# Nematodes



## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Ok, I friggin hate these things. Their alien thread like bodies mocking me.
The problem, every time I put a piece of bug burger under the leaf litter for my iso`s
the next day it`s covered in those things and my iso`s are gone from that feeding spot.
They were so bad once in my Azuerus tank they were climbing up the glass.
Are they chasing away my iso`s? Do I need to get the flame thrower?


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## tongo (Jul 29, 2007)

Please Disregard


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## yerbamate (Nov 3, 2013)

THere are so many different nematodes, can you give a description? I wanna know if that's what I have in my viv!


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

yerbamate said:


> THere are so many different nematodes, can you give a description? I wanna know if that's what I have in my viv!


They look like tiny threads waving around.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

Without a microscope you won't have much luck identifying nematodes. Thousands of species look like a thread. Are you maintaining a population of isopods ?they could be killing the isopods. Many species of nematodes are insect predators. 

Your options for getting rid of them are very limited, they are pretty much the same getting rid of slugs, or nemerteans you have to completely kill everything. I have a vivarium in which I have not seen any nematodes it wasn't easy though, want them off the glass? Keep the glass dry. If you want to keep them off the bug burger maybe move the bug burger onto an object that dries out to limit nematode mobility, the isopods will be able to go further with less moisture than nematodes.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Pubfiction said:


> Are you maintaining a population of isopods ?they could be killing the isopods. Many species of nematodes are insect predators.
> .


Yes, this particular tank has isopods. That feeding was spot was loaded with iso`s until
those bastards showed up.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

I've never seen Nematodes to be a problem in a vivarium. Nematodes are everywhere. They are a part of every healthy ecosystem. Many species are harmless and many of them can actually be beneficial to your soil and plants.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about Nematodes in your viv. Our vivs seem to mostly get harmless scavengers. 
Now Nemerteans are a different story. Nemerteans are microfauna killers.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Thanks Doug, I did a google search on both, definitely nematodes.
The funny thing is I feed my isopods different foods but the nematodes population
seems to explode only with the bug burger.
I would much rather see my iso`s pigging out than those creepy things.
I guess it could be worse.....it could be SPIDERS.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

I must kill at least 20 nemerteans a day on one viv....how do you keep the glass dry without scratching it..... They must breed like crazy, 'cause I keep thinking I'm chipping away at the population but they keep'a comin' The "pond" area is in the front as well...so if there were less water, or further away from the front glass...would that make a real difference?? Reading John's issue, seems as though they must cross the substrate...do THEY have any natural enemies??


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

Pumilo said:


> Nematodes are everywhere...Nemerteans are microfauna killers.


Not to hijack, and I really should know this by now, but if I've seen a Nemxxxxx hunt and consume a fruit fly, that makes it a Nemertean?

I'm with you ER, I hate the things. The only things I've found to curb their numbers is to dry out the tank a bit, and realistically that probably just puts them into hiding.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Boondoggle said:


> Not to hijack, and I really should know this by now, but if I've seen a Nemxxxxx hunt and consume a fruit fly, that makes it a Nemertean?
> 
> .


Good question, thanks for getting involved.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Boondoggle said:


> Not to hijack, and I really should know this by now, but if I've seen a Nemxxxxx hunt and consume a fruit fly, that makes it a Nemertean?
> 
> I'm with you ER, I hate the things. The only things I've found to curb their numbers is to dry out the tank a bit, and realistically that probably just puts them into hiding.


That behavior sounds like a Nemertean to me. Here is probably my best post on Nemertean/Nematode differences.


Pumilo said:


> I can't tell you the scientific differences, but at a hobbyist's level, Nemerteens are pinkish to reddish orange, with a head that points around like a swaying finger! Every time I've seen somebody here capture a picture, they seem to be more solitary, whereas Nematodes are often found in groups. You can see clusters of a dozen or more Nematodes on a clutch of bad eggs sometimes.
> The Nematodes, we commonly get in our vivs look more like a partially translucent, white thread. They are smaller and more delicate. The Nematodes we find in our vivs are generally harmless and sometimes even beneficial in processing waste, and can even help with some plant disease.
> 
> Nemerteans are the Devil himself in physical form. Eventually, left unchecked, they can eliminate every springtail in the viv and will even compete with your frogs for flies. Left unchecked, the population will only rise. Still, some have reported that they don't seem to bother the isopods. Somebody reported a bad infestation of Nemeteans that eliminated all springtails, but did not touch the thousands of Dwarf Purple Isopods in his viv. It was an Oophaga viv and he has no troubles with froglets finding plenty of isopods to feed on. I cannot remember who it was, but I remember it was coming from someone knowledgeable and experienced.
> ...


It came from this thread if you want to research further. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/be...snag-good-photo-these-buggers.html#post784122

You might want to see this, too. The conversation is regarding Nemerteans.


Ed said:


> Not only do they feed on the microfauna but they alos will feed on the fruit flies you put into the cage for the frogs. This means that there any restraints on the populations due to food limits really don't exist.
> 
> Ed


That came from this thread. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/identification-forum/78350-what.html

Having only the behavior to go off of, it's most likely a Nemertean (the bad one)
Don't abandon all hope, there are many reports of dwarf isopods continuing to thrive in vivs with Nemerteans. Springtails will likely become impossible to culture in that viv, but you can still culture on the side and feed springs to that viv now and then. If you choose to live with the problem, just give up on springtails in that viv and instead push for more isopods. 

Nemerteans generally get into your viv when you are introducing plants. I'm going to go out on a limb and jinx myself here, but maybe save a few headaches. I have NEVER had a Nemertean in any of my vivs. I was taught by my frog guru, Rick White, to be extremely overly cautious about cleaning your plants. Clean ALL of the dirt out of the roots. I'd rather massacre the roots and stress the plant badly, than let that dirt in my vivs. An even better alternative is to only take cuttings to put in your viv. After that I hydrate the cuttings/plants by soaking them in room temperature water for 10 to 15 minutes. Then I soak in 10% bleach (*1* cup of bleach, *9* cups of water) for *ONLY 10 minutes*. Immediately rinse in room temp water extremely thoroughly and let soak in fresh, room temp water for 10 or 15 minutes.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

My Terribilis viv seems to be fine. I have 3 spots where I feed the iso`s and no sign of any nematodes.
It`s my Leuc viv that has them, but they only seem to be in one spot. I dug that entire spot
of substrate out and tossed it in the fire place.
Again, the only time I see a serious increase in these is when I use Bug Burger.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Thanks everyone for the help. After reading these posts and doing a little research they are Nematodes for sure.
Just found another hunk of bug burger swarming with them. Think I`ll go back to shrooms and veggie scraps. Even though they`re harmless I still can`t stand them.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

John, I have to apologize in advance for this, but I cannot possibly resist introducing you to this little cut and paste.

Nathan Cobb described the ubiquity of nematodes on Earth thus:

In short, if all the matter in the universe except the nematodes were swept away, our world would still be dimly recognizable, and if, as disembodied spirits, we could then investigate it, we should find its mountains, hills, vales, rivers, lakes, and oceans represented by a film of nematodes. The location of towns would be decipherable, since for every massing of human beings there would be a corresponding massing of certain nematodes. Trees would still stand in ghostly rows representing our streets and highways. The location of the various plants and animals would still be decipherable, and, had we sufficient knowledge, in many cases even their species could be determined by an examination of their erstwhile nematode parasites."

Enjoy slipping into dreamland tonight, John.


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

Will terribs eat nematodes? People always say terribs will eat anything that fits, but I've never heard anyone mention nematodes specifically.

John


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

John, the Nematodes I`m seeing are buried in the substrate. I did have some climbing
up the glass in my Azuerus thank but she really didn`t go after them.
My Terribilis would eat a Big Mac if they could swallow it.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

John,

I highly doubt that they are predatory nematodes.. It sounds like you have some detritivore nematodes taking advantage of the manna from heaven. As a pure guess, I would suspect that the number of worms on/in the bug burger are changing the palatability of the food. 

Some comments 

Ed


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Gotcha Ed. I`m investing a lot in my iso`s and just want to make sure those little
suckers aren`t killing them off.
Again, I only see these blooms when I use the bug burger. I`m going to stop using 
burger in my tanks and just use it in my cultures.


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## kevin575 (May 7, 2012)

Ok, I'm hijacking a thread.

I think what I got are nematodes. But I would like a somewhat confirmation. I got several tanks, and I never seen these in my tanks. Good part is that these are quarantine containers. So it won't be hard to cleanse. I have had these frogs for a few weeks (Painted Mantellas).





Got a few of them that are a few inches long

Thanks ahead for any replies.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Well the small white ones look like nematodes. I dunno about that one really long one, though


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## m_grieco (Nov 7, 2013)

I contacted the people at Josh's Frogs about a year ago when I completed building my first two vivariums when I had questions about nematodes and mites being seen around the tanks. Being totally new to the hobby, I had lots of questions and wanted to make sure my tanks were healthy before adding any frogs to them. They told me seeing creatures like that in the vivarium are totally normal, putting my fears at ease, but they did give me a novel, seemingly easy fix to "pests" getting a bit out of control. They suggested buying some dry ice and covering the vivarium with a heavy blanket (causing the CO2 gas to saturate the environment) and they said this would kill off ALL animal microfauna (unfortunately this includes the springtails too). Obviously you'd remove the frogs first, but the gas would do no harm to the plants. I cannot say I tried this, so I cannot attest to how much dry ice to use or how long the vivarium needs to be "gassed" with CO2 before all the bugs are dead. I can say I've been my Patricia Tincs eat both mites and nematodes (eat them right off the corner of a seed pod) but I still see them (nematodes) often on the glass and creeping around the moss, so the frogs I have are not really putting a dent in the population.


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

Just some anecdotal info...

I've really only had limited success with CO2 bombing vivariums. I had an black ant invasion in a tank once and I thoroughly CO2 bombed the thing (sealed up with small vent hole in top, lots of dry ice, for 48 hours) and, while it knocked the population down, there were still a lot of living ants in the tank. 

I've found that most pest species (including slugs and nematodes, to a degree) will bloom, and at a certain point look like they're going to take over the tank, and then die back to a reasonable level. Granted, I'm not adding bug burger, and my springtails are probably gone, but the tank that I had that was absolutely overun with nematodes and slugs has cleared up quite a bit. The population tends to find a reasonable equilibrium after a number 6-12 months. 

I'm sure the tank in question still has nematodes and slugs, but I no longer see them. I've planted a patch of Wandering Jew in the back and the slugs mostly just eat that and leave everything else alone. I know this isn't about slugs, per se, but I would be hard pressed to find a single nematode in that tank as well...and that was the tank where they used to come out and catch/eat fruit fly's!

Anecdotal, and I'm sure there a lot of variables, but IMO most of the microfauna we see is really a non issue.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Boondoggle said:


> I've found that most pest species (including slugs and nematodes, to a degree) will bloom, and at a certain point look like they're going to take over the tank, and then die back to a reasonable level. Granted, I'm not adding bug burger, and my springtails are probably gone, but the tank that I had that was absolutely overun with nematodes and slugs has cleared up quite a bit. The population tends to find a reasonable equilibrium after a number 6-12 months.


Pretty much exactly what I was going through. When I was adding Bug Burger under my leaf litter it was swarming with those damn things. I haven`t seen one since I stopped.
I know the one`s I had were the "good'' one`s but I invested a lot of time and money to get the isopods going in my tanks and I would rather see them eating.


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## dapjansen (Aug 22, 2012)

m_grieco said:


> ... but I still see them (nematodes) often on the glass and creeping around the *moss*...


I'm sorry people to even hijacking this threat even more..
But I'm dying for some input:

As I read in some threats about Nematodes and Nemerteans you can easily transport them through plants etc.. and that they like moss!
Right now I have A LOT of moss out of my own backyard in quarantine, but I'm highly afraid that I'll end up with these and other scary crawlers in my viv! 
What would y'all suggest? persevere or throw it out?


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

Efforts can be made to sanitize moss with general success. There's a thread here by Mike at NEHerp from a few years back where he fine tuned the process. 

The problem is that unless you live in a tropical climate the moss in your backyard will probably die. Temperate mosses tend to need a dormant period.


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## dapjansen (Aug 22, 2012)

Thanks! I'll def. look into that! 
There's hope.. Thanks!

You're absolutely right about the moss (I don't live in a tropical climate) but I'm still giving it a try!


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

No worries about hijacking...ask away.
There`s great stuff here.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Boondoggle said:


> Just some anecdotal info...
> 
> I've found that most pest species (including slugs and nematodes, to a degree) will bloom, and at a certain point look like they're going to take over the tank, and then die back to a reasonable level.


It took over 6 years for the one tank that had slugs for the slugs to finally die out. Sadly, the two tanks with small terrestrial snails has shown no sign of the snails disappearing like the slugs. 

People should also keep in mind that some of the small worms aren't nematodes but are potentially a small or even a larval type of annelid. In this case they are generally benign but some annelids like "red worms" Eisenia ssp are a problem with how quickly they break down leaf litter and modify substrates. 

Some comments. 

Ed


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