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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Worms in shrimp tank

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24 Jul 2016 19:22 #1 by robert (robert carter)
Worms in shrimp tank was created by robert (robert carter)
Just doing a bit of maintainance in the shrimp tank and noticed quite an amount of white worms about 5mm long crawling around on the glass . Never seen these before anyone any idea what these are , the shrimp all look good and are feeding well

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24 Jul 2016 19:31 #2 by ger310 (Ger .)
Replied by ger310 (Ger .) on topic Worms in shrimp tank

Just doing a bit of maintainance in the shrimp tank and noticed quite an amount of white worms about 5mm long crawling around on the glass . Never seen these before anyone any idea what these are , the shrimp all look good and are feeding well


Sounds like planaria........harmless to your shrimp to my knowledge.........uneaten/rotten food is the main reason you would get them...........decent water change with a good clean around the inside of the tank + a good cut back on your feeding should sort it.............they will just keep multiplying and become very unsightly if things are left the way they are i'm afraid!!

Ger
What do you call a three legged Donkey?

A Wonkey....duh ha :)

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24 Jul 2016 20:44 #3 by robert (robert carter)
Replied by robert (robert carter) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Thanks for the post Ger , have just googled them are you are bang on , is there a small fish i could put into the tank that would eat , bearing in mind the tank is only 30 litres and i dont want baby shrimps eaten as well

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24 Jul 2016 21:12 #4 by ger310 (Ger .)
Replied by ger310 (Ger .) on topic Worms in shrimp tank

Thanks for the post Ger , have just googled them are you are bang on , is there a small fish i could put into the tank that would eat , bearing in mind the tank is only 30 litres and i dont want baby shrimps eaten as well


I don't think so Robert and the problem will continue unless you address the issues........the only time I can remember having them was in a Shrimp tank aswell and I remember having to totally strip the tank to fully get rid.........small Shrimp tanks with plenty of substrate and wood/stones etc. can be a nightmare to maintain I found,especially when there's Shrimplets all over the place,making substrate siphoning a serious challenge!!......I cant remember what they are called but theres a plastic thing that you can put a Shrimp tab into and the Shrimp can go in and eat away........any bit of the tab uneaten you can just pick the plastic thingy up,empty and put a fresh tab in when you feed again.

Ger
What do you call a three legged Donkey?

A Wonkey....duh ha :)

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24 Jul 2016 22:13 #5 by nomad (pat murphy)
Replied by nomad (pat murphy) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Robert google a product for this problem and see what you think called No Planaria..

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24 Jul 2016 22:33 #6 by wildlifebiology93 (Sean O'Sullivan)
Replied by wildlifebiology93 (Sean O'Sullivan) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
I had a pair of Rainbow Gouramis once Robert that hunted them down to eat but your problem would be getting a fish that would see planaria as a snack may also worry your shrimp

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25 Jul 2016 07:34 #7 by robert (robert carter)
Replied by robert (robert carter) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Looking into the tank this morning i cant see any worms , so it would appear that they are in the thin layer of black fine gravel that got disturbed yesterday when doing the bit of maintainance , so reckon i will dramaticly cut back on feeding , after all ihave left this tank for 2 weeks without any food while on holidays, so will only feed every thirld day for a while . Will have a look at that stuff you sudjested as well nomad . Thanks lads .

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25 Jul 2016 11:32 #8 by Bill (Bill Hunter)
Replied by Bill (Bill Hunter) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Hi Robert,
You can get wormer from the vet. For the life of me I can't remember what it's called, I've heard many people say it's very effective but if you have snails it will kill them as well. Some people say they treat with the shrimp still in the tank, but the shrimp usually shed in the next few days, others feel better removing the shrimp and treating. If you prefer non-chemical, then what we used to do was make planaria traps. Get a test tube, put some food in it and stopper it. Make a hole in the stopper for the planaria to get in. Drop it in the tank in the evening when putting your lights out and leave it over night. If possible, take it out the next morning just before light and you should have a tube full of planaria. Keep repeating each evening until you stop catching any. It may not eradicate them completely but it keeps them manageable. Use a piece of meat as bait, changing the bait for a fresh piece daily. They are mainly active at night.
Bill

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25 Jul 2016 13:27 #9 by Hicker12 (Stephen Hickey)
Replied by Hicker12 (Stephen Hickey) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Hey Robert,

Planaria can be dangerous for shrimp and shrimp babies. Some say over feeding can cause planaria but i have had them in newly set up tanks which have never had food or live stock in them! Over the years i have found planaria traps dont work the only think that will work for sure is No Planaria. Its shrimp safe and easy to use but can kill some snails. It also kills hydra.

One thing to watch out for when using it is high ammonia which is caused by the decaying dead planaria.

You should feed your shrimp on a small dish or i use a petri dish this will stop most of the food getting down into the substrate and feeding planaria also easy to clean up uneaten food.

Stephen.

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26 Jul 2016 21:44 #10 by robert (robert carter)
Replied by robert (robert carter) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Hi nomad , i googled no planaria it seems good also looked at a few videos on utube . Was in seahorse this pm and Darren said they cant get it so get it off ebay, so that is what i have done. Will do a bit of a review when it arrives from the uk and i have used it . Thanks to all for your assistance once again .

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26 Jul 2016 22:17 #11 by ger310 (Ger .)
Replied by ger310 (Ger .) on topic Worms in shrimp tank

Hi nomad , i googled no planaria it seems good also looked at a few videos on utube . Was in seahorse this pm and Darren said they cant get it so get it off ebay, so that is what i have done. Will do a bit of a review when it arrives from the uk and i have used it . Thanks to all for your assistance once again .


Just remember before you put any treatment in your tank Robert that so many things can be sorted without the need for it,especially in your case were you can fix it yourself............the reason you had Planaria will still be there after treatment so either way you will have to address this..........all the best with it.

Ger
What do you call a three legged Donkey?

A Wonkey....duh ha :)

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26 Jul 2016 23:03 #12 by nomad (pat murphy)
Replied by nomad (pat murphy) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Hi Robert have never used the stuff before but have had planaria a few times over the years and never changed feeding regime and they just vanish.At times also around the water line have seen small 1mm clear or whitish coloured mite looking things crawling around and a some time later their gone,the mysteries of fishkeeping ..

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27 Jul 2016 01:13 #13 by robert (robert carter)
Replied by robert (robert carter) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Hi Ger have dramaticly cut back on the feeding since yesterday in an atempt to reduce the cause of them being there in the first place , so the plan is treat to get rid of the current infestation and reduce feeding to prevent a further outbreak.

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27 Jul 2016 07:48 #14 by anthonyd (Anthony Debesne)
Replied by anthonyd (Anthony Debesne) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Your worms are too small to make a positive id.
9/10 times these tiny worms who looks like planaria will disapear by themselves.
Using no planaria should be a last resort, most worms in shrimp tanks are beneficial and killing them will have a negative impact on your shrimp population

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27 Jul 2016 12:03 #15 by robert (robert carter)
Replied by robert (robert carter) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
I only saw the worms when doing a bit of tank maintainance, havent seen them since , this is very confussing as what to do as the info i am getting added to the info from google is very different . I dont like adding chemicals to tanks/ponds is just not nataral so i think my plan of action has changed now . Will just reduce the feeding and observe for a while , i will have a good look around after lights out tonight for any activaty

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27 Jul 2016 12:25 #16 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
For what it's worth, I have a little tank with Shrimps in it. Planarians appeared and were in danger of taking over!
I, too don't like using chemicals (where possible) so added a couple of Panda Corys to the tank - never saw another planarian worm since!
The Shrimp population doesn't seem to have appreciably diminished either so I don't think the Catfish are doing much damage there - certainly haven't wiped them out!
I wouldn't be adding larger-sized Catfish into such a small tank, but the Pandas are 'about right' for the 18" tank.

This may, or may not help - but it's what worked for me.

John
Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

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27 Jul 2016 12:38 #17 by Hicker12 (Stephen Hickey)
Replied by Hicker12 (Stephen Hickey) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Guys the active ingredient in No Planaria is betel nut extract which is 100% natural. No other chemicals added.

Stephen.

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27 Jul 2016 13:49 #18 by Jonlate (Jon Late)
Replied by Jonlate (Jon Late) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Is that why SH can't sell it, as its betel nut? I wonder what the regulations are in importing that into Ireland. Let's hope you aren't raided at 5 in the morning!!
Ifs you don't put it into your tank, try having a sip to see what happens. :angel: :angel:
I am sure it will be fine.

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27 Jul 2016 16:01 #19 by robert (robert carter)
Replied by robert (robert carter) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
if you google betel nut what it says is really quite worrying linked to some forms of cancer ,but in reality very little known about its properties

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27 Jul 2016 17:04 #20 by Hicker12 (Stephen Hickey)
Replied by Hicker12 (Stephen Hickey) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Lol yeah i wouldn't go consuming the stuff myself but the shrimp don't seem to mind it! I used it a few weeks ago on one of my newly set up Taiwan bee tanks with no ill affects (other then killing hydra) in fact i have about 40 baby Red panda Taiwan bee shrimp swimming around in that tank now.

Robert i can post ya some if you want. I got a bag of it years ago and still have loads of it.

Stephen.

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27 Jul 2016 17:08 #21 by robert (robert carter)
Replied by robert (robert carter) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
Hi Stephen , thanks for your kind offer , I did order some off ebay last night ,its coming from the uk so might have it before the weekend , presently watching the shrimp tank and have removed 9 of them to date , the fact that the lights are on doesn't seem to worry them

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27 Jul 2016 17:18 #22 by robert (robert carter)
Replied by robert (robert carter) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
just told my wife that I need to get all the worms out as they grow to three feet long and will come out of the tank at night , big mistake ,very big mistake :hammer: :hammer: :hammer:

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27 Jul 2016 17:24 #23 by Hicker12 (Stephen Hickey)
Replied by Hicker12 (Stephen Hickey) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
No worries Robert. If your stuck i will be in Seahorse friday can bring some with me. Yeah they don't care abut the lights. They are actual interesting little worms, they can regenerate lost body parts. If you cut one in half even length ways it will survive and create 2 separate individuals. Better not tell the wife that bit!

Stephen

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03 Aug 2016 09:14 #24 by robert (robert carter)
Replied by robert (robert carter) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
got my NO PLANARIA today in the post , last Friday I removed 28 of these worms manually from the tank over a couple of hours , since then haven't seen any more of them , have as advised reduced the feeding so think I will hold off for the moment adding this to the tank ,is there a possibility they are gone .

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03 Aug 2016 11:12 #25 by Hicker12 (Stephen Hickey)
Replied by Hicker12 (Stephen Hickey) on topic Worms in shrimp tank
It is possible they are gone but its unlikely. Sure maybe hold off using it. If you dont see any and no shrimp go missing you might be in the clear. I have a few spare Petri dishes here if you need one.



Stephen.

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04 Aug 2016 23:34 #26 by ger310 (Ger .)
Replied by ger310 (Ger .) on topic Worms in shrimp tank

got my NO PLANARIA today in the post , last Friday I removed 28 of these worms manually from the tank over a couple of hours , since then haven't seen any more of them , have as advised reduced the feeding so think I will hold off for the moment adding this to the tank ,is there a possibility they are gone .


Absolutely do not add NO PLANARIA Robert..........if your seeing no more of these then your doing the right thing your self without the need for treatments yeh have to pay for (bit late I know!!)............NO PLANARIA would probably have solved your Planaria issue out from the start but it wouldn't of solved the reason you had Planaria in the first place!!.......Keep us posted ok

Ger
What do you call a three legged Donkey?

A Wonkey....duh ha :)

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