cycling questions / planaria

[JULIE J]

Hi all. I currently keep my axie (Bitzy) in a 2ft tank. He used to be kept in a 3ft tank but when his brother (Itzy) died i moved him to a smaller home so i could keep the tank in a more accessible place. I now feel guilty because i think he deserves more space so i want to set the 3ft tank up again but just wondering how to go about it. Ive only ever set a tank up twice (in 7 years) once at the very beginning and once when i moved him into the smaller one (over a year ago) but what i did then was simply fill the new tank with old water and put his house and plants in with him so no issues with cycling. I dont really think i can do this again with regards to the water volume. I think topping up with clean water may cause problems? I thought about moving some of his plants and substrate in and thought this would be adequate BUT im currently having issues with planaria worms (in their thousands) so ideally i would like to sterilise all his plants and house so they dont infest his new tank (also makes it difficult to use old water) - so im thinking i will have to start from scratch. So my main question is how long would i have to leave the tank to cycle before putting him in because their are so many planaria that there are thousands of dead ones decaying and sending the nitrite level to between 0.3 - 0.8 mg/L. Im spending hours every day trying to get them with a turkey baster and squeezing them through a sieve covered with tights (panty hose) so the water falls back into the tank because i dont want to do too many water changes and mess things up even more. I usually change 20 - 25% of the water once a week but since the worms ive been changing 15% 3 times a week. Im also unsure of how the planaria came to be in the tank. I think they came in with a live plant (which has now been removed) but cant understand why there are so many. Ive read they thrive on uneaten food but i hand feed and there is never any waste left in the tank. I also spot clean every day.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Jennewt]

It's a problem. In order to move the good bacteria into the new tank, you have to move some of the planaria also. In my opinion, I'd move the tank decor and not worry about the planaria. If the planaria build up to a large number in the new tank, I'd recommend removing them by hand (like wiping the glass with a paper towel every couple of days). They aren't really harmful, and it would be better not to have to cycle a new tank.

If you move over all the tank decor and water, it's perfectly OK to add another 10 gallons of clean water; the change will be equivalent to an extra-large partial water change (which you are already doing every week anyway, right?)

What kind of substrate is on the bottom of the tank? Sometimes dirt can build up and give the planaria enough to feed on.

 

[MRIGUY]

Planaria are non-parasitic so in essence they are little more than a pain in the butt. I agree with Jenn that a good cycled tank is more important that the presence of these worms but I think you may be able to get both. I would set up the new tank the way you like it with clean/new washed gravel. When you fill it, use water from the established tank to make up 10% of the total water volume. Additionally remove 2-3 cups of gravel from the established tank and wash it under cool/cold running water for 2-3 minutes before adding it to the new tank. You will have washed off the bulk of the worms but the bacterial will remain. The new tank will cycle relatively quickly. There will likely be a few worms that get in but in the absense of a nutrient sink (accumulated waste) to feed on they will not reproduce. Unless you let the tank get dirty you should not see them again.

Alternatively, you could use all of the worm stuff and vaccuum the gravel every other day and wipe the glass daily. A week or two of that in the absence of a good food source will make a difference but you will need to keep at it though with decreasing frequency. Good luck

John

 

[JULIE J]

Thanks for your advice. Does anyone know how quick these worms breed? Ive had problems for 5-6 weeks now and they have been decresing slightly but there are still so many. Ive been ill for a few days and neglected hunting them for a bit and they just seem to have exploded. I just feel like im losing the battle. I wouldnt be so concerned if there werent so many but im truly not exaggerating. Looking through the tank there are thousands suspended in the water when bitzy has had an energetic swim. They do settle but its not the nicest thought when im hand feeding and also they have been landing on him and hes kind of convulsed shaking his body wildly trying to get them off so hes not happy. I currently have glass decorative bricks (Far too big/heavy to be swallowed) covering some of the tank floor - the rest is just bare glass so if theres any waste its easily spotted and i clean it immediately so im really struggling to understand what they are feeding on. I have got quite a few silk plants and thought they may possibly be hiding/laying eggs on those? so thinking of taking them out today. I have been wanting to use sand as substrate but i dont want to put it in just yet as i dont want to aid the worms in eluding me. I was thinking of putting clean sand in the new tank and next water change filtering the old water into the new tank (so to catch the worms) as the bacteria floating freely in the water should start settling into the sand?
Just a thought. Along with the the worms, about 20-30 tiny snails hitched a ride into the tank on the pants i bought. Im really not into harming things if it can be helped so ive let them have a home in the tank as i havent got the heart to get rid of them (and they are quite cute really). The snails coulnt be causing the problems could they? ie. their waste feeding the worms?
Thanks.

 

[MRIGUY]

The planaria do not alwayss lay egs if memory serves. I believe that are capable but that they can also reproduce asexually by splitting. The snals are also cute in my opinion but you need to be aggressive with their removal along with the worms. Suck them out daily, wipe the glass etc. Time and attention to detail will get rid of them though it is likely they could return if there is a ready food supply.

 

[Jennewt]

How much of a partial water change do you do, and how often? Does the tank have a filter? If the animal's activity is able to dislodge them from the glass, I'm wondering why the filter doesn't suck them up. If they are decreasing, then you are on the right track.

 

[JULIE J]

I usually change 20-25% once a week but currently changing 10-15% 3 times a week trying to get rid of the worms. Its not really the live ones getting dislodged, its the dead ones. There never seems to be all that many live ones (which when i see them i get them out) which is why im so confused about how may dead there are. Im worried that its them decaying which is raising the nitrite level. I removed the plants and there did seem to be rather a lot hiding amongst them so they are now gone. I have a fluval filter which does its job fine to be honest although when i cleaned it the other day as i lifted it from the water all the dead ones it had collected fell back into the water!

 

[MRIGUY]

Sounds like you have one of the internal filter types. No problem. Get a fine screen net and slip it over the intake end of the filter before lifting it from the water. It will catch most of the stuff that falls off so it can be removed from the water. You could also use a plactic container of the appropritate size but that tends to remove more water. Since water changes are a good thing the extra water removed is not really a downside but you just need to take it into account.