Cyclops and Nematodes...

[Asuka]

Yes I have them in my tank, I looked into it and BAM. White stuff on the glass and free swimming. My first thought was to pull out everything decor, my shrimp and lotl out of the tank.

Then I siphoned 50% of the water, pulled out the filters in a tank with old tank water and new water.

And then I put Aq salt and bleach into the tank.

Then I took a spare heater and put it in the tank at 96 F.

I'm not sure if this will kill them.

My tank is recently cycled so I dont know if that is what caused the outbreak.

- Yes I tended to overfeed (not anymore though)
- I do daily 20% water changes and quickly siphon the food after an hour.
- They could have come in with a seashell I got from the pet store to help regulate my low ph...

If they do die... Should I just put my lotl back in with a bare bottom? I know sand encourages bb, but also these outbreaks, I tink bare will help me keep it cleaner and see waste and debris.

I read that nematodes and cyclops are generally harmless, but I don't know, are my lotls at risk? They are currently in a tank I use for qt barebottomed with nothing but new clean water

 

[esn]

Not sure why you did this over some cyclops and nematodes. I have cyclops in all my tanks. They're not harmful.

Actually, the Caudata tank invaders guide specifically tells you not to do what you just did:

Do NOT tear apart your whole tank and "clean everything" in order to get rid of the critters. If you do, you will need to start over with the process of cycling your tank, and you are likely to do more harm than good to your amphibians.

These critters are not a problem at all, and are signs of a healthy and livable tank.

You will have to recycle your tank now.

 

[Asuka]

Not sure why you did this over some cyclops and nematodes. I have cyclops in all my tanks. They're not harmful.

Actually, the Caudata tank invaders guide specifically tells you not to do what you just did:

These critters are not a problem at all, and are signs of a healthy and livable tank.

You will have to recycle your tank now.

I moved my filter onto another tank with the old tank water to avoid precisely that. Most bb live in filter and substrate. Thus I kept the substrate and filter. they shall be in qt and I will be feeding them fish food from time to time until I feel that it's safe.

Well all i wanted to know if they were harmful. Call me paranoid, but yeah. Plus I can hardly deal with those creepy crawlies QQ I much prefer to kiss a boa. And eat an earthworm to let them wander in the tank.

Because some posts said that certain nematodes were parasitical.

 

[Kaysie]

Unless you're a microbiologist, you'd be unable to tell which nematodes are parasitic and which aren't.

Now that you've put bleach in the tank, you'll need to completely dismantle it and rinse everything EXTREMELY well. And then rinse it again, and then rinse everything in an extreme amount of dechlorinator, or you risk killing your axolotl when you put it back into the tank.

I don't understand why you're doing such irrational things. Keeping axolotls is not that hard, yet you're making it out to be like it's the most difficult thing in the world with all your antics.

 

[JessKB]

I moved my filter onto another tank with the old tank water to avoid precisely that.

Your filter is very likely full of nematodes too... So they will come back. No matter what really.

 

[esn]

Well all i wanted to know if they were harmful. Call me paranoid, but yeah. Plus I can hardly deal with those creepy crawlies QQ I much prefer to kiss a boa. And eat an earthworm to let them wander in the tank.

Because some posts said that certain nematodes were parasitical.

I kiss my boas every day. Don't knock on it. Also, I've eaten an earthworm. Protein.

Anyway, if you can't stand an unavoidable fact of keeping aquariums - water invertebrates - then I'm surprised you can even stand living, considering all of the mites and other things that humans live with on a daily basis. Ever heard of Demodex? It's a family of mites that live on humans, particularly in eyelashes, eyebrows and pores. Enjoy your next nights sleep, with the mites in your bed.

Tiny creatures are a part of every system, from your own home to your aquarium! You're only doing harm to your tank by freaking out over them. As Kaysie said, you now have to repair what you have done and do some very careful cleaning, and you have most certainly ruined your cycle, regardless of you moving your water and your filter, especially since you already stated that you took out 50%.

I will call you paranoid. You know what I do? I'm keeping my axolotls in a tub of cold water. That's it. I keep it clean, they eat my worms, I don't worry about a thing. Very simple, very stress-free. It's simpler than you think it is.

 

[Asuka]

I kiss my boas every day. Don't knock on it. Also, I've eaten an earthworm. Protein.

Anyway, if you can't stand an unavoidable fact of keeping aquariums - water invertebrates - then I'm surprised you can even stand living, considering all of the mites and other things that humans live with on a daily basis. Ever heard of Demodex? It's a family of mites that live on humans, particularly in eyelashes, eyebrows and pores. Enjoy your next nights sleep, with the mites in your bed.

Tiny creatures are a part of every system, from your own home to your aquarium! You're only doing harm to your tank by freaking out over them. As Kaysie said, you now have to repair what you have done and do some very careful cleaning, and you have most certainly ruined your cycle, regardless of you moving your water and your filter, especially since you already stated that you took out 50%.

I will call you paranoid. You know what I do? I'm keeping my axolotls in a tub of cold water. That's it. I keep it clean, they eat my worms, I don't worry about a thing. Very simple, very stress-free. It's simpler than you think it is.

Well thanks. I always knew that forums tended to be harsh, but this is a bit too much. People are fast to point out what you are doing wrong, never really answer the question until you redirect them at the matter at hand, even sometimes just skimming through the post and not noticing that their questions could be answered in the first post above. Hell I'm sure you are probably just skimming through and thinking "oh I get the gist"

Then there is people using sarcasm left and right when you are just worried for the well being of your animals and go the extra mile to seek help from others.

Because instead of advice you get this.

I am aware there are many things I do wrong, but I'm sure no one was perfect when they first began. And everyone made simple mistakes like these more or less.

Paranoid. Yes I am. Because I care. I deal with sick rescue animals all day, in the shelter and sometimes at home when I bring them here. You would be paranoid too eventually. I care about my animals more than I care about myself, I sat up and stayed awake till 5 am, just because I knew a fish had dropsy and tried to keep him company. FOR A FISH, which I know many think they are stupid animals, many people probably think I was stupid to stay up that long. But I find them to be very rewarding creatures to keep. Especially the oh lets stick 'em in an unheated vase betta fish.

And I'm sure there are things that disgusts you as well, it's only human to hate certain things and like others. I was using humor above and it was in no way there to incite mockery. But to lighten things up.

There are many things that make me hate insects in general, but did that stop me from to feed the lotl a live earthworm? No. Did it stop me from buying blood worms? (which I'm allergic to) No. Or hand feeding mysis shrimp? No.

Do you know that I had to go to the next town just to get earthworms?? Because I knew it was healthy for my lotl and they would like it? I know many people who aren't as dedicated as I am, who is lazy and perhaps skips a water change or two.

I try to overcome my fears. My disgusts.

I stuck my hand in the infested tank to clean and siphon everything up in-spite of being disgusted.

I am not a terrible human being just because I am disgusted of certain things, it's only natural. One of my rescues was a dog that pooped worms... and yeah that is disgusting but I took care of it. Pulling worms out of a dogs butt. Imagine. Now he has a family that adopted him in Barcelona.

So yeah my disappointment in these forums which many people spoke so highly of cannot even be expressed by words. I gave this forum so many chances, I tried not to take it heartily. But I guess I should have suspect as much when people wish to earn likes and rep and not care so much about helping. Or those who are donors are the big dogs, and anything a new member says is worthless because they cannot contribute yet to the forums.

I agree that people who are NEW in the hobby deserve not sugar coated words but sometimes a little understanding. New is not a synonym to stupid. But simply inexperienced, thus where (technically) you guys come in.

I usually don't ask unless I can't find the information or I have a specific question that I want to hear people's opinions about. People said nematodes are dangerous some don't. So I didn't risk it. Is it that bad? Is it deserving of your sarcasm?

If I must recycle then I shall do it again, bucket method this time while I keep my lotls in a tub. Like you said.

Anyways, if your intention was to get me upset in such a manner than I must congratulate you.

Of course in this post I exclude those who actually helped me and calmed me down when I was paranoid or fretting of having done something wrong. Which is hardly a handful of them.

I made a mistake which isn't likely to happen again. I use bleach to disinfect tanks when I get new rescues, the method used is bleach, rinse rinse, airdry and then rinse, sundry. I am aware of the danger. If I give myself more work then it's my deal. If I make it harder for myself then well... the consequence lies with me. My lotl is now in a tub and he probably won't be returned into the main tank for a few weeks.

 

[wandering]

It was a surprise to me that someone who knows about fishkeeping would use bleach on a tank.



Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Azhael]

Asuka, the thing is that Cyclops and certain nematodes (if that´s what they are) are not only harmless, but actively useful and benefitial. You should probably come to terms with their pressence because they will colonize the tank again and again no matter how many times you freak out and desinfect it. They are part of the normal and benefitial biota of an stablished tank.

I don´t mean to make things worse, please understand i´m just trying to help, but the consequences are not just on yourself. Yes, it´s more work for you, but it also means unnecessary stress for your animal. It could have been in a fully cycled, stable home by now and instead it´s being moved around for no reason at all.
In the future i strongly recommend to take a deep breath and do your research before reacting impulsively like you did here. It will be good for your axie and for you as well. And even if you don´t apreciate the sarcasm, please, don´t let that put you off the advice that has been provided, because it´s valuable advice. Also, try to understand that the vast majority of people here care primarily about the animals themselves, not necessarily your individual sensibilities.

 

[Asuka]

Asuka, the thing is that Cyclops and certain nematodes (if that´s what they are) are not only harmless, but actively useful and benefitial. You should probably come to terms with their pressence because they will colonize the tank again and again no matter how many times you freak out and desinfect it. They are part of the normal and benefitial biota of an stablished tank.

I don´t mean to make things worse, please understand i´m just trying to help, but the consequences are not just on yourself. Yes, it´s more work for you, but it also means unnecessary stress for your animal. It could have been in a fully cycled, stable home by now and instead it´s being moved around for no reason at all.
In the future i strongly recommend to take a deep breath and do your research before reacting impulsively like you did here. It will be good for your axie and for you as well. And even if you don´t apreciate the sarcasm, please, don´t let that put you off the advice that has been provided, because it´s valuable advice. Also, try to understand that the vast majority of people here care primarily about the animals themselves, not necessarily your individual sensibilities.

I have done research, my source of information doesn't solely rely on the forums, I also asked elsewhere. And read posts from other people. I do admit I should I have check around these forums, but overall I was a little disappointed in it so I didn't.

People say they are harmful - they consume oxygen, they can be parasitical, irritating to the gills, indicator of excess food...etc
People say they are beneficial - they appear when tanks are cycled, when environments are stable.

There were more saying it was harmful so I did the procedures recommended.

Had someone replied like you have I wouldn't have probably went about like this. And I disagree, one thing is to provide sarcasm to give advice another is to simply annoy the person you are replying to.

Answer to my question where they come from? No response. All I got was a simple tank is good, and they are part of your system. But then explain how come in two years or so I started fishkeeping, they never appeared? I had a cycled tank for a year before I gave up on the hobby for a while and decided to retake it only a few months ago, and never had this issue.

I find sarcasm does more wrong than good, because since when is the word sarcasm associated with something good? What if the person is not a native speaker and takes sarcasm seriously without realizing it is?

Anyways, I shall remember the advice for next time.

I think I will try to find pure ammonia and cycle like that using the bucket method. And wash away the sand and not use it. Barebottom tanks seem to be easier to maintain anyways and rids to possibility of ever having impactation.

 

[Asuka]

It was a surprise to me that someone who knows about fishkeeping would use bleach on a tank.



Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Well yes, if you know about fish keeping you will see that bleach without detergent is used to disinfect tanks (not filters or live plants) especially when a fish has suffered from external parasites like velvet and ich, and dropsy even. The solution I do is 1 cup bleach and then 7 cups water. Then using a dipping method on the decor, and then proceeding to a nice scrub without soap on the tank's glass.

Then you rinse multiple times till you can't smell the bleach no more, and air dry to kill any surviving parasites. Then you rinse again once the tank has cooled down and put it in the sunlight to dry or under UV light to rid of any residue of bleach. Total procedure takes a good 3 natural days.

It is useless to bleach something when the fish had tuberculosis however, I had a case of tuberculosis and threw away all the equipment.

It's a drastic measure, very necessary for dropsy since it is very contagious, as for ich and velvet there are other ways of disinfecting the tank. But if you rid of ich and velvet with medicine, you have to eliminate them all or they become resistant.

 

[wandering]

I Bow to your superior knowledge. I do not have veterinarian qualifications to diagnose things like tuberculosis.

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[Linus]

No need to be defensive, or angry Asuka. It's evident you care, and did a lot of work doing what you thought was right, now you know there is no problem with the inverts in your tank. You were probably thinking better to be safe than sorry. There are hundreds of posts here regarding cyclops and other inverts and they are harmless, so your actions seem pretty extreme to us and could have been avoided with a forum search. There is nothing to be disappointed with except the fact that you could've searched here and saved yourself some work. Oh well! No worries.

Either way, there has been no harm done, and this is the best forum resource out there for caudates.

Welcome to caudata

 

[Kaysie]

I suppose I don't need to point out that axolotls are not fish.

Cyclops and nematodes come from everywhere. They're on every surface of the the entire world. I read a study once that said if every single thing in the world disappeared, you would still be able to see the outline of everything (trees, buildings, people, grass, trains, on and on) because every single thing is covered in nematodes. They just float through the air and land in the water where they grow. They're natural, and they're fine. They're rarely parasitic. Unless you see them actively harming your axolotl, there's no need to freak out.

Your axolotl is having so many problems because you are doing such drastic things, like moving it to the pet shop. Pet shops are not healthy places for animals to be. If your animal is already stressed, going to the pet shop is not going to make it want to eat any more for many reasons. Moving is inherently stressful, as it's just not stable. Now it's not in its home environment, and now it's surrounded by all of these strange animals that have who knows what kind of diseases. Are all the pet store animals completely healthy? Can you be sure everyone coming into the pet store is not bringing in diseases? How warm are they keeping your axolotl at the pet shop?

Some people have a much harder time getting accoutrements for their salamanders than you. I know people that live literally thousands of miles from the nearest pet shop, and they get along just fine. It's all a matter of desire.

 

[Asuka]

I Bow to your superior knowledge. I do not have veterinarian qualifications to diagnose things like tuberculosis.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

You don't need too much knowledge, you just need to have eyes that work to realize that something is awfully wrong.

Thus if you are blind, tough luck diagnosing it.

Tuberculosis begins with the deformity of the spine, along with many other very visible symptoms such as bleeding sores, pineconed scales--. To see tuberculosis in its early stages, yes you need a vet, but you never realize it until the symptoms show. Then it's too late. It is caused by internal failure.

Mine ate fine and swam fine but it was a nasty sight, it was only when a vet told me to throw everything away because it can be transmitted to humans I did.

Here is an example of tuberculosis.

diagnosing fish is quite easy, and most of them are treatable with proper research.

 

[Asuka]

I suppose I don't need to point out that axolotls are not fish.

Cyclops and nematodes come from everywhere. They're on every surface of the the entire world. I read a study once that said if every single thing in the world disappeared, you would still be able to see the outline of everything (trees, buildings, people, grass, trains, on and on) because every single thing is covered in nematodes. They just float through the air and land in the water where they grow. They're natural, and they're fine. They're rarely parasitic. Unless you see them actively harming your axolotl, there's no need to freak out.

Your axolotl is having so many problems because you are doing such drastic things, like moving it to the pet shop. Pet shops are not healthy places for animals to be. If your animal is already stressed, going to the pet shop is not going to make it want to eat any more for many reasons. Moving is inherently stressful, as it's just not stable. Now it's not in its home environment, and now it's surrounded by all of these strange animals that have who knows what kind of diseases. Are all the pet store animals completely healthy? Can you be sure everyone coming into the pet store is not bringing in diseases? How warm are they keeping your axolotl at the pet shop?

Some people have a much harder time getting accoutrements for their salamanders than you. I know people that live literally thousands of miles from the nearest pet shop, and they get along just fine. It's all a matter of desire.

I didn't move him except to fridge the lotl under forum recommendation. After a week, I moved him back to the main tank for a day at a loss to what to do, I didn't know what else to do as the forum was out of ideas and so was I so I called the pet store for advice, they suggested what they did and I thought sending him to the pet store was a good idea so he can get attention from an exotics vet.. I just thought it was the best way to go. If I cannot diagnose him and neither can people in the forum, how can I treat him? Or help him? He hasn't eaten in 2 weeks and is extremely thin and I thought it was the best course of action, I don't think my judgement is entirely wrong. What was there else I could do?

 

[Linus]

Why fridging? If it's not eating you want to get it out of the fridge to stimulate appetite, fridging temps all but destroy appetite. Fridging is generally done to aid in healing or to help pass intestinal blockages.

 

[Asuka]

Why fridging? If it's not eating you want to get it out of the fridge to stimulate appetite, fridging temps all but destroy appetite. Fridging is generally done to aid in healing or to help pass intestinal blockages.

someone in the forums said it could have been gravel impactation with sand, I didn't know what to do, so I did what they told me.

Also I offered an earthworm and fish, molluscs, like they said he ignored that too.

I felt horrible as I was going about blindly with no idea what to do.

 

[Asuka]

No need to be defensive, or angry Asuka. It's evident you care, and did a lot of work doing what you thought was right, now you know there is no problem with the inverts in your tank. You were probably thinking better to be safe than sorry. There are hundreds of posts here regarding cyclops and other inverts and they are harmless, so your actions seem pretty extreme to us and could have been avoided with a forum search. There is nothing to be disappointed with except the fact that you could've searched here and saved yourself some work. Oh well! No worries.

Either way, there has been no harm done, and this is the best forum resource out there for caudates.

Welcome to caudata

I am not angry, I am disappointed only. I seek help and get bashed for the things I have done, I did it because I felt it was the right course of action which happened to be a mistake in the end. But everything I do was having my lotl in mind. I did think it was better to be safe than sorry, and perhaps I do treat it too much if it were fish which I know they aren't but I thought if I used my knowledge in fish it would help as some species are more sensitive to water conditions, thus, being an aquatic animal it would be similar, and it is but very slightly.

I'm sure i'm not the only one to make mistakes-- I'm new, and I tried to get myself informed with these forums, websites, books, etc. And I try to do things right, but all I get is "You aren't doing this right" and not getting a response till much later of what I actually needed.

It's clear to me it's a mistake, I cannot go back in the past and fix it. All I know is that in the future I'll keep an eye to see if they are harming my lotl and that's it, if I must deal with the unsightliness then I shall.

I'll just do more water changes to keep population to a minimum. Or perhaps have my minnows make them into tasty treats.

So I get it, it is a stressful thing to do, I will learn from it, and eventually become an experienced keeper who will not make these kinds of mistakes.

So yeah, to sum it up, they aren't harmful I know that now, which was the main question of this thread. I still don't think sarcasm works because it discredits the person giving said advice. But that is my opinion, I feel that when some asks for help, and is new they are confused and probably panicking and sarcasm isn't the right tool to use in that situation unless they aren't listening to you saying bluntly what they need to change.

What is done is done, I learnt my lesson, and despite being disappointed at times, i do see some members caring and providing advice here. So I will no longer mention anything else that is not axolotl-pet keeping related. I do not want to be the cause of drama, a fight or create bad friction even tho it seems so otherwise, I'm actually a laid back person, and I'm surprise that I'm speaking my mind for once. Perhaps not in the right place or the right time, but I do apologize for the explosion that has taken place, its been in my head a while and I guess that is because of my frustration with other things as well.

I shouldn't have let my personal feelings, issues collide with my pet keeping, and rescues, which is rewarding in one hand but very frustrating to see animals suffer or act sick without knowing what on earth to do...

So yes, I will not fan the flames or anything, I say thanks to those who answered my questions, and I shall limit myself to speak only of pets.

 

[Linus]

I'd put him back in the main tank as soon as it's done being extremely thoroughly rinsed along with the filter/anything else that diluted bleach touched. Use media from a cycled tank as well as some tank water to help establish your cycle quickly. It will resume eating at normal temps.