Hydra population explosion, dosing fenbendazole.

[arcanecircle]

Recently i have an explosion of hydra population and am thinking of dosing fenbendazole.

From multiple sources i have read it is safe to use it with RCS, however i have CRS as well and wonder if any one have used it in a tank with CRS.

Before people suggest that i reduce feeding and gravel vac, i only feed the 30 shrimp a quarter of algae waffer a week and gravel vac on weekly basis.

I had a sizable population of copepods and water fleas, but now they are all gone. The hydra infestation is very extensive, i have notice that there are clusters with in deep notches in my drift wood.

So far it feel like my option is to either dose or take the tank apart and do a full scrub down. Since i only have one tank available to me right now i can't move my shrimp to an empty tank i feel that i am left with the option of dosing.

[msjinkzd]

It should be fine with CRS as well. I believe snails have sensitivity though.

[arcanecircle]

ummm my cherry shrimp is eating the particle of fenbendazole that isn't desolved... should i be worried?

[pik01]

my cherries weren't bothered when they nibbled on undissolved granules of fenbendazole.

[mellowvision]

I lost a couple of shrimp when I tried this, but most were fine. I rid myself of hydra, but still have planaria up the wazoo.

[arcanecircle]

well i guess the cherries' gut will be worm free then :P

don't have flatworms well at least not many that i know of. It's the hydra that is really pissing me off. they are slowly shriveling up my shrimp don't even go in to natural hiding holes on the driftwood because the hydra is growing from the inside.

Also i was excited about the copepod and water fleas now they are all gone : (

[JuanitoW]

Antihelminths such as fenbendazole are pretty effective, and they should be the first line against hydras but what you know what I found to also work? untreated tap water. A 60% wc with untreated Toronto tap water will kill most hydras but no shrimp. You have to be careful though because the chlorine or chloramine varies throughout the year and isn't the same from town to town.