How free of other organisms do people like their vivariums/Aquariums?

[bichogrilo]

I am just curious as to peoples opinions regarding the smaller organisms that show up in your habitats and whether in general people like having the odd extra critter in them.
My own preference is that as long as they are not detrimental i kind of like them.
I find it quite facinating watching the hydras catch daphnia, the boatmen swim around at high speed, the freshwater mussels slowly walk tracks around the aquarium. the snails and limpets move over the glass, to name just a few.
If there is any good reason not to have these in an aquarium it would be good to know or is it just personal taste?

 

[Otterwoman]

Re: How free of other organisms do people like there vivariums/Aquariums?

Except gigantic leeches. I've found them on occasion. They can, and have, damage(d) my newts.

 

[Joost]

As long other creatures doesn't harm the newts or egg/larvae, they are free to live in my tanks. I use a lot of plants, (ramshorn)snails, Neocaridina-shrimp and Asellus in my tanks. They keep the quality of the water optimal and help to balance the biological culture. For me, this works out very well. There is almost no need to intervene by human hands.

 

[Azhael]

I´m with Joost. You have to love the microfauna and assorted guests. When you have a variety of microfauna, like Cyclops, nematodes, chironomids, and a few snails, shrimp, etc, the tank is just so much more interesting, and the maintenance is so much easier!
I can´t wait to be able to have larger tanks where i can create a more pond-like environment, it´s difficult to maintain stable populations in smaller tanks..

 

[Molch]

I got all the creepy-crawlies and iddy-biddies you can think of. I like it, and so do my newts. If I ever see a killer leech or a dragon fly larva, they d get evicted, of course.

 

[evut]

I've had planaria several times. I find them absolutely revolting. Now I soak every new plant in Fenbendazole before it goes in a tank.
I have a population of ostracods which I am resigned to - they do sometimes eat plants but have redeemed themselves as larvae food recently. Also, they can't be exterminated.
I keep a normal cleaning regime with regular water changes so no drastic hygiene...but except with new plants, I don't think anything much can get into the tanks so they're fairly free of other critters (if you don't look at the trillions of ostracods...:happy:

 

[Molch]

what's the deal with planaria? Are they harmful to newts or larvae in any way? do newts eat them?

 

[bichogrilo]

Re: How free of other organisms do people like there vivariums/Aquariums?

Except gigantic leeches. I've found them on occasion. They can, and have, damage(d) my newts.

Wow thankfully New Zealand only has a couple of native leaches and like everything else in New Zealand they are rare and endangered, so not likely to show up. Though i would probably find them facinating.

 

[Mark]

what's the deal with planaria? Are they harmful to newts or larvae in any way? do newts eat them?

Watching newt larvae attempt to eat planaria is one of the funniest things you'll ever see. A sticky blob that changes shape in a split second makes a challenging meal. After a few moments of serious mouth contorting confusion most spit them back out looking extremely puzzled . Then they have another go, with the same result each time.... hours of entertainment.

 

[eljorgo]

like Cyclops, nematodes,

Nematodes?! They are such a parasitic threat to the newts!

I like to have a few creatures along with the newts. In stream-type aquariums that will be only the ground biological microorganisms and a few Neocaridina.
As for Pond type, anything less Nematodes, Planaria and Leeches. These 3 are all them predators and have a parasitic vein and I don't really fell OK when I discover any of them inside an aquarium.
All the rest.. Mosquito larvae, Trichoptera larvae, Ephemeroptera larvae, Neocaridina, Daphnia, Cyclops or whatelse its perfectly fine. Sometimes I even introduce a few by myself. Although being really funny to watch, they will serve as life food for the newt/newt larvae.

 

[Azhael]

Argh....not nematodes..flatworms. I have at least two kinds and they have never been a problem. i´m guessing that´s because they only predate on really tiny prey.
I´m going to lay down now..my head is hot.....

 

[FrogEyes]

Nematodes?! They are such a parasitic threat to the newts!

Free-living nematodes are quite abundant and include things known as "vinegar eels" or "microworms" that are raised as feeders. Such species are not parasites.

 

[michael]

Their are lots of little beasties in my tanks. I try to avoid leeches, hydra, planaria, dragon fly larvae, and damsel fly larvae. Hydra are my bane.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I kill all the snails by hand, on the rare occasion I get them. I haven't had hydra in years, (other than the ones I deliberately culture- I really dig hydra, just not in my critter tanks!) but they are on my "must die" list. The only time I got leeches was when I was still ordering live blackworms but they get the death treatment too. Nymphs of dragon and damsel flies are rare for me too, but Those get hand fed to the axolotls once the heads are removed.

Other than those, I let my critter tanks pretty much grow wild. My logic is that if it wants to live in there and can't hurt my amphibians, it is nothing but something else to watch.

 

[bichogrilo]

I. Nymphs of dragon and damsel flies are rare for me too, but Those get hand fed to the axolotls once the heads are removed.
.

I have never let my animals have these (saw the odd comment about people not letting there animals have these so avoided them), and i quite often net them up when i am getting food for my newts (lacewing larvae), why do you pull off the heads? and what is actually so bad about them?

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I really could care less what shows up in my tanks. There is always something in my house that I can feed it to.

 

[FrogEyes]

I have never let my animals have these (saw the odd comment about people not letting there animals have these so avoided them), and i quite often net them up when i am getting food for my newts (lacewing larvae), why do you pull off the heads? and what is actually so bad about them?

They're predators and are known to attack and eat amphibians, sometimes including those larger than themselves.

 

[Hsu Twins]

I always have organisms working in my habitat to keep the tank in working biological order
Whenever I change the bedding, I always go out in my garden and take a small handful of leaves and put it in with my bedding. That way, all the small bugs on any leaves I pick up help keep a healthy, smoothly running ecosystem.

 

[JacksonR]

My neurergus kaiseri tank I keep pretty sterile. In my shanjing tank I have moss, hortwort, asellus, snails, etc. In my andersoni tank I have a thick layer of water lettuce covering the surface. There is one lone spider who lives on the water lettuce...he can't get out so i'll let him live. lol

 

[Niels D]

Really like a tank which is full of life. Lots of plants, lots of snails and slugs.