Betta + Hydra = no more hydra?

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happychem

redorkulated
Dec 9, 2003
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Halifax, NS
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Well, I've never read about a betta eating hydra, but last week I noticed some green hydra in my tank. Didn't bother me really, so long as they didn't get so populous as to become unsightly. So I didn't do anything about it except to remover a few sword plant leaves that had several hydra on them, but the leaves themselves were looking kinda ratty on their own anyway.

So again, last week there were hydra, not a ton, but easy enough to find. This week, nearly impossible. I did find two very tiny ones, less than a mm long on one leaf. So I wonder, did the betta eat them? I've heard that gouramis will, and since they're of the same family (anabantids) I figure that makes him to top suspect. Other occupants include rummy nose tetras, gertrudes rainbows, albino cories and otos, and numerous snails both of the ramshorn and malasian trumpet persuasion.

So what do you think? Do bettas eat hydra? Did someone else eat them? Did they starve and die off on their own? Either way, I'm happy to see them gone.
 

the_dougie

Why call it tunaFISH??
Oct 17, 2004
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Toronto area, Canada
that's pretty neat, there's a fair chance a betta would eat them, being the carnivores they are. hydras populate when theres more than enough food in the water, so you may want to consider cutting back on feeding.
 

daveedka

Purple is the color of Royalty
Jan 30, 2004
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Happy,
I wouldn't write off the beatta or the rainbow fish either one, my Firemouth eats hydra as fast as he can find it. However, Ramshorn snails are one of the tank inhabitants constantly listed as a hydra killer, they are generally considered the most effective lowest side effect hydra control around. I have not had opportunity to test this but can tell you there is no hydra in any tank I own that has ramshorns. The cichlid tank is an unknown, because the firemouth likes ramshorns better than hydra.
dave
 
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