Planaria worms in my feeder snails?

[MooncakeMyDudecake]

Can someone please advise on how to get rid of these horrible parasitic worms in my tank please
My pH is all outta whack at the moment and it's annoying me, can't tell if my cycle crashed or not. It was fully cycled when I first put my axolotl in the tank - she is tubbed now

 

[Alex M]

View attachment 92135
Can someone please advise on how to get rid of these horrible parasitic worms in my tank please
My pH is all outta whack at the moment and it's annoying me, can't tell if my cycle crashed or not. It was fully cycled when I first put my axolotl in the tank - she is tubbed now

If you go on Amazon etc and search for ‘Planaria trap’ you will find what you need. Very simple and effective to use, I tend to find a small piece of raw chicken placed inside the tube works well, though one tip I would recommend is to put the trap in the tank after lights out and then remove first thing the next morning, you will probably need to repeat this process every few days until clear but at least in my experience this method does work well.

 

[wolfen]

if the ph is lower than 7 use bicarbonate of soda to raise it to 7.4-7.6, if you can check your kh as it could be low and allowing the ph to fluctuate.

 

[MooncakeMyDudecake]

if the ph is lower than 7 use bicarbonate of soda to raise it to 7.4-7.6, if you can check your kh as it could be low and allowing the ph to fluctuate.

Hey so how do I check the kh? I thought bicarb raises pH I'm having trouble lowering it it's on 8.2 constantly and I need it more around 7.4, I've got drift wood and Indian almond leaves in my tank and even a lump of limestone since someone else suggested that I did. But now even when I do water changes the pH doesn't change at all

 

[wolfen]

Hey so how do I check the kh? I thought bicarb raises pH I'm having trouble lowering it it's on 8.2 constantly and I need it more around 7.4, I've got drift wood and Indian almond leaves in my tank and even a lump of limestone since someone else suggested that I did. But now even when I do water changes the pH doesn't change at all

I didn't realise it was high ph you had already, kh and gh is carbonate hardness and general hardness they can be tested through liquid tests or strip test. if the ph is high then the chances are that you will have good kh gh anyway, limestone will help increase the kh gh but it wont lower the ph, to lower the ph you can use peat/bogwood/drift wood/almond leaves, anything that releases tannins will reduce ph. test your source waters ph.

 

[JM29]

What do you interpret as planaria worms on the photo ?

 

[wolfen]

What do you interpret as planaria worms on the photo ?

they do look more like detritus worms.

 

[JM29]

they do look more like detritus worms.

If so, they are neither parasitic nor dangerous.

 

[Alex M]

What do you interpret as planaria worms on the photo ?

I would presume it’s the small flat grey object right next to the snail - hard to see from the photo though. Regardless, if he or she does have Planaria issues then they know what to do now which is the most important thing.

 

[MooncakeMyDudecake]

I didn't realise it was high ph you had already, kh and gh is carbonate hardness and general hardness they can be tested through liquid tests or strip test. if the ph is high then the chances are that you will have good kh gh anyway, limestone will help increase the kh gh but it wont lower the ph, to lower the ph you can use peat/bogwood/drift wood/almond leaves, anything that releases tannins will reduce ph. test your source waters ph.

Thank you for all of that honestly but I have driftwood and indian almond in her tank and it's still not lowering the pH I keep trying to dose it with bicarb (7g) diluted in conditioned water.. I've noticed there's loads of snail droppings in my tank, I wonder if it's because of the snails but they've never caused an issue like this. I just want my baby back in her tank I feel like water changes only do so much for your tank water

 

[Alex M]

Thank you for all of that honestly but I have driftwood and indian almond in her tank and it's still not lowering the pH I keep trying to dose it with bicarb (7g) diluted in conditioned water.. I've noticed there's loads of snail droppings in my tank, I wonder if it's because of the snails but they've never caused an issue like this. I just want my baby back in her tank I feel like water changes only do so much for your tank water

Sometimes the worst thing you can do is constantly fiddle with the water. Providing the filtration is adequate, you need to let the tank settle down and find it’s rhythm - with the greatest respect, that won’t happen with constant chopping and changing. Personally I would not be trying to gain acidic water conditions for your Axolotl - they do better in water that is harder rather than softer. My water is around 8.0, I have kept Axolotl’s for decades at this parameter and have never had any health issues with this particular species. All the best with it, cheers Al

 

[wolfen]

to bring ph up use bicarb, to bring it down use tannins, if the water ph is already high enough using bicarb will just increase it.
axolotls come from a slight brackish high mineral environment so do best in hard water.
don't add anymore bicarb unless the ph drops below 7 when cycling, use it to bring it up to the right levels.
don't worry about it being high when cycling as the increase in ph will allow for more free ammonia and therefore allow better consumption/conversion by bacteria.
if the ph is higher than the tap water it can be reduced with water changes once the tank has finished cycling.
if the tank ph is high and the tap water ph is high don't worry to much about it as it will be less susceptible to nitrate ph drop, it will also decrease the chances of old tank syndrome further down the line. the only drawback from high ph is that it can make trace amounts of ammonia more harmful.

 

[MooncakeMyDudecake]

Sometimes the worst thing you can do is constantly fiddle with the water. Providing the filtration is adequate, you need to let the tank settle down and find it’s rhythm - with the greatest respect, that won’t happen with constant chopping and changing. Personally I would not be trying to gain acidic water conditions for your Axolotl - they do better in water that is harder rather than softer. My water is around 8.0, I have kept Axolotl’s for decades at this parameter and have never had any health issues with this particular species. All the best with it, cheers Al

No I respect that and I really appreciate the advice. I just don't know what to do, I only changed the water because first of all it looked horrendous and secondly because the water was killing all my plants and was obviously not doing anything any good never mind my axolotl having her gills curled right forward and was really pale at pH 8.2, so I tubbed her straight away.
I've been leaving it to do its thing for the past couple of days, I'm using everything to bring the pH down by itself but it's time consuming. In terms of tannins do you think I can use black tea? I'm really struggling to get my pH down and keep it regulated so I was thinking of buying this (pic below)

 

[wolfen]

No I respect that and I really appreciate the advice. I just don't know what to do, I only changed the water because first of all it looked horrendous and secondly because the water was killing all my plants and was obviously not doing anything any good never mind my axolotl having her gills curled right forward and was really pale at pH 8.2, so I tubbed her straight away.
I've been leaving it to do its thing for the past couple of days, I'm using everything to bring the pH down by itself but it's time consuming. In terms of tannins do you think I can use black tea? I'm really struggling to get my pH down and keep it regulated so I was thinking of buying this (pic below)

whats the tap water ph?
equaliser will probably increase the ph because it is designed to improve ph kh and gh in soft water by adding minerals such as calcium.
if your tap water ph is lower then your tank ph then you have something in the tank increasing the ph.
not all plants like a high ph hard water tank and prefer it more acidic.
if the axolotls are happy being in tubbed water then there is an issue with the tank.
if you can get a liquid kh gh test kit and test the water in the tank.
what are the tank water levels ie.. temp/ammonia/nitrite/nitrate
if you are using tannins then almond leaf extract can be used (the same ones that are used to make black water), anything that is used for tannins will darken/brown the water, this can be removed with activated carbon, tea bags can be used although be aware there is no information on the effects of caffeine with axolotls, normal usage is one tea bag to 10 litres water. humic acid can also be used for tannins and is a dose to taste ie.. how dark you want the water.
don't use any more bicarbonate of soda, bicarbonate of soda is used to bring the ph up, by adding more bicarb you are just increasing the ph, also because it will also raise the carbonate hardness (kh) it will resist attempts to lower the ph.

 

[MooncakeMyDudecake]

whats the tap water ph?
equaliser will probably increase the ph because it is designed to improve ph kh and gh in soft water by adding minerals such as calcium.
if your tap water ph is lower then your tank ph then you have something in the tank increasing the ph.
not all plants like a high ph hard water tank and prefer it more acidic.
if the axolotls are happy being in tubbed water then there is an issue with the tank.
if you can get a liquid kh gh test kit and test the water in the tank.
what are the tank water levels ie.. temp/ammonia/nitrite/nitrate
if you are using tannins then almond leaf extract can be used (the same ones that are used to make black water), anything that is used for tannins will darken/brown the water, this can be removed with activated carbon, tea bags can be used although be aware there is no information on the effects of caffeine with axolotls, normal usage is one tea bag to 10 litres water. humic acid can also be used for tannins and is a dose to taste ie.. how dark you want the water.
don't use any more bicarbonate of soda, bicarbonate of soda is used to bring the ph up, by adding more bicarb you are just increasing the ph, also because it will also raise the carbonate hardness (kh) it will resist attempts to lower the ph.

Hi my pH is around 7.4 in tap water but in the tank it is 8.2.
I'm well aware of the effects of bicarb at this point, I'd really like to know if water changes over the space of a week (maybe 2 or 3) will change the pH over time, I really just want to correct the problem now.
I have a lump of limestone in the tank I now have loads of plants, indian almond leaves and driftwood. Which all change my water colour to a brown/green colour. Temp is 20degrees, pH readings are above, nitrites 0 ammonia 0 but just added another 84 drops of ammonia, gonna text nitrites later today

 

[wolfen]

Hi my pH is around 7.4 in tap water but in the tank it is 8.2.
I'm well aware of the effects of bicarb at this point, I'd really like to know if water changes over the space of a week (maybe 2 or 3) will change the pH over time, I really just want to correct the problem now.
I have a lump of limestone in the tank I now have loads of plants, indian almond leaves and driftwood. Which all change my water colour to a brown/green colour. Temp is 20degrees, pH readings are above, nitrites 0 ammonia 0 but just added another 84 drops of ammonia, gonna text nitrites later today

if the tank is cycling how far in is it, is it removing the ammonia over 24hr period.
once it has cycled do 2 50% water changes 2 days apart then retest ph.
I assume it is being cycled because of the ammonia being added. if it is already cycled do the same 50% water changes 2 days apart. do not put your axolotl back in the tank until the ammonia is consumed and the nitrites are zero as well.
water changes will reduce the ph.
make sure to reduce the tanks temperature before adding your axolotl as 20°c is to high.

 

[MooncakeMyDudecake]

if the tank is cycling how far in is it, is it removing the ammonia over 24hr period.
once it has cycled do 2 50% water changes 2 days apart then retest ph.
I assume it is being cycled because of the ammonia being added. if it is already cycled do the same 50% water changes 2 days apart. do not put your axolotl back in the tank until the ammonia is consumed and the nitrites are zero as well.
water changes will reduce the ph.
make sure to reduce the tanks temperature before adding your axolotl as 20°c is to high.

It's been cycled already but I'm not sure if it may have crashed through a big water change, I'll do the 50% water changes and see where we're at. Thank you honestly so much for your help