What will eat flatworms in shrimp tank?

bulrush · Post by **bulrush** » Mon May 15, 2006 6:39 am

First, I did a search for "flatworm" and "flat worm" and found nothing.

I have a 10g with about 7 adult and 30 juvenile cherry shrimp. I seem to have an excess of flatworms. They are small, 1-2mm flat worms, light tan color. These are not planaria.

What would eat these flatworms that would not harm baby shrimp?
I don't think I am overfeeding as the shrimp eat all food I put in within an hour, however the shrimp do seem to produce more waste. Are the flatworms eating the shrimp waste?

An earlier post mentioned his atyid shrimp ate cyclops. Will atyids eat anything free floating in the water, including baby flatworms? I think some of the flatworms swim around, but some crawl on the glass.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Sat May 20, 2006 4:03 pm

Almost nothing eats flatworms that won't eat shrimp. Nothing poisons flatworms that I know of that won't also hurt shrimp. Keep your turkey baster at the ready and suck them out when ever you see them. You won't eliminate them, but you'll keep the numbers low. There is a product made for salt water called flatworm exit. No one seems to know if it is workable in fresh water. I may give it a try.

A 3 spot gourami will eat them if you want to set up another tank to keep the shrimp infor a while. In about two weeks he'll have most of them, but you'll need to repat the process every so often. I go to my LFS and "rent" one when I need them, then return him when the process is done.

Don't move your plants to the new tank as the flat worms will come right along. You can treat your plants in a bucket, then do lots of 100% water changes after the treatment to remove the chemicals.

demented_lullaby · Post by **demented_lullaby** » Tue May 23, 2006 6:03 am

Are you sure you have flat worms 0_o. It sounds like you have planaria and some harmless nematodes feeding off excess food/nutrients.

Flatworms are salt water creatures. I don't doubt that there are freshwater ones but I've never heard of 'em. Any chance for a linky? I wouldn't think a saltwater product would kill off the freshwater ones but I could be wrong? Only the red ones are harmful allthough I pull the clear ones out to just incase. Killing to many at once can poison your tank for the SW ones at least.

Thanks

Veneer · Post by **Veneer** » Tue May 23, 2006 6:58 am

demented_lullaby wrote:Are you sure you have flat worms 0_o. It sounds like you have planaria and some harmless nematodes feeding off excess food/nutrients.

Flatworms are salt water creatures. I don't doubt that there are freshwater ones but I've never heard of 'em. Any chance for a linky? I wouldn't think a saltwater product would kill off the freshwater ones but I could be wrong? Only the red ones are harmful allthough I pull the clear ones out to just incase. Killing to many at once can poison your tank for the SW ones at least.

Thanks :)

Planaria are flatworms - that is, members of the Phylum Platyhelminthes. Within this division lie four classes: Cestoda (tapeworms), Monogenea (monogenetic trematodes), Trematoda (flukes), and Turbellaria (free-living flatworms). This last class encompasses freshwater Planaria.

Flatworms may be marine, freshwater, brackish, terrestrial, ectoparasitic, or endoparasitic (commensal forms also exist).

demented_lullaby · Post by **demented_lullaby** » Tue May 23, 2006 7:08 am

^

thanks for that

I was thinking reef flat worms simply and not the broader picture. However the OP says they aren't planaria =/. Hmmz lol

Barracouse · Post by **Barracouse** » Tue May 23, 2006 3:25 pm

Veneer wrote:
demented_lullaby wrote:Are you sure you have flat worms 0_o. It sounds like you have planaria and some harmless nematodes feeding off excess food/nutrients.

Flatworms are salt water creatures. I don't doubt that there are freshwater ones but I've never heard of 'em. Any chance for a linky? I wouldn't think a saltwater product would kill off the freshwater ones but I could be wrong? Only the red ones are harmful allthough I pull the clear ones out to just incase. Killing to many at once can poison your tank for the SW ones at least.

Thanks
Planaria are flatworms - that is, members of the Phylum Platyhelminthes. Within this division lie four classes: Cestoda (tapeworms), Monogenea (monogenetic trematodes), Trematoda (flukes), and Turbellaria (free-living flatworms). This last class encompasses freshwater Planaria.

Flatworms may be marine, freshwater, brackish, terrestrial, ectoparasitic, or endoparasitic (commensal forms also exist).

True, true, true.
From a french teacher in Zoology.

crazie.eddie · Post by **crazie.eddie** » Thu May 25, 2006 8:45 pm

Reduce the amount of food you give.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Fri May 26, 2006 2:46 am

Here is the problem with reducing feeding. The shrimp must eat something, and the flatworms can outlast the shrimp. Reduce feeding to nothing and the shrimp stop producing young.

The only answer I've found is agreesive trapping and catching on a daily basis. Cut up small chunks of liver, just big enough to tie a string around. Lower this into the tank just after lights out. Set your timer for an hour. When you come back take a fish net, pul up the lliver gently so the planaria don't falloff, and put the net under it. Pull the liver & worms out and dispose of the worms. You can use the same liver a couple of times.

You can store the planaria in a jar for over a week. When I got 30 I sold them on ebay for $10 (free shipping!).

I also keep a turkey baster handy. When I see one I push him around with the tip until he losens up, then such him out.

I never entirely get rid of them unless I bomb the tank. I then have to be carefull not to re-contaminate it with plants, or even a dirty fish net.

Gregor Samsa Mendel · Post by **Gregor Samsa Mendel** » Fri May 26, 2006 4:49 am

Is it really necessary to eliminate every last flatworm from a shrimp tank? A while back my shrimp tank had a massive population explosion of flatworms. I cut way back on the feeding, and their numbers went down, but I still can find a few on the glass if I look for them. They don't seem to be causing any harm.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Fri May 26, 2006 7:10 am

Is it really necessary to eliminate every last flatworm

I don't think that is possible, but if you don't keep after it and take them when ever you see them, their numbers grow to the point that they do cause trouble. While they don't harm healthy shrimp, ones that are sick will be overwhelmed and won't be able to get away and will be mobbed. One they could fight off, but not 20.

This is especially true when you add new shrimp to the tank and they are stressed and molt and go hide right where the planaria are. Think about sharing your bed with those things...

Gregor Samsa Mendel · Post by **Gregor Samsa Mendel** » Fri May 26, 2006 4:07 pm

Eww. I hadn't thought of that. The flatworms in my tank are the tiny white ones (2mm max), and I bet a lot of them get eaten by the adult shrimp. But if their numbers take off again, I may consider actively removing them.