# Planaria



## SRP3006 (21 Jan 2020)

Hi all,

I've tried reading multiple old threads on here but struggle to get a definitive answer. I have noticed quite a few planaria worms on my glass recently and would like to remove them as I've heard they eat certain snails and shrimp.
I've read that the no planaria treatment can kill snails, since I have mts ranshorn and nerite in my tank I'd like to avoid that. Certain threads have said to use panacur as that doesn't effect the snails however its hard to find any real info about it such as dosing or effects.
I'd really like to remove these creatures before they effect my snail and shrimp population too much.

Thanks.


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## Gill (23 Jan 2020)

I have used panacur in the past and it did not affect inhabitants. I used the dog variety and dosed a little finger nail amount mixed into a glass of tank water once a week. Until I saw they had gone. Did not change water change frequency, but did alot of gravel vacuums.

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


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## SRP3006 (23 Jan 2020)

Thanks, did you have snails in the tank? If I kill all the snails (mts, ramshorn and nerite) I will have quite a large ammonia spike due to not being able to remove the rotting corpses from the substrate.


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## dw1305 (23 Jan 2020)

Hi all, 





Gill said:


> I have used panacur in the past and it did not affect inhabitants.





SRP3006 said:


> id you have snails in the tank? If I kill all the snails (mts, ramshorn and nerite) I will have quite a large ammonia spike due to not being able to remove the rotting corpses from the substrate


I've used Panacur powder as well (to <"control Hydra and Planaria">) without any snail deaths or other issues. 

cheers Darrel


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## SRP3006 (23 Jan 2020)

Thanks Darrel, I've read those threads now and you mention it's quite cheap, however I can only find it for £20 for 5, 1gram packets. Seems expensive or am I mistaken?


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## Witcher (23 Jan 2020)

What about placing a little piece of raw chicken liver in 5ml vial with a 2-3mm hole in the cap? Liver attracts them, it's cheaper and doesn't leave dead bodies of planaria in the substrate.


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## dw1305 (23 Jan 2020)

Hi all, 





SRP3006 said:


> Thanks Darrel, I've read those threads now and you mention it's quite cheap, however I can only find it for £20 for 5, 1gram packets. Seems expensive or am I mistaken?


Have a look on Ebay for "Merck Panacur C Dewormer 3 X1g Sachet for Dogs Puppies Fenbendazole 22.2" should be about £5.





Witcher said:


> What about placing a little piece of raw chicken liver in 5ml vial with a 2-3mm hole in the cap? Liver attracts them, it's cheaper and doesn't leave dead bodies of planaria in the substrate.


<"Baiting"> works pretty well for Planaria. I haven't tried them, but I think the Planaria traps that @Witcher mentions are very effective. 

I keep a <"small flat slate in the tanks"> which I use to monitor  leech and Planaria numbers. 

cheers Darrel


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## SRP3006 (23 Jan 2020)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, Have a look on Ebay for "Merck Panacur C Dewormer 3 X1g Sachet for Dogs Puppies Fenbendazole 22.2" should be about £5.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Just checked, if it's the item I think (274207087938) then it's showing £49.99

I look into some other sources and see. 

Sam.


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## zozo (23 Jan 2020)

I've used this one
www.aliexpress.com/item/32986728339.html?

Then before lights out crush a small ramshorn snail (I assume you have enough) and put it in the trap. Place the trap on the substrate, doesn't really matter which way up. Next morning you'll have caught planaria.  With the amount worms in the trap, you can estimate the severity of the infestation. 10 or more than you're pretty loaded.

It is advised not to flush living planaria down the kitchen sink.  Since there are many different sp., some are potential exotic invaders and we don't know which we have in the tank. Drop the trap in a glass boiled hot water and all will be killed.. 

If you have ramshorns enough you could do this every night and hit 2 birds with one stone.
Keep both populations relatively in check.


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## dw1305 (23 Jan 2020)

Hi all, 





SRP3006 said:


> Just checked, if it's the item I think (274207087938) then it's showing £49.99


<"This one">.





zozo said:


> Then before lights out crush a small ramshorn snail


A snail works well.  

cheers Darrel


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## zozo (23 Jan 2020)

SRP3006 said:


> I've read that the no planaria treatment can kill snails



It can, but it does not affect Pond snails or Ramshorn snails at all, the MTS gets a bit lethargic but will swiftly recover. Nerite and Apple snails also go lethargic for a very long time and finally die, possibly from starvation.

Other issues to keep in check after No Planaria treatment or any other substance that kills these monsters is an Ammonia or maybe Nitrite buildup in the substrate. (Fall Out) Since this is where these buggers live and you end up with a huge number of dead worms rotting in the substrate. This can be poisoning to Amano shrimps. Typical poisoning diagnose for Amanos is they turn Ember colour and then behave rather erratic and finally die. It might also affect substrate dwelling fish developing skin burn and fin rot.

Since you never know the numbers rotting in the substrate i strongly advise doing some extra water changes the coming weeks after the treatment is done.


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## Gill (23 Jan 2020)

This is where I have ordered from in the past. 
https://www.vetuk.co.uk/dog-worming...ers-c-17_43/panacur-wormer-granules-1g-p-1665
Although it was only 40 pence a sachet then.


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## SRP3006 (23 Jan 2020)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, <"This one">.A snail works well.
> 
> cheers Darrel


Thanks Darrel that's perfect.


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## SRP3006 (23 Jan 2020)

zozo said:


> It can, but it does not affect Pond snails or Ramshorn snails at all, the MTS gets a bit lethargic but will swiftly recover. Nerite and Apple snails also go lethargic for a very long time and finally die, possibly from starvation.
> 
> Other issues to keep in check after No Planaria treatment or any other substance that kills these monsters is an Ammonia or maybe Nitrite buildup in the substrate. (Fall Out) Since this is where these buggers live and you end up with a huge number of dead worms rotting in the substrate. This can be poisoning to Amano shrimps. Typical poisoning diagnose for Amanos is they turn Ember colour and then behave rather erratic and finally die. It might also affect substrate dwelling fish developing skin burn and fin rot.
> 
> Since you never know the numbers rotting in the substrate i strongly advise doing some extra water changes the coming weeks after the treatment is done.


I have quite a few nerites in there and to kill them would be a shame to be honest. I'll order the panacur as above, but first I'll try the baiting to see if I have a decent population before dosing. Obviously if I can remove them without using chemicals then that would be the best.

It's hard to tell if they are effecting my shrimp population but they do make my skin crawl.


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## zozo (24 Jan 2020)

SRP3006 said:


> It's hard to tell if they are effecting my shrimp population



In my experience, they did have an effect on my Cherry Shrimp population as well as on the Ramshorn population. I've noticed a decline in numbers from both with a steadily growing Planaria infestation. At that time i saw them all over the place, on the glass, plants and hardscape during the lights-on period. And it seems to be mainly nocturnal, then seeing numbers of them during the day can only mean severe infestation. It seems that they mainly come with frozen foods, such as bloodworm ice cubes are always infested with Planaria eggs. And they survive -18°C with ease. Therefor i stopped using frozen foods and nurse my own life food.

After a no planaria treatment, i noticed the shrimp and snail population grow again.

Planaria are carnivorous and my best guess is they are likely also predatory. Regarding snails, they could go for the eggs. Tho they love dead snail meat i never have seen planaria on a live snail. Since shrimps carry the eggs on their body, they likely are vulnerable for an attack after skinning. I guess its a numbers thing if the detritus doesn't contain dead protein enough to feed the numbers they probably have to go predatory. Now that i come to think of it i actually never tested it, with putting a live snail in the Planaria trap.

Whatever treatment is used it doesn't kill their eggs. Thus Planaria will always be back a few weeks later and show again months later signalling a Planaria population increase again. 

No Planaria doesn't seem to be a chemical, its Beetle Nut extract.  And i guess it does the same to Planaria as it does to some snail species. It renders them lethargic and then it dies from starvation, it could be something like a neurotoxin to them.


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