Hydra in shrimp tank. Should I be concerned and if so what should i do?

[GoofyGarra]

I just noticed a small amount of Hydra in my shrimp tank, which can turn into a large number quickly. The hydra can reproduce quickly and can sting the shrimp so i want to do something now, that there are few of them before it becomes a problem

What should i do, or is there no harm leaving it alone?

The tank is 4gallons so it is too small for fish, and those might hurt the shrimp too.

Edited December 12, 2023 by GoofyGarra

[TOtrees]

The hydra should die out if they don't have small preferably live food in the water column. Eg I have tanks that I feed dapnia or live bbs, or even powdered flake or golden pearls, and those can get hydra. But if you remove those fine food sources - sometimes for up to a few months if necessary - the hydra will starve and perish. 

So I have to think that something you're feeding the shrimp is sustaining the hydra. 

Maybe switch to algae tabs, or green beans, or something like that? 

I should add that I've seen (but never had) hydra that appear to be green, and maybe they are able to use light for energy. If that's what you have reduce light (obviously) but that's the extent of my ken.

Edited December 8, 2023 by TOtrees

[GoofyGarra]

On 12/8/2023 at 3:34 PM, TOtrees said:

The hydra should die out if they don't have small preferably live food in the water column. Eg I have tanks that I feed dapnia or live bbs, or even powdered flake or golden pearls, and those can get hydra. But if you remove those fine food sources - sometimes for up to a few months if necessary - the hydra will starve and perish. 

So I have to think that something you're feeding the shrimp is sustaining the hydra. 

Maybe switch to algae tabs, or green beans, or something like that? 

I should add that I've seen (but never had) hydra that appear to be green, and maybe they are able to use light for energy. If that's what you have reduce light (obviously) but that's the extent of my ken.

thank you for your response.

The hydra is white so it is not the photosynthesis thing. This tank has a large population of some kind of micro-organism that looks like white specks swimming around the tank, the hydra are probably feeding on these and i dont know how to get rid of them.

 

[Guppysnail]

I have used fenbendazole (panacur-c dog dewormer) .1mg /10 gallons redose same on day 3 in shrimp tanks for hydra. I’ve seen no adverse affects in the shrimp. 
A few is not an issue, if they grow to plentiful it stresses the shrimp and i experience deaths. 
 

I’ve also read that no planaria works but have no first hand experience with that product. 
 

The small critters are possibly daphnia or ostracods or along those lines. 

[Lennie]

I have no first hand experience but spixi snails are known to eat them if you can find any. I have many but didn't test hydra eating behavior

 

 

That being said, Lav's experience regarding spixi's hydra eating was not satisying it seems. Instead, baby mysteries devoured the hydras in her experience.

 

[Guppysnail]

On 12/8/2023 at 4:30 PM, Lennie said:

have no first hand experience but spixi snails are known to eat them i

I bred Asolene Spixii snails. I recently gave my colony to @Elodie Rose now I have hydra 😭 they decimated a severe hydra infestation in a 20l (like everything carpeted in a thick layer) in roughly 2 weeks. 

[Lennie]

On 12/9/2023 at 12:48 AM, Guppysnail said:

I bred Asolene Spixii snails. I recently gave my colony to @Elodie Rose now I have hydra 😭 they decimated a severe hydra infestation in a 20l (like everything carpeted in a thick layer) in roughly 2 weeks. 

Thanks for sharing your experience.

come, get some. I have many spixis 🤗

[nabokovfan87]

 

[Biotope Biologist]

I have a hydra population that waxes and wanes pretty aggressively. They take over the entire tank then disappear in a month or two. Never seen them harm shrimplets. Definitely seen the adults harm the hydra!

 

But hydra typically feed on smaller things, hydra vulgaris can get quite large and eventually possibly eat freshly hatched shrimplets

[Lennie]

On 12/9/2023 at 1:36 AM, Biotope Biologist said:

But hydra typically feed on smaller things

Even if it does not eat them directly, is it still a stress factor for snails, shrimp or surface grazers to touch it due to their stinging cells?

[Biotope Biologist]

On 12/9/2023 at 3:23 AM, Lennie said:

Even if it does not eat them directly, is it still a stress factor for snails, shrimp or surface grazers to touch it due to their stinging cells?

I am not sure tbh. I’ve seen adult ramshorn snails and shrimp walk right over them rather carelessly. The hydra recoil into their tubes, which might indicate some immunity towards the stinging cells? 
 

There is quite an elaborate interaction in the marine world between hydra and predators/prey but I admit my knowledge is lacking in the FW side. I wonder to if hydra on the FW side can capture free floating algae and instead of eat them, imprison them in their tube and parasitize their photosynthesis as they do in the marine world. 

[jwcarlson]

Can confirm that spixis will eat lots of hydra.

[GoofyGarra]

On 12/9/2023 at 10:27 AM, Biotope Biologist said:

There is quite an elaborate interaction in the marine world between hydra and predators/prey but I admit my knowledge is lacking in the FW side. I wonder to if hydra on the FW side can capture free floating algae and instead of eat them, imprison them in their tube and parasitize their photosynthesis as they do in the marine world. 

ok, sounds like i have a new bio project.

Im honestly fascinated by the hydra and want to do some research on them, im just concerned if they might harm the shrimp.

[GoofyGarra]

Id just like to update this a bit. I did some more research and saw that Hydra are sensitive to salt and low salt concentrations be used to kill them.

I tried 1g:5liters of aquarium salt in the tank (in total around 3 grams) and so far it appears to be working. The hydra have been dying off while the shrimp are perfectly fine.

[Guppysnail]

On 12/10/2023 at 9:25 AM, GoofyGarra said:

Id just like to update this a bit. I did some more research and saw that Hydra are sensitive to salt and low salt concentrations be used to kill them.

I tried 1g:5liters of aquarium salt in the tank (in total around 3 grams) and so far it appears to be working. The hydra have been dying off while the shrimp are perfectly fine.

I did not know this. Please keep this updated. I would love to know how well it works in the end. It would greatly help with my fry tanks. Also if you could include any plants that were negatively impacted at that concentration I would appreciate it. 

[GoofyGarra]

On 12/10/2023 at 9:29 AM, Guppysnail said:

I did not know this. Please keep this updated. I would love to know how well it works in the end. It would greatly help with my fry tanks. Also if you could include any plants that were negatively impacted at that concentration I would appreciate it. 

Taken from Aquariumbreeder:

 

I put it in last night so its a bit early for any updates, but once i have them i will let you know.

[LTygress]

@Guppysnail already said it, but let me repeat it: Fenbendazole. Sold under several names actually, but the most common is Panacur for dogs. It MUST BE IN POWDER FORM to use it. But it doesn't dissolve easily, either. For a measuring tool, 1/8th teaspoon per 10 gallons. But once you plop the powder into the tank, it'll probably float around on the top as a little pocket in the shape of the spoon. Grab it with your fingers and squish it under the water so it breaks up.

Guppysnail also gave a different treatment time. I've always done one dose, then a second dose 24 hours later, and that's it. 

As for your shrimp, the hydra *will* eat the baby shrimp, so if you are trying to raise more, it won't happen until the hydra are dead.

Edited December 12, 2023 by LTygress

[jwcarlson]

I am going to have to give salt a shot in a couple of my tanks.  Anything that I feed BBS seems to end up as a hydra farm (except for my CPD tank which also has shrimp... why is that?).  I don't even know if it's a problem for the most part.  But I don't like it.  Additionally, the only thing that I've has success with keeping them in check are spixi snails, and the tanks with the worst issue are softened water that I'm trying to drive the pH down in for some apistos.

[GoofyGarra]

On 12/12/2023 at 1:30 PM, jwcarlson said:

I am going to have to give salt a shot in a couple of my tanks.  Anything that I feed BBS seems to end up as a hydra farm (except for my CPD tank which also has shrimp... why is that?).  I don't even know if it's a problem for the most part.  But I don't like it.  Additionally, the only thing that I've has success with keeping them in check are spixi snails, and the tanks with the worst issue are softened water that I'm trying to drive the pH down in for some apistos.

id hold on the salt. I dosed saturday night and ive seen no difference, not sure its working. The shrimp have been perfectly fine, but so have the hydra.

Edited December 12, 2023 by GoofyGarra

[jwcarlson]

On 12/12/2023 at 1:01 PM, GoofyGarra said:

id hold on the salt. I dosed saturday night and ive seen no difference, not sure its working

Well, dang.  I have No Planaria, but I'm trying to avoid using it just because I'm worried it's going to cause some other sort of issue.  I'm also not convinced the hydra is a really big deal in most instances.

[GoofyGarra]

On 12/12/2023 at 2:03 PM, jwcarlson said:

Well, dang.  I have No Planaria, but I'm trying to avoid using it just because I'm worried it's going to cause some other sort of issue.  I'm also not convinced the hydra is a really big deal in most instances.

It might just be a time thing, im going to keep looking for the next few days if there is any difference. Ill be sure to update this thread with my findings.

[GoofyGarra]

update: salt does not appear to have done anything. We just dosed No-Planaria

[Shrimptanks]

Fenbendazole is great unless u want to raise snails.  This stuff will kill snails no matter how many water changes (well mostly the snails u want, I'm pretty sure pest pond snails eat fenbendazole and any other trash for breakfast)

[GoofyGarra]

Ok, its been 24 hours after putting in a dose of No-Planaria for this tank size. Im still seeing planaria and snails alive, but it looks like all the hydra dont have tentacles or have drawn them in.

Is this normal and how should we procede from here?

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/21/2023 at 2:25 PM, GoofyGarra said:

Ok, its been 24 hours after putting in a dose of No-Planaria for this tank size. Im still seeing planaria and snails alive, but it looks like all the hydra dont have tentacles or have drawn them in.

Is this normal and how should we procede from here?

It takes multiple days for no planaria to work.

cc @Chick-In-Of-TheSea used it and got rid of some hydra as well.

Edited December 22, 2023 by nabokovfan87
typo, doses vs. days