wrigglies in tank

"Frank" wrote in message
oups.com...
Sandi wrote,
Mmm - there isn't anything that's EXACTLY the same in those but Hydra
vulgaris is the closest.
Tend to be of the mind that "if it ain't broke etc etc" but will leaving
them to sort themselves out harm the fish?

Hydra (freshwater anemones) can be killed by any copper treatment.
Aquarisol medication works well. Or, let an air supply run through a
copper pot scrub pad, or place it in the tank so a power filter return
flows through it. A medication called Fluke-Tabs (1 cap. per 20 gals.)
will also kill Hydra. Hydra's population growth is fast, and they grow
fast (up to an inch tall), at which size can harm or kill smaller fish.
Cause - your overfeeding and not doing enough weekly maintenance (20%
weekly water changes (at least) with a good gravel
vac)...................... Frank


Would Seachem Cupramine Copper Aquarium medication do the same job do you
think? Bit worried about my fish - this tank is exclusively home bred so a
bit of a favourite.


Eeee, by 'eck I wish I'd never seen them now.
I found this on googling "eradicate hydra"
on http://home.clara.net/xenotoca/hydra.htm

Editors (Xenotoca) footnote.

Mr Sinclair may have introduced the Hydra into his tanks via the plants but
in fact they are very common in the same water conditions that favour large
populations of live food such as daphnia ect. As any piece will grow into a
complete Hydra and only one is needed for reproduction it is fairly easy to
introduce them into the aquarium in this way.

In the livebearer tank Hydra are not normally a threat to the fry but are a
real danger to egglayer fry.

I personally have had success with Red Ramshorn Snails, which should not
attack plants as they mainly browse on the micro-organisms thriving on the
leaves. The only difference being that I have snails permanently in my tanks
and just stopped feeding when the Hydra appeared so they never reached the
proportions referred to in the article.

Use of Aluminium plates or even cooking foil plate to replace the copper
ones will work for the electrical cure without the copper deposit problem Mr
Sinclair encountered.

Again I am not a chemist but white vinegar has had a further distillation
process and may have different properties to normal malt vinegar. I would
try normal vinegar in the standard solution first as even if it turns the
water brownish being acid a water change will be required to return the
water to the alkaline conditions our livebearers prefer.

The Heat treatment always works but both fish and plants should be removed.
The plants should be washed in a weak solution of Potassium permanganate
(available at any chemists) and rinsed under a running tap prior to being
replaced into the aquarium.

So now I don't know what to do! All I have in the tank are mollies - and its
salted! Maybe they'll be ok.