Hydra infestation - fluke tabs?

[mak]

Good news - I have 1 male w/4 female agassizzis which are just crankin' out the babies! They're in a community tank with some rams & neons, so I have to remove them; right now I've got somewhere around 100 in various states of growing out. (hope my LFS won't have any trouble taking so many... :lol:

Bad news - I've lost a lot of fry lately and I'm assuming it's to :evil: hydra. I just lost an entire clutch of wrigglers. They were OK until they started to "swim". The tank has (I just noticed) a fair number of hydra, and I could see the fry get "caught" in something, squirm violently... next morning, nothing but dead fry.

So - the krib lists fluke tabs as a possible remedy. Any experience/suggestions? Thanks much.

michael kahlow

 

[Randall]

Fluke Tabs

Dear Michael,

With dwarf cichlids, Fluke Tabs administered at half strength is the preferred treatment for those unwanted parasitic little nasties. Although the adult fish should be fine, I have no prior experience with fry, however. It might be a good idea to keep a close watch for signs of stress, should you decide to use it. Usually two treatments are effective, but you must do a water change immediately following.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[Cichlids1]

also, if you'd like a natural remedy, I've used various gourami to rid tanks of them. I found the Dwarf Gourami did the best job of it out of the ones I've tried. I've heard some of the smaller licorice/croaking gouramis are even better at it.

 

[Orchid]

Anabatids are very effective in the removal of hydras and other pesties that come on plants. Bettas are often used for this purpose, but I fear that your fry will fall prey to a betta as well. There are three species of the croaking gourami that Cichlids1 recommended. The Vitatus, which is a dull brown, the Schalleri, which is a sparkling blue and red and also called the Sparkling gourami, and the Pumilus, which is often mistaken for the the Sparkling gourami. The Vitatus and the Schalleri are between 1.5 and 1.75 inches length. The Pumilus is the true pygmy of the gouramis. I have had about nine for a year now and none of them have grown longer than an inch in total. They have very small mouths and are timid for an anabatid, so these may be great around fry.

I've kept all three species, they are all hardy and actually croak. I did have a betta in with the Vitatus and the betta was always the one that was beaten up even though his body was twice as big as the Vitatus!

I've read that licorice gouramis have small mouths and their water requirements are compatable with S.A. cichlids. Chocolate gouramis also have small mouths, but these can be delicate, do best in schools, and might easily be beaten up by cichlid parents. Good luck with whichever hydra elimination method you choose.

 

[apistodave]

Panacur works good too

 

[fishdoctor]

To control Hydra, you can add several nickel-sized mystery snails to the tank. These will eat the hydra

Add 2 mls of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to the water. The free oxygen will kill the hydra, not the fish.

Or the gouramis will work also.

Terry Fairfield

 

[Randall]

Hydrogen Peroxide

Dear Terry,

Nice to have you with us!

What is the recommended dose of Hydrogen Peroxide per gallon(s) of water, please? Also, is this treatment used for anything other than hydra infestation?

Special note to the Forum:

Terry Fairfied is the author of Barron's, A Common Sense Guide to Fish Health. For more information about Terry and his book, please refer to his website at http://home.xta.com/fishdoctor/default.html.

Thank you.

Randall Kohn

 

[Eva32181]

Plant tank folks use H2O2 to successfully treat algal infestations. That should be on the krib somewheres . . .

 

[Randall]

Eva's Planted Tank

Dear Eva,

What a lush, beautifully planted tank you have! I'd love to be able to have a tank that looks as lush as yours.

Are you using CO2? Also, what kind of a substrate are you using, please?

Thanks!

Randall Kohn

 

[mak]

Hydra are gone

Thanks for the input everyone. The fluke tabs were used on 2 tanks at 1/4 dose; all fish concerned (adult rams & neons in one, baby rams in another) are doing fine. Hydras are gone.

Now if I just knew what to do with the two new batches of aggie young in the community tank... :?

mak