Shrimp tank +planaria -- veggies ok?

[saganco]

I have done a major gravel vac to rid the tanks (2 shrimp tanks) of "most" of the dreaded buggers, but still have loads of shrimp, MTS snails, and a couple of veggie loving BN plecos in the tanks to feed. I want to starve out the remainder of the planaria, but needless to say - don't want to starve out the other occupants of the tanks! They all love blanched zucchini and cucumber - but would that feed the planaria again? I don't want to repopulate what I worked so hard to remove.

BTW, in case you guys didn't already know it, if you put some vinegar in the water that holds the planaria you vacuumed out - it will kill and pretty much disentegrate them before flushing. UGGGHHH! Wouldn't it be horrible to stock the septic system with these rapidly reproducing things. One would be paying the septic cleaning people sooner than needed to come clean out the mess we made with our yucky worms in there!!

[Neonshrimp]

Hi saganco,

If you put food in the tank I think you are feeding anything that gets to the food be it shrimp, snails, fish or planaria.

BTW, in case you guys didn't already know it, if you put some vinegar in the water that holds the planaria you vacuumed out - it will kill and pretty much disentegrate them before flushing.

Wouldn't this just do damage to everything in the tank in one way or another?

[saganco]

If you put food in the tank I think you are feeding anything that gets to the food be it shrimp, snails, fish or planaria.

Well that totally stinks, I still have to feed the others! Something must be "off the planaria's menu"!? There has to be something the just won't eat

BTW, in case you guys didn't already know it, if you put some vinegar in the water that holds the planaria you vacuumed out - it will kill and pretty much disentegrate them before flushing.

Wouldn't this just do damage to everything in the tank in one way or another?

No, you missed the part about putting the vinegar in the BUCKET that you siphoned the gravel vac into! NOT into the shrimp tank (or fish either I would imagine). PHEW! Glad you said something so I could clarify it better - I would have hated to be the cause of someone killing off a bunch of their "pets"!

[Shaun]

I've been trying to think of a way to rid my tank of "buggers" for a while now. I have an idea but it is probably completely nuts. Oh well, here it is.
First, take everything out of your tank that you don't want to die.
Then, find a way to run an electric current through the water in your tank, I was thinking about using a car battery, jumper cables, and a couple of spatulas. Metal ones.
Just had another idea. This might be more effective, and safer.
Find a way to heat the water in the tank to 150 degrees or so. That would kill everything. This shouldn't break the glass as long as it is a gradual increase in temerature. Don't just dump boiling water in.
If you are crazy enough to try either of these you might want to take anything electrical out as well. (i.e. filter, heater, etc.)
Let me know what you guys think. And if it works. Again, I must stress I have not tried either of these ideas.

[Neonshrimp]

Let me know what you guys think. And if it works. Again, I must stress I have not tried either of these ideas.

I think you shouldn't try this at home kids

I think you should let us know if it works

I don't think anyone else has tried the first method out or they did they didn't live to tell us about it

Just be careful if you for some reason go through with it

[saganco]

You brave souls can try the other methods above, but for me, catching each and every shrimp and snail is nigh unto impossible! So, I think I have a new indicator (and "trap" of sorts). I use a natural sea sponge (seasoned in another tank for "goodies") in my shrimp tank. The shrimp go NUTS over it, just muching away on who knows what. With my planted tank, there weren't that many places that the planaria would "gather" but they also loved the sponge. So last night I took out everything - plants, caves, sponge, and filter sponge and gently lifted them out of the tank (causing the shrimp to bail out as fast as possible as the item slowly came up out of the water), then put the "item" into a clean bucket of water, and gently shook (and squeezed for the sponge items). Then the little shrimps would be swimming around in the bucket with worms. I simply float a small piece of anubia or some other plant that likes to float (java moss sinks and the worms get in it). So after the shrimp come climb onto the floating plant, I gently take a fine net and get up under the plant and scoop up the plant AND the shrimp - then I can return the shrimp to their home and put the plant back if there are more shrimp to catch.

So once the sea sponge shows planaria crawling around on it again, I would simply repeat the process. I did forget to mention that I treat the sponges that I took out of the tank in vinegar water to kill any remaining worms, then soak the sponges in clear water to get the ph back to normal. Then and only then would that sponge be reused. I also did a deep and thorough gravel vac, which I will do again as soon as I see the little monsters in the sponge again. So in a sense, the sea sponge is not only a shrimp heaven, it's a viable planaria trap since they stay in it as I lift it out to put it in the bucket!

Hope this odd proceedure helps someone with the same problems!

[Neonshrimp]

So once the sea sponge shows planaria crawling around on it again, I would simply repeat the process. I did forget to mention that I treat the sponges that I took out of the tank in vinegar water to kill any remaining worms, then soak the sponges in clear water to get the ph back to normal. Then and only then would that sponge be reused. I also did a deep and thorough gravel vac, which I will do again as soon as I see the little monsters in the sponge again. So in a sense, the sea sponge is not only a shrimp heaven, it's a viable planaria trap since they stay in it as I lift it out to put it in the bucket!

Hope this odd proceedure helps someone with the same problems!

You really don't like planaria do you? I don't either

[saganco]

About the only way I "could" like them is if I had a bare bottom tank full of them and just put some fish in there from time to time for a feast. Otherwise I would be afraid of an outbreak somewhere else. I think it's like Malaria - avoid at all costs!

[zapisto]

try flubenol
dont dont forget to suck them well when died.

[Neonshrimp]

try flubenol
dont dont forget to suck them well when died.

If you use this please let us know how it works out.