Help!!! Small critters on substrate?

[Mdtaylor]

Could anyone please tell me what these are and how to get rid of them? There about 1-2mm, only really stay on the substrate they remind me of maggots! The tank is a dirted planted shrimp tank so don't really want to take the whole lot down because of these little critters!

Atb mike

 

[Fishy Aston]

I dont think they will do any harm.

Just ignore them!

But someone else will chip in just in case it could be dangerous!
Imo that is what i would do
But i am not always correct!
You probs have lots of them but you just cant see them.

 

[LyndaB]

Could be planaria, caused by excess food on the substrate. Harmless to fish but, of course, you want to get rid of them with water changes. Some fish will eat them.

 

[Mdtaylor]

@Fishy Aston The thing I can see thousands of these things and I'm sure there's thousands more I can't see :/

 

[Mdtaylor]

@LyndaB I was worried I didn't feed enough, I only feed maybe twice a week cause I'm not the best feeder. It's a shrimp tank so wasn't to keen on putting fish in there, but have you got any recommendation for fish that would eat/live in a 7 gallon tank and not eat the shrimp?

 

[phoenixkiller]

@LyndaB I was worried I didn't feed enough, I only feed maybe twice a week cause I'm not the best feeder. It's a shrimp tank so wasn't to keen on putting fish in there, but have you got any recommendation for fish that would eat/live in a 7 gallon tank and not eat the shrimp?

The only thing that is proven to live at peace with shrimp (without eating the baby shrimp) is the Otocinclus.

 

[LyndaB]

I respectfully disagree. I keep various species of cories, otos and assassins snails with my RCS. You could keep nano fish, like ember tetras, with them.

 

[phoenixkiller]

I respectfully disagree. I keep various species of cories, otos and assassins snails with my RCS. You could keep nano fish, like ember tetras, with them.

I suppose you are correct there. Cories, snails, and otos are pretty good with shrimp I would say. I don't know about Embers, but if you weren't caring about the baby shrimp being consumed, then a whole new world opens up to ya!

 

[Mdtaylor]

Hmmm would kuhli loaches or Pygmy cories eat these critters?

 

[LyndaB]

What size tank is this? Do you already have those species and you're thinking about popping them into the tank?

Why not just do some water changes? Stir up the substrate as much as you can to get these guys into the water column and suck 'em up.

 

[Mdtaylor]

It's a fluval ebi 7.9g tank, I've got 50+ RCS, assassin snail, rabbit snails and lots of pest snails, just a thought those species would do the trick but not cause to much trouble for the shrimp.
It's a dirted planted tank so no chance of stirring the substrate to much plants plus a layer of dirt that makes a right mess if you pull a plant out let alone stir it, the thought had crossed mind but would rather throw the substrate away and start fresh!

 

[Fishy Aston]

Try and suck them up!

You will still have some though!

Some things are just nature!

 

[maxwellag]

The only thing that is proven to live at peace with shrimp (without eating the baby shrimp) is the Otocinclus.

Snails and Corys too.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Snails and Corys too.

Yeah, already agreed with LyndaB on that.

 

[Mdtaylor]

My question now is would Cory's eat them? They are really starting to bug me!

 

[phoenixkiller]

My question now is would Cory's eat them? They are really starting to bug me!

Nah, cories are pretty much scavengers, they won't bother the shrimp or their babies.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

Do you mean will the corys eat your pests?
They may. Try it and see.