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Hydra outbreak


revolutionhope

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Tonight I found I have a significant number of hydra resident in my yellow cherry tank. Luckily the tank is barebottom (no substrate) and the population would be no more than 100 shrimp so I can remove the shrimp and treat the tank.

 

I was reading the recently posted article on combating hydra and it seems I have a few options available to me. I don't mind if I kill all fauna and even bacteria in the tank when I treat it. (I can add filters from other tanks if the nitrifying bacteria in the present ones are wiped out).

 

Ideally I'd like to preserve and not inhibit the algae on the walls of the tank. So anyway I'm hoping someone can offer advice as to what route I should take in my circumstance.

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

 

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will

 

 

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I used  benibachi planaria zero the one time I had hydra and they all died with only 1 treatment. I left the shrimp and plants in with no ill effects. I would treat everything you had in the tank as hydra are very good at hiding in and under plants and rocks , driftwood etc. I only ever got hydra when I introduced new plants .

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1 minute ago, ineke said:

I used  benibachi planaria zero the one time I had hydra and they all died with only 1 treatment. I left the shrimp and plants in with no ill effects. I would treat everything you had in the tank as hydra are very good at hiding in and under plants and rocks , driftwood etc. I only ever got hydra when I introduced new plants .

Thanks @ineke I do actually have an old packet of planaria-zero that I was given a couple of years back. I wonder if it would still be effective.

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Pretty sure it would be OK. I hadn't used mine for quite a while then got a tank with planaria in it and it worked fine despite having been open . 

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Pretty sure it would be OK. I hadn't used mine for quite a while then got a tank with planaria in it and it worked fine despite having been open . 





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I used  benibachi planaria zero the one time I had hydra and they all died with only 1 treatment. I left the shrimp and plants in with no ill effects. I would treat everything you had in the tank as hydra are very good at hiding in and under plants and rocks , driftwood etc. I only ever got hydra when I introduced new plants .


Thankyou@ineke I decided to go ahead and treat the tank with shrimp in. After all they're only cherry shrimps.. I gave the first treatment with the recommended dosage and 24 hours later I can't see any hydra on the wall where they were well established last time instead there are tiny shrimplets grazing the biofilm hooray!

Before and after photos attached.3a6590a209be43bf307a64b225c24e3b.jpg7cc76d93455b3b9a461496884b0630b9.jpg

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will

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excellent well done. May I suggest you take a look under any driftwood you might have as that is a place they tend to congregate . If you don't see them there and also behind your sponge filter you have probably got them all. I use this product in any tank I need to regardless of type of shrimp. I have never lost any shrimp including my TB . When I use it for planaria I use a syringe and extension tube and push the liquid into my substrate. That way I can leave my filters running and I don't get white water hanging around for some time. Sometimes before using the syringe the powder would stay in suspension in the tank for sometime even after a few water changes -I always try to disolve it before adding to the tank never just sprinkling the powder onto the water. Luckliy I haven't had to use it very often.

 

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Awesome that's all good to know. I'm glad I keep a list of who I have sold what shrimp to and I have contacted the 2 folks who have had ycs from me to let them know to be on the lookout as a matter of courtesy.

 

I'm doing a 30% wc tonight and will have a check around the sponges and driftwood as you suggested thanks.

 

It's been another good reminder to be strict about using seperate nets for my tanks I need a few more now so I'm fully covered for the timebeing!

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will

 

 

 

 

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One last update - berried shrimps seem to be holding and there was apparently a new batch dropped within the last week Ive found several baby shrimplets.

I will not hesitate to use planaria zero again in future based on this experience.

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will

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Did you treat just one dose, or did you dose it like recommended, on a 3 days basis? If just one shot, monitor your tank, asit might be not enough to kill all hydra.

If you have dosed on the regular basis, chance your hydras are gone 100%, but chance you may have your snails dying in the coming days. Beware of nitirte spike. Test your water and do water change if necessary.

I like a lot Planaria zero, shrimp safe, and does a perfect job against planaria, hydra, and even ramshorn snails. Just be sure to not overdose do a water change after the 3rd day.

Edited by Matuva
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If this product works like NO PLANARIA, a small dosage is enough to get rid of hydras, no need to follow the dosage to kill the planarias.

I use less than a quarter of the recommended dosage and all the hydras are gone in 24 hours and never come back.

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hydra are awful, I've been having the same problem.

Good to hear,

I've just ordered some -Gechen No Planaria, cause I've noticed a few hydra and many planaria in my tanks too. Lots of threads say it's hit and miss so it's good to see some firm evidence these products are shrimp safe etc.

So is the no planaria shrimp safe same as the benibachi product @anthonyd ?

I tossed up between this and the internal parasite clear, I've also heard that's really good stuff.

So can hydra travel in through tap water for example? Like once you've killed them all and don't introduce any new plants will they stay gone? 

I wonder the same about snails, limpids and planaria

eh till it arrives I'm sucking them out off the glass from time to time with air line tubing and that seems to work ok for now.

Tbh I haven't seen any dead shrimp though and I've got tons of babies, even species like chameleons which have really tiny babies that I would assume hydra would sting/consume if any. Touch wood" lol

 

I read a post I think from fishmosy awhile back saying they can be a sign of an overfed tank or other underlying issues, and that adult shrimp will eat them if not over fed. 

Edited by Zebra
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8 hours ago, Zebra said:

So is the no planaria shrimp safe same as the benibachi

Yes, just don't use more than recommended. In fact start with a half dose,that is usually more than enough.

 

8 hours ago, Zebra said:

So can hydra travel in through tap water for example

I hope not. You'd think our tap water would be clean and devoid of such organisms. 

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5 hours ago, jayc said:

 

I hope not. You'd think our tap water would be clean and devoid of such organisms. 

Haha for sure, 

Hopefully if I don't introduce any new plants they should stay gone after treatment.

Cheers

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Here is a picture of a baby crs being eaten by an hydra one of my crs tanks. It is the only time i saw it happen in my tanks so i guess it is pretty rare and it was due to the very large number of babies in that tank.

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6378011277879592381111101997888621847837

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Wow that's an intense photo. Yeah really glad I ordered the no planaria, today I've noticed a new batch of babies in my choc tank.

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8 hours ago, anthonyd said:

Here is a picture of a baby crs being eaten by an hydra

Wow. I heard it was possible. Now it's proven with a picture.

Thanks for the pic.

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  • 1 year later...

This is an old thread I know, but I have set up a new tank for a betta and filled with plants from my usual supplier a few weeks ago. I noticed a few days ago that there are some (not many at this stage) hydra which must have come with the plants, grrrrrr.

I managed to find on ebay 1 person selling 1 SL AQUA - Z1 so have grabbed that instantly and it should arrive by the weekend! This may be a new product that wasn't available in 2017??? It is supposed to be a natural plant product and looks like you just add it once and after a week all is done AND it is supposed to be shrimp/flora/fish/bacteria safe. I may retreat for a second week to 'make sure' especially as it is a natural product and harmless to everything EXCEPT maybe snails (I am over run with them in another tank anyway so can soon add some later). I think the only thing I have seen that you need to do is remove carbon? The tank has a few cull shrimp and a few assassin snails at the moment and MAYBE a fighter from sunday!

I assume it must be virtually unheard of Planaria/hydra in the UK as nowhere seems to stock any of the VARIOUS treatments for these (I think the others are chemical based, and there are videos on youtube of people using Dog worming treatments??), including my shrimp specialist who very generously must have , ie everything in that tank came from them, supplied the hydra??

I plan to update this in a few weeks/month with how good/successful this product is, though it may not be easy to get hold of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0pLd7BcqzA

Simon

ps another related article on here

https://skfaquatics.com/forum/forums/topic/12330-hydra-and-shrimplets/?tab=comments#comment-126062

EDIT - Have put this in the tank today 12/4/19!

EDIT 19/4/19 - I cannot see any evidence of the hydra so a big thumbs up for this product, and so easy to use with just one dose. I will only do a further update if there is any change to report! I have seen shrimp and an assassin snail so it does look to be safe for those as it states.

Edited by sdlTBfanUK
update
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