# ISO: Planaria Hunting, Shrimp Peaceful Fish



## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

I'm trying to find a small fish that will leave Cherry Shrimp alone but eat planaria. I have the shrimp in a 10G tank and the planaria population has gotten quite large, despite the fact I never feed the shrimp anything!

My ideas are possibly pygmy corydoras or otocinclus cats. I'd prefer a fun fish to watch, since the shrimp aren't very active and visible from across the room, but is also useful. That's why I'm leaning towards the corydoras, IF they will eat planarias and other pests. I have no algae problems, so I don't need an otocinclus necessarily. Any additional ideas besides these two fish? Will they fit the bill?


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I have the same issue with the planeria populations. I can tell you that both pygmy corydoras and otocinclus cats do not seem not keep the populations in check. I have schools of both fish I can still see the planeria climbing up the walls.

I haven't tried any other fish, but I have a feeling male endlers would leave most of the baby shrimp alone, and yet still pick at the planeria populations.

-John N.


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## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

Well I went to the pet store and bought 5 Pseudomugil gertrudae today for this task. They are sooo beautiful with their bright blue eyes. They seem to be doing well and I've already noticed them picking off tiny copepods that had a recent population burst. That kind of scares me since the copepods are barely visible even to me (unless they jump around) so they'd definitely be able to pick out baby shrimp. My hope is that the baby shrimp are too large for the tiny Pseudomugil gertrudae's mouth, but they definitely hunt among the vegitation. Anyone else have experience keeping Pseudomugil gertrudae and shrimp together?

I'm also asking because along with the Pseudomugil gertrudae I got 5 Tiger shrimp. I was really surprised to see them at the store and couldn't pass them up!


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## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

Well it's been over a week, and I'm glad to say that all the planaria are gone! The new little fish have settled in nicely and I think they're getting along with the shrimp just fine. Here are some pictures:


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## Mud Pie Mama (Jul 30, 2006)

Very, very nice photos! Thanks for taking the time to post and share these. 

What temps are you keeping these Pseudomugil gertrudae at?


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## DJKronik57 (Apr 17, 2006)

They're at 75F and quite happy. I try to keep the temps a bit lower in that tank due to the shrimp.


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