# Hydra in shrimp tank



## Madfish (Sep 9, 2007)

I was just looking in my shrimp tank and seen that I have Hydra in there all over. I want to know how do you kill it off. It was really all over one plant witch I just took it out and put it in the garbage. And good words will help me on this. Please help out my little baby shrimp!

BTW They are eating my baby shrimp from what I have read on this fourm is that they dont eat them that a bunch of bull. I to ripped out a crypt that was coved in hydra and I bet there were close to 20 baby cherrys that were caught and getting eaten by them.


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## Fugu (Nov 10, 2007)

Ive had this problem before. I would remove the shrimp, if they are touching it, and put them in a seperate tank, then put scrape as many as you can off the plants and tank. They are related to the jellyfish, and do sting. It wont hurt you, but it will probably hurt the shrimp. I am not sure what killed the hydra when i had them, but they all went away. So i cant help there.


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## turbosaurus (Nov 19, 2005)

Feed less, if you have hydra its because there is too much food in the tank, that is the long term solution, and it will work. I mean long term like two weeks, it won't take forever for them to start to disappear and not come back. 

In the short term, the only real way to kill them is SMOOSHING them, but you really have to crush them, between your thumb and forefinger, or up against the glass. I know it seems impossible, but its not that bad really. Throw out any leaves that are really really bad, smoosh whatever you can, and do that for 10 minutes twice a day- you will make progress. Try going after the bigger ones first, they are more dangerous to your shrimplets. 

Look around a little more on this forum. I have heard of people spot treating them, like you would do with algae, but I don't remember what they used, and I know I tried it when I had the same problem as you, and I don't remember it working.


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## Madfish (Sep 9, 2007)

I dont over feed my shrimp. I only feed them once maybe twice a week and that is just a very little amount. I ended up just tossing the crypt that was just coved with them but I see alot of the other plants have them on them too. Its really bad because I seen some down in the moss where the baby shrimps are at.


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## MartialTheory (May 24, 2007)

hydra are carnaviors and only eat live food. Chances are that they have been eating the baby shrimp and not fish flakes or pellets.


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## Color Me Blue (Nov 10, 2005)

I don't have experience with this critter, but maybe this can help: http://www.shrimp-diseases-online.com/hydra.htm

As quoted from bottom of the article "_Also sea salt or iodine-free table salt is supposed to destroy the Hydra. Therefore you can give 20g on 100 litres of aquarium water. It is not dangerous for plants and shrimps according to the statement of shrimp holders. Even in higher proportioning above a few hours_."

Maybe someone from this forum has tried this method?


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## southerndesert (Sep 9, 2007)

I had one of my tanks suddenly show a huge population of Hydra seemingly out of nowhere, but there was as always a healthy population of critters the hydra like to feed on. Perhaps I fed a tad too much or?? but the population grew to the point that the Hydra had plenty of food and were budding away (reproducing).

I have Malaya and Indian Zebra in this tank and at the time they were very small and I was a bit worried. I added guppy fry hoping they would eat the same food as the Hydra and perhaps the Hydra as well. Within 9 or 10 days the Hydra were gone....

Bill


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## Madfish (Sep 9, 2007)

Thanks for the link. Its always great to read what people in other countrys do with there shrimp and fish.


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## Madfish (Sep 9, 2007)

Hey no worrys about hydra anymore. Just read the other story I have on here about tomato soup and cherry shrimps.


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## Phroge (Oct 22, 2007)

From Shrimp-Diseases.com:


> What to do against Hydras?
> Most effectively seems to be a treatment with the German spitz sludge snail (Lymnaea stagnalis).
> 
> Also sea salt or iodine-free table salt is supposed to destroy the Hydra. Therefore you can give 20g on 100 litres of aquarium water. It is not dangerous for plants and shrimps according to the statement of shrimp holders. Even in higher proportioning above a few hours.


Just how much salt is safe for ghost or cherry red shrimp?


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## Madfish (Sep 9, 2007)

I dont have to worry to much about the hydra. See my other post about the tomato soup and shrimp thread. But thanks for looking and trying to help me out.


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

I had hydra when I fist started, they were on everything. Then they just disappeared after a few weeks. Sorry for your loss.


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