HELP: Nematodes?

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trafficjam

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Dec 29, 2003
Messages
28
Location
Toronto CANADA
Do I have a problem?

I have just noticed that there are thousands of tiny microscopic white dots all over the glass in my 30 gal. freshwater community tank - they appeared literally overnight.

Under a magnifying glass they sway in the current and look like tiny snowflake shaped coral polyps. Are these nematodes? I am not sure as they are so small and not worm like.

Tank stats:
6 weeks old fully cycled
Planted - no co2 yet
Ammonia and Nitrite levels are 0 ppm
pH is 7.8 - 8.0
GH is 11 degrees
KH is 7 degrees
Temp is 26C
I have 6 Otts, 5 Pristella Tetras, 4 White Cloud Minnows, 2 Rams, 2 Opaline Gouramis, 2 Orange Gouramis and 1 Dwarf Gourami

What do I have and what should I do about it?

Thanks as any help is greatly appreciated!
 
Not sure - Under a mag glass it's barely possible to see..... they look like tiny trees (or Broccoli). The pics of hydra have a few arms, these have more of a full crown.

The infestation is incredible...all of over the glass...any ideas....
 
Sounds like planeria to me. They won't harm your fish but not attractive to look at. Can you get your hands on a diatom filter?
 
Thanks Brian.

I was under the impression that planaria are worm-like and these are definately not worms - they are more of a tree shape. Closer to the hydra, but not quite....more rounded.

3 Questions:
1. If they are not planaria, do you still recommend the diatom filter?
2. How do I get them off the glass, scrape, water change?, and
3. If I filter out diatoms with a filter what effect will this have on the food source for my oto cats who love the diatomous algae that i have in my tank?
 
Well Bernard, I make using a diatom filter part of my weekly routine. IMO it's a must for any serious aquarist as it filters so many unwanted things from the water column and polishes the water crystal clear. Mind you, they aren't cheap.

As for your Otos, there would come a time when the diatom algae will be gone anyway. You're going to have to provide for their diet with algae wafers or fresh veggies.

Based on your description, I can only assume the unwanted guests are planaria, I can't be sure. Scrape the glass and increase your water changes. This should help.
 
Right - no matter what they are, the treatment is the same. I would even consider skipping feeds for a couple of days to starve them out, as usually a buildup of debris and uneaten food on the bottom contributes to their appearance. Doing partial gravel vacs with your water changes will be important to gradually clear them out.

I have also heard of people having success with high temps for these fellas, but have never tried it. Seems like they would not tolerate it. You might also consider salt therapy as well, but you'll need to address the conditions that brought on their proliferation.
 
Well Brian - Thanks for the feedback. I would love a diatom filter, but you're right that they are expensive and are a little beyong my budget at his time. Perhaps Santa will be good to me at the boxing day sales!!

TankGirl - as always your ideas are excellent and also very much appreciated. I will clean, scrape, vacumn the gravel, change the water and starve as suggested!

Ah, the joy of maintenance...
 
Good deal, trafficjam, as long as you are not too aggressive about it, you should be in good shape, and if you ever get a positive ID on these fellas let us know.

BTW, some LFS will rent you a diatom filter, and you would probably need to run it for an hour or less.
 
Great ideas! I will inquire on the rental idea.

I would LOVE to identify these as they are completely unique as far as I have been able to research! I may have cultivated a brand new species! (grin).

They really look like tiny little Broccoli Trees with really beautiful full crowns of tenticles. Wish I had the ability to photograph them and make a positive ID.
 
WOW that sounds exactly like what I have. They look like water spots on the inside of the tank right? I wish I knew what it was!
 
I'm gonna guess hydra as well. A freshwater Cnidarian, related to corals and anemones. Not harmful at all.

Here is what some research pops up to get rid of it:

"The best thing to do is remove the fish and place them in an clean bucket (never used for soap) with aeration from an air pump. Then crank up the aquarium heater and add twenty tablespoons of aquarium salt dissolved in warm water to the tank. Warm the tank to 90 degrees F. and leave it that way for two hours. When they are all dead, do a 100% water change but don't wash the gravel and leave room for the water in the bucket with the fish. Make sure you lower the water temperature of the new water and acclimate your fish slowly back to the aquarium by adding some water to their bucket every ten minutes. Then pour the fish back into the tank."

Good luck!
 
wow, thats a complete tank cleaning... god speed to you! also they look really cool, too bad you can just keepa few!! lol
 
That's interesting advice, DT (glad to see you're back!). However, that does not address the reason they are there in the first place. You need to reduce the amount of excess nutrients in the tank. Either the fish are overfed, the gravel is not being vacuumed enough, or both is happening. If you so not uncover the reason they are there, they will come back :eek2:
 
Oh, now I see them. Looks pretty cool to me (although I hope I don't get any of them meself... :) )
 
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