Planaria in my tank...

[thegrandpoohbah]

I've been battling a planaria problem in my 33G. To be fair, it is probably my fault for over feeding the tank. I was trying to make sure the applesnail and red cherry shrimp hatchlings had enough to eat. The snails are all gone now and there are only shrimp left in the tank. I want to stop feeding the tank for a few days and do daily small water changes to help remove the planaria. I assume the shrimp will be ok because there is lots of algae on the glass for them to eat. My question is, will the planaria also be able to survive on just the algae? Also, how long does it take to starve them to death? Anyone else ever have this problem? Thanks.

[Melody]

If they're like most pests, its not so much that they starve out. Its more a signal to stop breeding so the population declines. I don't know if that applies to them though. I haven't heard too much encouraging about completely getting rid of them without a tank being torn down or a predator. Predators would be any worm-loving creature. Gourami will pick them right out of the gravel. The other fish eat them too, but one that really looooooooves hunting them like Gourami would be more likely to get rid of them completely.

Make sure you're shaking out your floating plants & Java Moss too, by the way - I have to do that every water change. Even with snails I have lots that falls out.

Good luck with it and don't be too hard on yourself - most hobbyists see them at least once in their fish-keeping career. I do the same thing - overfeed to make sure everyone gets lots and then wonder why the bottom is covered in food. Its actually one of the reasons that bare-bottom tanks work better for me.:Embarassing:

[Melody]

This is just too easy...

To rid your aquarium of pesky flatworms, try removing all your fish and placing them in a temporary holding tank. Then, increase the water temperature above 95°F for several hours. ~ Pet Education.com (http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1791&articleid=2811)

[thegrandpoohbah]

I wonder what the temperature increase will do to the nitrifying bacteria in the filter?

[Melody]

Good point! I really don't think it would kill off the bacteria, or at least not all of it, but I'm not a scientist. It just makes sense to me, considering the adaptability necessary for thriving bacteria colonies. Plus, in order to kill nasties, we have to reach boiling point.

I think if the choice was taking the tank down or trying it, I'd try it and monitor closely or reseed the tank with media from an established tank, just in case.