Hydra Common Aquarium Pests
To many people, the name Hydra conjures up Hercules and his 12 Labours, which included him battling the Lernean Hydra, a gigantic water-snake-like monster with nine heads. However, to aquarists, the term refers to a small freshwater soft-bodied polyp which is sometimes accidentally introduced to freshwater tanks. Although they are only really a threat to fish fry, or possibly very small species, they are unwelcome due to being somewhat unsightly, fast-spreading, of course, they are predators so will help themselves to any life food provided for the fish.
Hercules In Action against the Hydra Image Credit Hoika Mikhail/Shutterstock
Hydrozoa
Hydras stem from the Hydrozoa taxonomic class, being very small, predatory creatures, having a jellyfish-like composition, composed of a tubular body with a sticky foot and a dozen tentacles. Think thin Sea Anemone in miniature and you will be on the right track. The tentacles have stinging cells which allow the Hydra to immobilize their prey, and although they normally consume pond fleas and the like, they can take on surprisingly large prey with small tetras and danios being well within reach of a fully grown on
Choksawatdikorn/Shutterstock
They reproduce rapidly by producing branching buds that break off and go on their own and although each individual tends to stay in one spot, Hydra’s are quite capable of moving around by releasing their foot and floating to a new spot or slowly worming their way along the aquarium glass. If you get an infestation and keep large fish then there is no need to take drastic steps, and some fish such as Blue Gouramis and Mollies are quite partial to them.
Blue gouramis are partial to Hydra
JLRphotograph/Shutterstock
Snails Like Them Too!
Also, some species of Snails will gobble them up but don’t mix snails and Gouramis or the snails won’t get the chance to tackle the Hydras as there is nothing a Gourami likes more than hydras apart from snails! Overall given that they will only take small quantities of the live food meant for the fish and are only really unsightly when in mass (they are sometimes hard to see unless against a black surface), there is not always a need to remove them. However, if you don’t want them in your tank then the following steps will help.
Hydra’s are more visible against dark surfaces in tanks
Baranov E/Shutterstock
Prevention Is Better Than A Cure
An infestation of Hydra doesn’t mysteriously appear in Freshwater Aquariums even with poor tank maintenance, they always come from an external source. Thus the most common introduction methods are:
Adding Live Plants
Hydra are most often introduced when adding live plants or decorations from another tank. They are pretty hard to see when on plants and early-stage buds are almost impossible to spot on rocks or other decors. Carefully examining any plant prior to planting will help and any spotted can be picked off with tweezers. If you want to be really sure you can soak the plants for about a quarter of an hour in water treated with Potassium Alum, which shouldn’t damage anything but the most delicate of aquatic plant. If you do this make sure that you rinse the plants thoroughly in fresh clean water before adding them to your tank. This method also works well for Rocks and any artificial plants etc which are being moved from another tank. Of course, the extreme solution would be to quarantine any new plant or item of decor- however, this is not very practical for the vast majority of fish keepers.
Hydra Hidden In Five Food
Live food which is wild-collected, be it from freshwater ponds or streams poses a considerable risk. This is probably the easiest way to contaminate your tank and unless it’s composed of Hydra loving fish species then it is not really worth the risk. Nowadays there is plenty of frozen food alternatives and rearing your own live food is not that difficult. At a push freeze dried can be used and in our experience, the fish devour these with just as much relish as the frozen or live alternatives. Obviously, if you are looking to get fish into breeding condition then live is best.
Too Late Was The Cry!
Ok so prevention hasn’t worked – now what. Well, you have two main choices – live with them and add some fish species which will eat them, or remove them. Small infestations can be physically removed – and providing you are undertaking proper tank maintenance they won’t spread that quickly. here they can be picked off the glass and artificial plants and rocks etc can be removed & steeped in a 10% bleach solution for a few minutes. Do remember to rinse the items thoroughly before putting them back though. However, larger infestations which can arise if you have accidentally encouraged their multiplication by allowing the water quality to drop and or overfeeding, then more drastic action will be needed.
Turn Up The Heat
Hydra doesn’t like high temperatures, so one pretty effective eradication method is to crank the heat up. This will need to be significant so any fish or snails will have to be removed unless you want them parboiled. Once the tank is clear heat to over 40C (104f) and keep it at that level for 2-3 hours, after which you will need to perform a large water change (50-60%) and syphon off any detritus in the gravel at the same time. This should have killed off the Hydra without disrupting the natural bacteria in the tank which is so vital for keeping the water healthy. Once the fish have been returned be extra vigilant on water quality for a couple of days just in case and follow the prevention tips above going forward.
Treat The Aquarium
If turning up the heat seems like too much fuss or is impractical there are chemical treatments available but bear in mind some can be harmful to plants & any snails or invertebrates in the tank. Some can also affect certain fish species so do your homework before adding any. Further, they tend to damage the beneficial bacteria which is so important in the filtration system, so think long and hard before going down this route.
Potassium Permanganate will dye the water IanRedding/Shutterstock
The main chemical options are Copper Sulfate (which is poisonous) and Potassium Permanganate which will turn the tank a delicate (or not so delicate if you are heavy-handed) shade of purple. Both of these can be purchased online or at your local Pet shop or Aquatic store. If using them, “Follow the dosing instructions on the product Exactly”. Alternatively, some Formalin based medications are effective against Hydra, but this comes with its own problems, particularly if you are using biological filtration. We have also heard that proprietary anti-fluke products such as “ParaGuard” are effective, although we have never tried it.
So in a nutshell, prevention is far easier than a cure, however, even if you get an infestation its not the end of the world and it may also be a good excuse to try a different species of fish.
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