# Hydra In fry Tank...



## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

So I was posting a picture of my 1 week free swimming betta fry.... and then i looked closer at the picture!

HYDRA!!!

The green ones!

Hydra (Chlorohydra) viridissima (green hydra) is a bright green species, owing to the presence of numerous algae called zoochlorellae, which live as symbionts within the endodermal cells.The zoochlorellae carry out photosynthesis and produce sugars that are used by the hydra. In return, the carnivorous diet of the hydra provides a source of nitrogen for the algae. Green hydra are small, seldom more than 0.4 inches (10 mm) long, with tentacles about half the length of the column.

taken from http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/INVERT1/Hydra1.htm

Kinda cool.... but I fear I may have lost some fry to them when they were smaller.... I think the fry are too big to be caught now...

I hear Fluke Tabs can be used to get ride of them With no harm to young fry. Like rainbow fish fry.... Don't want to chance it though.

I'm not going to do anything about them...

any idea's though?


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

panacur from the vet took care of the hydra in my tank (there were alot too)
the stingers will likely cause alot of irritation if not damage to the smaller fish.
I got single packets for like 50cents I think at Kingsway Vets in Vancouver.
worked like a charm


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

I just don't think they are going to harm the fry.... I might treat the tank after the fry are grown... then again I might not... We'll see how the fry do...


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## darb (Apr 21, 2010)

I am willing to bet that there won't be any hydra left in a couple of weeks, unless the fry are herbivores ...


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

I've read that some fry eat them.... But i don't think the betta fry will.... We'll see!


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## kelly528 (Apr 21, 2010)

I would keep an eye on that. I once lost a batch of 26 endler fry to a hydra infestation. Before I even knew what was hapening. The don't necessarily eat them but all they have to do is sting them to kill them.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

What?!! What are hydra? Where do they come from? Why do they sting fry? Yikes!



kelly528 said:


> I would keep an eye on that. I once lost a batch of 26 endler fry to a hydra infestation. Before I even knew what was hapening. The don't necessarily eat them but all they have to do is sting them to kill them.


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

kelly528 said:


> I would keep an eye on that. I once lost a batch of 26 endler fry to a hydra infestation. Before I even knew what was hapening. The don't necessarily eat them but all they have to do is sting them to kill them.


white hydra or green?

the white are alot larger and i could see the sting of the white ones being trouble, i wouldn't have even know i had hydra if it wasn't for the macro picture


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Many hydra have the ability to hold chlorophyl in their bodies. I had several different colours simiultaneously once (clear, tan, and green). I have some liquid panacur you can borrow for your tank. It is fry and shrimplet safe.

PM me if interested, Brian.

Stuart


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

CRS Fan said:


> Many hydra have the ability to hold chlorophyl in their bodies. I had several different colours simiultaneously once (clear, tan, and green). I have some liquid panacur you can borrow for your tank. It is fry and shrimplet safe.
> 
> PM me if interested, Brian.
> 
> Stuart


Some Hydra take on the colour of the food they eat... From what i've read there are only two main types of hydra.... The white ones which take on the color of the food they eat. They are also much larger. And the grean which have a sybiotic relationship with the algae in their systems and are photo sensative....


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

So, Scholz, you're saying that the hydra might be beneficial in a tank? Or at least innocuous - as long as they are not the big white ones?

I have never seen these, but perhaps I just haven't looked closely enough at my tanks. Where do they come from? How do they get into a tank? Do you think that they come in on plants? Or do they just appear in any body of water, without needing to be imported?

I bet that some fish would find them quite yummy. Perhaps nibbling on mildly venomous hydra is a bit like adding wasabi to your meal...


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## kelly528 (Apr 21, 2010)

Scholz said:


> white hydra or green?
> 
> the white are alot larger and i could see the sting of the white ones being trouble, i wouldn't have even know i had hydra if it wasn't for the macro picture


Oh they were white. I had no idea there was a diffrence... but looking again at your picture yours do look significantlyt tinier that what I had in my tanks.


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

Well they aren't beneficial per say. They are a good Indication of your water quaility.... As they won't show up in a tank with poor water conditions. Chances are that alot of tanks do have them....If people checked their finner leaved plants they may be surprised to find them... They come in with plants.... I'm thinking these came in on the Indian Almond Leaf.... ( sorry if you get them your rasboras are too big to be effected by them )

As I didn't see any for a long time and that is the only thing I added recently. 

Also alot of people start to see them when they are feeding fry with micro worms and BBS as the hydra love to eat these things... 

I really didn't even know they were there they are so small.... 

I'm going to see if the fry number drops over the next few days and if it does i'm going to talk to stuart and get some panacur....


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Those look just like the green ones I had. Panacur will eradicate them and I would not chance them with your fry. My offer still stands on the liquid Panacur suspension. You use this specific product at a dose of 1ml per 10 gallons. It is very effective.

Best Regards,

Stuart


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

the only problem i've seen with the fry so far is that there might be too much competition for food between the fry and hydra.... which kinda has me pissed.... maybe pissed enough to treat the tank....

Stuart is panacur snail safe?


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

Scholz said:


> the only problem i've seen with the fry so far is that there might be too much competition for food between the fry and hydra.... which kinda has me pissed.... maybe pissed enough to treat the tank....
> 
> Stuart is panacur snail safe?


Panacur didnt harm my snails at all.


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

gimlid said:


> Panacur didnt harm my snails at all.


there are alot of baby ramshorns and pond snails in the tank and if they died off i'd be worried about the water quaility going south in a big way!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Scholz said:


> the only problem i've seen with the fry so far is that there might be too much competition for food between the fry and hydra.... which kinda has me pissed.... maybe pissed enough to treat the tank....
> 
> Stuart is panacur snail safe?


Hello Brian.

Panacur is absolutely safe with ramshorn, pond (physa and radix types), assasins. I know it is not safe with nerites, tylos, and apple snails (pomacea genus).


Pomacea (effusa) glauca (Linné, 1758)

Pomacea (effusa) cumingi (Reeve, 1843)

Pomacea (pomacea) canaliculata (Lamarck, 1819)

Pomacea (pomacea) insularum (D'Orbigny, 1839) 
Pomacea (pomacea) lineata (Spix, 1827) 
Pomacea (pomacea) doliodes (Reeve, 1856) 
Pomacea (pomacea) haustrum (Reeve, 1856) 
Pomacea (pomacea) gigas / maculata (Perry, 1810)

Pomacea (pomacea) flagellata (Say, 1827)

Pomacea (pomacea) livescens (Reeve, 1856) 
Pomacea (pomacea) erogata (Fisher & Crosse, 1890) 
Pomacea (pomacea) dysoni (Hanley, 1854)

Pomacea (pomacea) bridgesii (Reeve, 1856)

Pomacea (pomacea) scalaris (D'Orbigny, 1835) 
Pomacea (pomacea) columellaris (Gould, 1848) 
Pomacea (Pomacea) decussate (Moricand) 
Pomacea (pomacea) paludosa (Say, 1829) 
Pomacea (pomacea) catamarcensis (Sowerby, 1874) 
Pomacea (pomacea) cyclostoma (Spix, 1827) 
Pomacea (pomacea) papyracea (Spix, 1827) 
Pomacea (pomacea) hanleyi (Reeve, 1856) 
Pomacea (pomacea) urceus (Müller, 1774)

Hope that helps.

Stuart


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

PM sent stuart....


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I wouldn't mind if hydra showed up in the rasbora tank. It would probably be a sign that the tank was doing well. The rasboras might enjoy trying to catch them. Kind of a salad-on-the-move thing.

The almond leaf has tinted the water nicely.



Scholz said:


> I'm thinking these came in on the Indian Almond Leaf.... ( sorry if you get them your rasboras are too big to be effected by them .


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## Srenaeb (Apr 24, 2010)

Stuart mentioned that his medicine is shrimplet-safe.... 
are hydras harmful to shrimplets? =( my tank has probably got all sorts of nasties; would hate for any of these small critters to kill my cherry shrimplets. Maybe I should get some too, pre-emp them =P ?


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

Well yes they can be harmful to shrimplets... the big ass white ones eat them as tasty snacks but you would know if you had the large ones...


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Srenaeb said:


> Stuart mentioned that his medicine is shrimplet-safe....
> are hydras harmful to shrimplets? =( my tank has probably got all sorts of nasties; would hate for any of these small critters to kill my cherry shrimplets. Maybe I should get some too, pre-emp them =P ?


I was able to source a small amount of liquid Panacur from my vet. Previously I was able to source powdered Panacur from a different vet. The liquid suspension is not a paste, however it is 1/10 gram per ml solution. It is completely soluble and will leave no residue whatsoever and the water is clear within a 5 - 6 hour window.

I used it in my 15 gallon high tech Blue Pearl colony with no deaths other than the planaria and hydra.

I've heard amazing results using "No Planaria" as well, however it does not kill hydra.

Best Regards,

Stuart


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

so far the hydra don't seem dead.... 

how long to see resaults?

fry shrimp and snails are fine too


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

It usually takes 1 - 2 days. If not dead in another days time, dose again on Thursday. They should start to shrivel up by this evening or early tomorrow morning I found my hydra were killed before the planaria.

Patience my friend, patience.

Stuart


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

Srenaeb said:


> Stuart mentioned that his medicine is shrimplet-safe....
> are hydras harmful to shrimplets? =( my tank has probably got all sorts of nasties; would hate for any of these small critters to kill my cherry shrimplets. Maybe I should get some too, pre-emp them =P ?


the hydras in my tank stopped all shrimp production and ate anything that got close to them as well as infesting my tank in a matter of days.
Eradication in my tank happend within 24 hours of adding the Pancur.


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

All the hydra are closed up and not looking good and there are 8 fry very healhty and eating...

Thanks stuart!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Scholz said:


> All the hydra are closed up and not looking good and there are 8 fry very healhty and eating...
> 
> Thanks stuart!


Hey Brian if they are gone tomorrow, you may not need to do a second treatment, but I would just to make sure !

Stuart


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## Scholz (Apr 21, 2010)

there's ten fry in the tank now! lol hard to count these little guys easyer to see them with full bellies of BBS... 

I'm going to treat again tomorrow late afternoon to get the planaria out as well...

Thanks Once Again...


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

glad to hear your hydra are eradicated. Good luck with the shrimp.


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## Reva (Apr 21, 2010)

I havent read the whole thread, but I have actually experienced blue gouramis eating hydra. If you have someplace to move the fry (like a live bearer breeder box) until the gouramis are finished, they will clean up the whole tank for you.


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