Planaria and Plants

[pufferpuggirl]

I'm really getting frustrated with these damn planaria worms. I don't understand how I still have them. Since first learning that I had them in one of my tanks, I now have them in at least 4 of my tanks, and I really don't think it's just a matter of water quality and over-feeding because two of those tanks aren't fed much at all and I keep on a tight schedule with water changes on all of my tanks. It's almost like something contagious that has infected my other tanks. I also have come to the conclusion that planaria can and do kill snails. I bought 5 very big very healthy pond snails and within 3 days they were gone, not just dead, but completely gone out of the shell. I had another bad experience with snails and the planaria in another tank. Again, the snails were completely gone from the shell in like 3 days.
I just don't know what more I can do about the planaria because I've already cut down on feeding as much as I can, and you can't stop feeding the fish in those tanks, and there's always going to be a little fall off onto the substrate. I vacuum my tanks daily, so it's not like food sits around to feed the planaria. I am really stumped on why I still have these nasty little worms.
They got so bad in my Baileyi tank that I decided to fix up another tank and move my Baileyi out of that infected tank. I took everything out of the tank with planaria, and let it sit in boiling water -- the rocks, ornaments, bogwood, and the terracotta pot that she's so fond of resting inside. I didn't want any chance of moving any planaria into this newly set up tank.
So here's my question: I had several potted plants and a few plants directly planted into the substrate. Now I've heard that planaria come from potted plants (not sure how valid that is), but I didn't want any chance of moving them into the new tank. So what can I do with them to insure that there's no planaria that will be transferred to whatever tank I decide to put these plants in? What will kill off the planaria, or what process can I use to get rid of any that might be hiding inside the plants? I would prefer not to use chemicals if possible. Will the planaria starve if they aren't fed?
Right now I've got all the plants in a bucket of cold water just sitting. I'm hoping I don't have to throw out the plants, but I also don't want those nasty little worms any more than I already have them. They aren't in all my tanks ..... and I'd like to keep it that way.
I've heard that Apple snails will eat planaria, but after my experiences with the planaria killing pond snails, sulawesi snails and ramshorn snails -- I'm not so sure that Apple snails will fare any better. Is there anything that will eat planaria? The information that I've found is very confusing.

[Brent]

The planaria I had in my 25g went away after about 1-1 1/2 months time without feeding ( I have no inhabitants, and really just can't keep the tank cycled for as long as it needs to be. Soon going to start a re-cycle. )

As for eating planaria, just stick your DPs in the tank for a while.

[pufferpuggirl]

Well part of the problem is that the tanks with planaria already have puffers in them, so I can't add any other puffer, which makes this rather difficult, and I can't stop feeding my puffers.

[Brent]

I know, I was just kidding.

If you were seriously considering using your DPs as exterminators, why not just set up a quarantine tank and put whatever inhabitants you have in an infected tank into there, and then stick your dwarfs in the main tank until the planaria is gone? Then do the next, and the next, and so on...

[pufferpuggirl]

To be honest, I'm not so sure the DP's could get to them, maybe some of them, but I think most would retreat. I see what they do, they hide in the substrate and only come out when they think food is around and very quickly disappear when I try to vacuum them up.

[Brent]

You may have a point there. It would be unlikely that they'd get them all.

Well I don't know what to suggest. Other than fully breaking down and cleaning out all of your infected tanks- a big job.

[J-P]

Q's
If they are not harming the puffers why not leave it be? They may be feeding off the poop.

If they are in the sand, does that mean aeration? Is that not beneficial to your tanks? Less stirring of the tanks.

Can you re-home the puffs for a bit and "borrow" a fish that will take care of the problem?

Keep in mind that you have a mini-ecosystem in there. Unsightly, maybe; beneficial, maybe.

[Brent]

J-P chimes in with the voice of reason.

[pufferpuggirl]

I don't know if they are beneficial or not, but I don't like seeing them. If they stayed in the substrate and never came out, well maybe then it wouldn't be so bad. But the tank that I just took down had them all over the glass most evenings and it just looked horrible. Also, the fact that I can't have any snails in those tanks is another reason why I'm not happy about the planaria. I like snails. And I am not sure that these planaria are eating the poop, or aerating the sand, but the fact that they actively killed off healthy snails in a matter of a few days worries me.

[xrayjeeper83]

was looking around and read where someone said catfish will take care of them

[Hierony]

We got planaria in our snail tank itself. I didn't notice any snails disappearing but it did look like the little worms were eating the eggs. Taking out all the gravel and washing the entire tank seemed to have gotten ride of them, but our pond snail eggs were starting to get eaten relatively quickly. What I don't understand is how the planaria was introduced in the first place. The only thing other than rocks in the tank is a floating plant that has been trimmed to pieces and I'm not thinking any original plant is in the tank. We also feed bits of algae wafers to the snails. Think the worms are in the wafers?

[pufferpuggirl]

I don't know where they come from, but I am certain that it was the planaria, if that's what I've got, that killed the snails. It happened too many times for it to be anything else. But I definitely think that planaria (or whatever I actually have) gets into tank for reasons other than just over-feeding and bad water quality. I treat my tanks better now than I ever have, so it doesn't make sense. Before I became a more serious fish-keeper I used to feed my fish twice a day, never vacuumed and did relatively few, if any, water changes. Where was the planaria then? Funny that I should have it now that I actually keep my tanks very clean and do water changes regularly. I just wish I could find some way of naturally getting rid of them, other than taking my tanks apart. I can't feasibly do that.
But no Hierony, I don't think the worms are in the wafers.

[Iliveinazoo]

Pufferpuggirl do you have much die-off from your plants because if they're not doing well them maybe the planaria is eating the organic waste produced from the die-off?

[J-P]

I was thinking about this while saving today:

Are they flatworms or round?

[pufferpuggirl]

They seem flatish, but they move along sort of like an inch-worm, if you know what I mean. They are brown and the largest ones are maybe close to half an inch in length, although most are about quarter of an inch. When I touch them, they sort of curl up and fall to the substrate. They definitely are living in the substrate because I've seen them come out of the sand, and go back into it. They remind me of a leech, but I know they aren't.