# Nematodes? Attacking shrimp? Will they attack me?



## CaffeinatedCake (Jun 19, 2008)

In my 10g planted shrimp [rcs] tank I'm having what I believe to be a Nematode problem.

They're long thing worm like creatures, pretty spam [no longer then a male cherry shrimp, if not shorter] white "worms", about a hair to three hairs thick. 

When I suck them up in WCs they wiggle is S shapes, so all of that points to nematodes to me [sorry no pic, sucky sucky camera].

I havn't been too concerned, it grosses me out, but I expect to see weird things growing in a tank with no fish.

except... I read this http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/shrimp-other-invertebrates/28109-ghost-shrimp-nematodes.html.

In it the OP , and others, talk about seeing nematodes attack and crawl inside their shrimp!

And then this morning I saw what at first I thought was a molting [it may be, I'm not sure] from a shrimp [or maybe it's a dead shrimp..!] that was WIGGLING and twitching around! I looked closer and all the nasty nematode monsters were crawling in it and tugging it into the substrate.

Oommmg, so nasty.

At first I thought they were just eating up the molting, but now I'm wondering if they killed a shrimp .. 

I saw a really healthy dead female the other day too that a snail was sucking empty, and I havn't been seeing as many shrimp as normal, now, they could just be my oldest shrimpies dieing of old age [since everyone looks healthy and happy], or.. Are they being killed off by infections of the nematode persuasion?

I'm really concerned and scared, and even a little scared to stick my hand in the tank [I have a bunch of plants just floating around in there because I'm a wuss now  ].

Any information I could get Asap would be great.

Gona do another WC and try to suck out more of those creepy little demon monsters.


:confused1:


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## Tameyourself (Oct 16, 2008)

Sounds like planaria, which are harmless.


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## CaffeinatedCake (Jun 19, 2008)

I though Planaria were more .. flat bodied? I was reading the differences between the two and I'm leaning more towards nematodes, though i can't find any pictures of them to compare it to..


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## t0p_sh0tta (Jan 24, 2008)

They are not planaria. They exhibit no cephalization and swim in the water column. At one point I too thought they were a species of nematode. However, I have happy and healthy fish. I only see them when disturbing the substrate in 2 of my tanks.

Let me see if I can find some pics of them. If they weren't squiggling, you'd think that they were lint or hair of some sort.


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## CaffeinatedCake (Jun 19, 2008)

Yeah exactly. 

I've been cleaning the gravel a lot lately [I was kind of lazy for a while  ] and I thought I got a mass majority of them, but it seems what was left of them moved to where I've been putting food for my shrimp , pretty much the same spot everyday, since I see them there even with the light on. [very thin layer of gravel, since it's mostly moss and some low demand stems.]

So I'm going to do another gravel cleaning later today, and feed my shrimp on the moss and see how that works..

They just creep me out and I don't know what they are :[.


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## t0p_sh0tta (Jan 24, 2008)

Do they look like these (But in the water column)?


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## CaffeinatedCake (Jun 19, 2008)

They're in the substrate mostly, but yeah they look pretty similiar, a little thinner though, I think.


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## bulrush (May 7, 2007)

They are nematodes, I used to have them one summer. It is unlikely they are the species which will harm your shrimp. Put a small fish in your tank, do not feed it, and the fish should eat the nematodes. Also, cut back on feeding. The nematodes are there probably because you there is extra uneaten food.

I have heard about only 2 cases of parasitical nematodes in shrimp, and both times it was in a ghost shrimp.


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## CaffeinatedCake (Jun 19, 2008)

Thanks.

I tried doing that with some neon tetra, since they were the only fish in my area that I've read others saying they do fine with shrimp with, but they were eating all my baby shrimp. =[

I guess I'll just keep sucking them out and feeding my shrimp on the moss for now.

Thats for the help guys.


Btw, will they attach to me if my hand gets close to them?



Edit:

PS:
Ew I saw a few sitting ontop of the substrate [cheap gravel  ] wiggling their .. "head"s around like they were looking for the food I normaly put there.

Funny, but creepy , lmao.


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## t0p_sh0tta (Jan 24, 2008)

I've never had an issue with them attaching to me. Most parasitic nematoades can't get through unbroken skin anyways. They're usually specialized for attachment and not boring through skin.


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