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Re: re: hydra



Okay - I'm REALLY creeped out, now. I found a bunch more, one of them with 
about a 1/4" body, and its tentacles about equally long. I'm starting to 
think that I'm in the wrong hobby... Now I really don't want to stick my 
hand in the tank water. I've read that they have stinging tentacles, like 
jellyfish. Would a human be able to feel the sting? All right - stupid 
question. Or maybe not. Fleas are small, but you definitely feel the bite.

"Mystery" is right. I've never seen these in any of my other tanks. I only 
noticed them for the first time in my life, today. No, never had to look at 
them under a microscope in high school biology. We dissected cats... I've 
heard about the Fluke Tab method of eradication. Even read about the 
electrical current/copper plate method. Still, I don't want to go the 
chemical route unless I've exhausted all other options and I'm ready to 
take this tank down. I was almost ready to use Erythromycin against BGA, 
when I discovered these ramshorn snails had a hearty appetite for the stuff 
after a few days with the lights off. I'm holding out for another miracle 
;). Maybe I could temporarily house a hydra-eating fish that's not yet 
full-grown, and move it to the 10-gallon after it's dined on the little 
trespassers.

Never hatched baby brine shrimp; there's a chance I might have introduced 
the hydra by feeding live daphnia to my guppies. But the last time I fed 
these was months ago. Probably around July or August. No  live foods since 
then. Can they live and grow on flake food? Ew... Yuck... I'm so totally 
grossed out. The horror! The HORROR!!! Maybe I'll have to try the pond 
snails method. Still taking suggestions... Thanks.

-Naomi


>From: Cavan <millsman7 at yahoo_com>
>Subject: Re: hydra
>
>Fluke tabs will decimate hydra.  It says on the bottle
>that it will kill invertibrates, but I accidentally
>left in several ramshorns that didn't appear to be
>hurt at all.  You may wish to remove them first,
>although I'm not sure if you could reinfect the tank
>that way.  The tabs will not harm fry.  I'd say maybe
>half a tablet for a tank that small, but as I
>remember, I used the recommended dose (can't recall
>exactly what that is).
>
>I think I've gotten them from feeding live blackworms,
>although I haven't been able to find them in other
>tanks I have fed the worms to.  The mystery deepens...
>  Does anybody know if you could get them from tap
>water?
>
>Cavan