Eradicating Hydra and Malysian Trumpet Snails

[thefishdaddy]

I think I've asked this question before but this time I have hydra, must have gotten them with some of the plants and driftwood that I got a while back, the snails I still have not eradicated it actually multiplied more when the weather was hot in SoCal. this summer, now I notice hydra in the tank what are the safe recomended meds to get rid of both and they are spreading in most of my tanks, the tanks contains a few dozen sidthimunkis, assorted fancy plecos, and the common albino bushynose plecos, some tanganykan shell dwellers, assorted Cyprichromis species. Synodontis, Malawi mbunas and this new Microrasbora that I forgot its name, it was in the front cover of TFH a few months ago.

I have spread a lot of the sids all over the tanks and has only made a difference in the smaller tanks, I need more of these little guys, I could see empty shells in the tanks that has loaches.

Tank specs.
tank sizes are from 10-60 gal.
83 deg. F
running mostly sponge filter
ph - 7.8 maybe higher
TDS is around 300
I have to recheck on my PH and TDS cause I dropped my test meter behind the tank a few months ago.

thanks in advance
Chuck

[palaeodave]

I would love to have hydra and trumpet snails in my tank. AFAIK hydra are only a problem for very small fish/fry. Trumpet snails are wonderful for eating excess food and keeping your substrate turned over. If you really want to reduce numbers, try feeding less or getting some of those assassin snails.

[thefishdaddy]

Dave I wish I am like you but I have fish that produce very small fry and uses spnge filters, when it.s time for me to clean them the snails wedge themselves in the sponge and it annoys me the empty shells and get stuck in the powerhead I find a lot of the hydra stuck in the sponge too. lastly mosy of my tanks are bare bottoms so no gravel to turn.

Chuck

[palaeodave]

Oh I see. You'll have to wait for someone else to turn up then!

[janma]

I say try the Assassin snails like mentioned above. MTS don't stand a chance, guaranteed.

[Emma Turner]

The hydra may have come in with live plants or live food. Their numbers can rapidly multiply in a tank that is being overfed, but if these are fry grow-out tanks, you obviously have to feed more often than a standard tank. Regular maintenance should limit their numbers, but their prescence in a tank with tiny fish is naturally quite worrying. If they are on any removable decor/ornaments, take them out and vigorously clean them under running water. There are fish that will eat hydra such as the 3-spot/gold/opaline gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) but as I am sure you are aware, they are not suitable for small tanks, even as a temporary measure. If it is possible to move your fish elsewhere temporarily, raising the water temp to 40 deg C for a few hours is said to wipe out hydra. If you do this, remember to siphon the tank thoroughly afterwards, whilst doing a partial water change. Hydra is also apparently sensitive to salt, but not all fish will be able to cope with it in the water.

I had hydra in my river tank for a time, but after the addition of two L46 zebra plecos, all the hydra went. It might just be coincidence, but I haven't changed anything else on the maintenance front. I am pleased that the hydra is no more as I have fry in that tank.

With regards to the MTS, as you know they can be very beneficial, but not in every circumstance. The Asassin Snail, Anentome (formerly Clea) helena would be your best bet - they will munch through them in no time. Here is a recent thread about them: http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=12094 You should be aware that these snails will breed in the home aquarium, but the young snails are obvious and can be removed to another tank, maybe to grow on and trade at your local lfs.

Hope this helps,

Emma

[thefishdaddy]

I guess I don't have a choice but to relocate the contents of more than a dozen tanks and heat up to over 100 deg. F, I Don't even think all my heaters are capable of getting that high, then medicate it with copper and salt, a long time ago I had the habit of just dosing my tanks with Aquarisol and QuickCure, but now that I'm trying to breed fish I have stopped medicating my tanks, and just quarantine every new fish that I get, thanks for the advice on the assassin snails but I don't want to go that route.

I have Queen & Zebra plecos breeding in my tanks and I find a lot of these MTS/MLB in the cave with the eggs and larvae also my fry count has dramatically reduced by more than half, I added sids in the tank and I think they are eating the newly hatched fry, I cannot confirm this but the only way to know is to get rid of the snails and see if my luck would change and the hydra is not helping my CPD aka galaxy rasbora from breeding. and I thnk my loaches are breeding too, but I have not seen any fry its hard to hide in a bare tank with hardly any decor.

Has anyone tried using Aquarisol and Quickcure with the fish I currently have and would this kill hydra and MTS, it is a bit difficult for me to reduce my feeding regiment because I have a lot of plecos and they only come out when the lights are out so I over feed so that some of the food will reach there hiding place and when the lights are out.

Thanks
Chuck