Hydra Infestation

[FryFan]

Hello everyone,

I was hoping someone could help with my hydra problem. I've been breeding platies and feeding live bbs. Now I have hydra everywhere. I read that copper will kill them and my abundance of snails (bonus). I put in 6 pennies into the 29g tank (I used older pennies actually made of copper), and they've been there about a week, but nothing is dying. Does anyone know if copper is supposed to work and if so how long does it take? Should I put more pennies in?

Thanks for any input or other ideas about ridding my tank of hydras.

 

[bigredspecial]

For one thing, by copper they mean a copper solution, such as many liquid medicines.

Is there any particular reason to get rid of them? they are harmless, and usually are a sign of a healthy, well balanced tank.

 

[FryFan]

Thanks for the reply bigredspecial,

The website I read actually suggested the pennies (I thought they meant copper solution too). I think I should get rid of the hydra because one website said they could catch and eat fry. Do you think platy fry are too large at birth for me to worry about this?

Maybe I should just leave the hydra alone?

 

[Lotus]

What I did with the hydra I had was get a small syringe and some hydrogen peroxide. I squirted each hydra with a little hydrogen peroxide, then sucked them back into the syringe. It took a while, but I got rid of them all.

A treatment with CopperSafe would work, too. I didn't use it as it was in a shrimp tank, and it would have killed the shrimp, too.

 

[bigredspecial]

FryFan: That's a good point, I forgot they can catch fry; I didn't have any at the time. However, I would assume any livebearer fry would be large enough to avoid them, but don't take my word on it.

 

[Masta_Cheef]

Can anyone elighten me on what exactly a hydra is, and could you post a pic if possible?

 

[FryFan]

Masta_Cheef,

Look at this website for some pictures and a little info: http://naturalaquariums.com/inverts/hydra.html

These are what my hydra look like. for more detailed info just "google" on hydra and you'll get lots.

Lotus,

What's your opinion on using a copper liquid med? Will it throw off my system and cause a re-cycle or anything like that, or do you think that I should remove the fish and raise the temp to 40 degrees to kill them (one website suggested that). Has anyone else had experience good/bad with copper meds?

 

[Lotus]

What fish do you have in the tank (and inverts, etc.)? This will determine the best treatment.

 

[Fruitbat]

If you don't mind adding some fish....Blue Gouramis (Trichogaster trichopterus) will usually clear out a hydra infestation relatively quickly. They're the only fish I've ever kept that seem to enjoy eating the little critters.

Copper sulfate solutions (like Aquari-Sol) might be more effective at killing the hydra than waiting around for a copper penny to add enough copper into the water to be effective. Do be aware, however, that copper-based medications can cause problems for fish, especially scale-less ones like loaches. If you have any invertebrates that you actually want to keep then you'll want to remove them before treating with any copper-containing medication.

-Joe

 

[FryFan]

Lotus,
I've just got platy fry in there at the moment, nothing else.

Fruitbat,
Thanks for the gouramis suggestion, I might get a pair of those. Will other labyrinths eat them as well? If I transfer my betta in there will he keep them in check?

 

[Fruitbat]

I've never known bettas to eat hydra but that doesn't mean they won't. All I can say definitively is that Blue Gouramis WILL eat hydra.

-Joe

 

[Lotus]

I've heard paradise fish (a close relative of the gourami) also eats hydra. Of course, either that or the blue gourami may eat your fry.

CopperSafe should be OK with the platy fry. If you're worried, add 1/2 dose of the med and wait 4 hours (under observation), then add the second half of the dose and keep an eye on the fish for another 4 hours. If you see signs of stress in the fish, do an immediete water change. Also, copper meds aren't removed by carbon; the only way to remove them is through water changes.

 

[FryFan]

Ok, Thanks for all the great info everyone. Much appreciated.

-Stephanie