Hydra infestation. Of All the luck!

[rheann]

Since those little snailes magically came into my tank, probably from the crab, there has been what I think are hydra appearing all over the place. Because the crab doesn't have any front pinchers, he cannot groom himself properly, so the hydra have also taken over him. It's pretty sad, and I don't know what to do for him, but in the meanwhile, my tank is really infested with the Hydra. They are taking over the glass and everything. I just bought some new Aquarium Decorations. I have cleared out the snail population as best that I can, I got my aquarium Vacuum in the mail and I also did a good vacuuming before I put the decorations in. Vacuum works pretty well, but sand can prove an issue, I don't worry too much about it. What should I do about these hydra? I don't know anything about them than a few posts about them. Since they have decided to call the crab's shell home, I believe they are parasitic, and what should I do to get rid of them if I need to? On a further note, I really seem to have a lot of problems with these critters lol. Also, Just to make it very clear to everyone, My Axolotls are not in the tank with the crab. My Axolotls are in the fridge because it is so hot. The crab is in the tank until I can either relocate him, or get a tank divider. Also, I would like to know what to do for the hydra problem because I am going to get my Axolotls in the tank as soon as the problem is resolved. I will post pictures of the new tank setup, but I can't get any pictures of the Hydra. My camera takes blurry pictures.

 

[nathan]

Hmm well have you tried sucking them up with the vacuum also you could try and add chlorine into the water to kill them (making shore it is completely gone by the time the axies are in)

 

[joan]

They're not parasitic. They just landed on the crab's shell, and deemed it a firm enough place to put down roots, so to speak.

Hydra feed on microorganisms (daphnia, copepods, etc), and are only harmful if the hydra is large and you have hatchling newts. They're not harmful to adults. They just serve to clean the tank of it's microscopic population.

Keep in mind that Hydra can propogate by pieces and parts, just like starfish. So any method of removal should remove the WHOLE hydra, and not just parts of it. I suggest getting a razor blade or something sharp and just scraping them off, and then sucking them up with the turkey baster.

 

[rheann]

Thanks so much Nathan and Joan. I don't have a razor blade, where would I get one? Should i just break apart a disposible razor? Also, These thing really are everywhere. They are big enough to see from a short distance. I'll try the razor blade. I will also see if I can dry some other things that won't be harmful to my Axolotls. I feel really bad for the crab, his shell is just really becoming taken over and he can't groom himself. I'll see if there is anything else I can do, possibly look up some info on the hydra.

 

[rheann]

ok, another problem is posing. I looked up some pictures of Hydra. from the pictures on the website I couldn't really tell what they looked like, but from what I can see in the differences between the pictures of the Hydra and what ever it is that i have, I don't think it is Hydra, or maybe a different type? The best way to discribe what I have is that It has a very thin stalk at which several feathery looking apendages are attatched. The orginism is translucant. The apendages flair out, so it sort of looks like an inverted Umbrella. The crab won't eat them. The snails died down but I know for sure they came from the snail, or possibly the crab, because I think the snails came from the crab, as he was kept with live plants and what not. If I need to, I can draw a picture and post it of what these creatures look like. Since I am not sure if they are a type of Hydra or something else, I would like to learn what I can about them. I will also continue to try and delute their populations in my tank, or find somehting that can work better to get rid of them. Anything else in the tank that is living I am not worried about and there are lots of little critters