# Tank full of paramecia



## Rossco (Sep 15, 2012)

Just had a look and noticed one of my tanks is brimming with paramecia. Thousands, tens of thousands of them. How do I safely kill them without harming the fish?

Thanks


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## davefrombc (Apr 21, 2010)

They make terrific fry food. I suggest offering starter cultures of them to members here.


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## Rossco (Sep 15, 2012)

Fry can see a paramecium? these things are just a few cells big. Its like the tank has become a pond. The tank has a fluval 404 on it, why arent they being filtered out


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## Immus21 (Jun 14, 2010)

Rossco said:


> Fry can see a paramecium? these things are just a few cells big. Its like the tank has become a pond. The tank has a fluval 404 on it, why arent they being filtered out


Not a few cells big, one to be exact. I would assume they are to small to be caught in your filter. Maybe try a filter pad with smaller pores? How do you know they are Paramecium?


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## davefrombc (Apr 21, 2010)

I don't know why your filter isn't trapping them.. it could be the pores in the filter media are large enough to let them pass through.. and yes , fry can see them .some egg layer fry are very tiny and in turn require very tiny first food. Paramecium are one of the animalcules that make up " infusoria "


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## Rossco (Sep 15, 2012)

Immus21 said:


> Not a few cells big, one to be exact. I would assume they are to small to be caught in your filter. Maybe try a filter pad with smaller pores? How do you know they are Paramecium?


I am trying to channel my grade 12 biology class where we took water samples from a local ditch, and studied it under the microscope. All the tiny swimmers were called paramecia, and they move just like it. It was dark and I looked in the tank with an LED flashlight and along the glass are TONS of these tiny white things swimming around randomly - everywhere! I didnt do a species check but they are the right size for paramecia. I think I got it from someone I bought some fish off and mixed their water in with mine.


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## Rossco (Sep 15, 2012)

davefrombc said:


> I don't know why your filter isn't trapping them.. it could be the pores in the filter media are large enough to let them pass through.. and yes, fry can see them. some egg layer fry are very tiny and in turn require very tiny first food. Paramecium are one of the animalcules that make up "infusoria"


Infusoria? I will have to google this.


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## Flear (Dec 8, 2012)

some paramecium are about .2mm in size, ... bearly visible to the naked eye.

so if we can see them (k bearly see them) small fish won't have any trouble pigging out


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## mollyb (May 18, 2010)

It's funny, my son got a microscope for his birthday some time ago and we were trying to see something, so I wend down to the local pond and scooped some water, expecting to see a couple paramecia, but nothing, so I looked in our betta cube water, and it was teaming with them.


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## Flear (Dec 8, 2012)

things like that i'm glad to have an aquarium 
children growing up get to see what life is all about.


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## Rossco (Sep 15, 2012)

I put about a dozen jewel fry in there a week ago and you were right, they love eating them! Their numbers have gone WAY down! thanks davefrombc


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