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Flatworms

Joined
17 Mar 2012
Messages
2,003
Location
Dorset
Are having fish in an aquarium the solution to flat worms like Planaria? I ask because many years ago I had a 50 gallon tank set up for about 10 years and never had any problems with worms. Maybe any that hitched a lift on the plants I bought promptly got eaten by my fish?
 
I think so, I often switch equipment/plants between my small shrimp tank and bigger mixed tank and only get them in the shrimp only.
 
I only find planaria in new tanks and not usually for very long. I have one small fairly new tank with planaria, I just added one female Betta splendens to the tank and she has spent the whole afternoon picking flatworms off the glass and out of the substrate. She seems to eat them as well. I just assumed they were a new tank thing and that they disappear once the tank is established, this is the first time I've actually seen a fish eat them.
 
Hi all,
I just assumed they were a new tank thing and that they disappear once the tank is established
It is the other way around normally. I would imagine most planted tanks that have been established for any length of time have them present, they are pretty much universal in fresh water, and basically immortal.

There must be a reason why they are more visible in shrimp tanks, and that may be because they aren't predated.

I think the same applies to Hydra, I think often tanks have them present, but they are extremely inconspicuous unless you feed small live food items, and then they boom.

cheers Darrel
 
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