Planaria Aquarium Removal with No Planaria: Shrimp Safe Treatment

Planaria arrive silently in every shrimp keeper’s tank eventually, gliding across the glass at night and attacking berried females under the cover of darkness. Planaria aquarium removal no planaria treatment solves the problem without harming invertebrates, because the active compound, betel nut extract, targets flatworm physiology rather than crustacean metabolism. This guide from Gensou Aquascaping in Singapore walks through the exact protocol refined over 20 years of running crystal shrimp tanks, including the catastrophic snail warning that many product labels bury in fine print.

Quick Facts

• Active ingredient: areca nut (betel palm, Areca catechu) seed extract
• Target: Dugesia, Planaria, and related free-living flatworms
• Dose: 1 g per 50 litres initial, repeat half-dose on day three
• Contact time: 24-72 hours per cycle
• Shrimp safety: proven safe for Caridina, Neocaridina, amanos, and fan shrimp
• Snail mortality: 100%, remove every snail before dosing
• Price in Singapore: Genchem No Planaria 50 g around $28-32 at specialist shrimp stores

Identifying Planaria Correctly

True planaria have a distinct arrow-shaped head with two eyespots and glide rather than inch. Detritus worms, which are harmless, wiggle frantically and lack the head shape. Rhabdocoela are shorter, faster, and also harmless. Dose No Planaria only for confirmed flatworm infestations; spending $30 on a scud problem wastes product and stresses shrimp needlessly. Torch the tank at 2 am and watch for triangular heads hunting across the front glass.

Why Planaria Threaten Shrimp Colonies

Planaria are carnivorous. They ignore adult shrimp but actively attack freshly hatched shrimplets and berried females trapped during moult. A heavy infestation in a 30-litre breeding tank can halve fry survival within weeks. Signs include missing saddles, unexplained moulting deaths, and visible planaria clustered on uneaten food within minutes of feeding.

Preparing for Treatment

Remove every snail you can find, including tiny hitchhiker bladder snails tucked into moss. Betel nut extract kills them without exception. Siphon out as much mulm as possible from the substrate surface and clean the filter sponge in tank water to strip hiding habitat. Skip feeding for 24 hours before dosing to starve the planaria out of cover.

Dosing Protocol

Dissolve 1 g of No Planaria per 50 litres in a cup of tank water, then pour it in front of the filter outflow. A 60-litre shrimp tank needs 1.2 g, roughly half a level teaspoon of the coarse brown powder. Turn off UV, carbon, and Purigen. Dead planaria will bob to the surface within 12 hours and must be netted out, as decomposing flatworms spike ammonia in small tanks.

Second Dose and Follow-up

On day three, repeat at half strength (0.5 g per 50 litres) to catch hatching eggs. Cocoons are resistant to the first dose, so skipping this step almost guarantees relapse within three weeks. Perform a 30% water change on day five, reinstall carbon for 24 hours, then resume normal maintenance. A third dose is only needed for severe infestations in mature substrate.

Shrimp Safety Evidence

Betel nut extract acts on the neural ganglia of flatworms through a pathway crustaceans do not share. Berried females at this dose rarely drop eggs, and moulting activity continues normally. Young shrimplets under two weeks are slightly more sensitive; dim the lights during treatment to reduce stress. No fatalities have been reported in properly dosed Singapore crystal shrimp tanks in the past decade.

Alternatives and When to Use Them

Manual trapping with a baited bottle (a plastic bottle with a small hole, filled with bloodworm) removes 80% of adults in one night and is appropriate for tanks with snails you cannot move. Fenbendazole also kills planaria but wipes out snails and costs similar money. For tanks with dario or pea puffer predators, no chemical is needed; they hunt planaria aggressively.

Preventing Reintroduction

Planaria cocoons travel on plants, moss, and driftwood from infected tanks. Quarantine all new material for two weeks in a bare-bottom tub, or dip plants in alum solution (3 g per litre, 24 hours) before adding them to a shrimp tank. Avoid overfeeding, which sustains the population long-term. Once you are clear, a monthly inspection with a torchlight is enough to catch any reintroduction early.

Related Reading

Planaria Aquarium Guide
Planaria and Hydra Removal Aquarium
Hydra Aquarium Removal
Shrimp Tank Water Change Guide
Shrimp Moulting Problems Guide