picture to uk.rec.aquaria.misc last night so if you don't mind you could maybe download it from there.

The "larvae" are about 3-4mm long, white but almost transparent, with segmented bodies, and are crawling all over the glass. They are so small that its difficult to describe them in more detail.
Some are on the top of the water and wriggling about.

I noticed them yesterday when we added some daphs to the tank and were watching the fish eat them, but I suspect they have been there for a while and have just become big enough to see.

There are no plants in the tank at all but some bogwood was installed when the tank was built about 6 weeks ago.

Thanks for your help

Andy

 

[adeyc]

Andy. I'm thinking these the little buggers I did a big bit on the old board about.There quite common especialy in coldwater tanks, if memory serves me right they come about with over feeding. (what there called escapes me for the moment) cut down on the feading ant the fish will eat them when they get hungry. I'm off to dig out the info for you.

 

[adeyc]

Planaria. thats what the little buggers were called. Some peeps keep these as a hobbyStrange people
what they are is Platyhelminthes, (flatworms). They are a free-living, flat bodied, freshwater creatures that exhibit the remarkable ability to regenerate their lost body parts.
I cant remember the address for the old forum and not sure if it's still up, was a month ago(Davy if you please). They're quite harmless but a bit of a nuisence. I've done a quick search and most of the sites are for biology students.

not sure of where the pics are posted as I cant get the site address to work, So cant be sure if this realy is your problem. Use the blue http/ button to post a link as this makes things a bit easier( all you need to do is copy and paste.

 

[AndyT]

Hi adey,

Thanks for your research, I think you are correct in your diagnosis, I called in at my local supplier this afternoon (took a sample) and he said pretty much the same thing.

He says that in a tank with small fish they are eaten by them, but the oscars aren't bothered hence the problem.

I'll get rid of the ones I can see, cut down on the feeding and do gravel cleaning each week rather than each fortnight.

The good news I guess, is that they are harmless if unsightly, and not some parasite that could spread to my other tanks.

Thanks a lot for your help

Andy

 

[Davy Reynolds]

I think thats your problem.

Send me the picture and i'll add it.

Adrain here http/pub53.ezboard.com/btropicalaquariums I couldn't see it though

 

[adeyc]

cheers Davy. I'll have a look meself. chances are it may have got deleted while we were archiving threads though. The site I got all the original info is down now but I'm remebering most of it. K I found the post and here's what I said ; i'd recommend feeding the fish once every two days until your little visitors have disappeared.They dissapear as quickly as they appear. as i said there harmless to your fish and they'll eat them.
I'd maybe cut down on the amount of flake you feed you're fish as well as these little critters often appear when theres been overfeeding and the uneaten food lies at the bottom of the tank. If you haven't already got one, get a gravel vac, It'll filter all of the gunk out of the gravel and reduce the chance of these things coming back again.
Let us know how you get on. And if you see any attatch themselves to any fish get back to us asap. It wasn't as detailed as I thought if you want to read the entire thing here you go Worms.
(Don't tell Davy or William but the big bit i did is probably on another board somewhere)

 

[William]

(Don't tell Davy or William but the big bit i did is probably on another board somewhere)

Huh!!! What are you saying!!

Nooooooooooooo!

William

 

[adeyc]

Not to worry William That was last year and I've lost all the paswords to other sites and can't be bothered to re register so all my knowledge will have to be imparted(?)here.

Andy glad to have helped.
keep an eye on them though, these pests like to go off on holiday then sneak back in after you've changed the locks, rocks etc . Davy emailed me the pic but I couldn't say for sure what the are exactly. any other prob's you know where we are.

 

[AndyT]

Thanks for your help people, I ordered a power gravel cleaner over the weekend, so I'll give it a go between water changes. Hopefully this will starve them so they don't come back.

Cheers

Andy

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Ooohhhh Fancy :laugh:
Tell us if it's any good I only have a manual one 8)

 

[AndyT]

Hi Davy,

Power gravel cleaner arrived on Friday (cost £19.99), and I tried it out on Saturday. Works well enough and is silent in use, but it isn't perfect. In my large tank I had to clean the filter bag a few times, and each time the motor is stopped the water flows in reverse stirring up the sediment in the gravel.
Obviously this happens once with the manual gravel cleaner, so isn't too much of a problem.

I'm look for a one way valve which would prevent this happening, and without it I wouldn't recommend the product.

Andy