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Care and Feeding
Keep planaria in a covered shallow enamel pan; covered dishes may also be used. (Most species will
also thrive in an aquarium.) Use pond or spring water; salts in tap water make it toxic to planaria. If tap
water is used, remove salts with a water conditioner such as Fluval® Aquaplus (470308-824). Change
the water every day or at least every other day. While planaria can survive in standing water, the water
should be aerated (470308-842). Keep water at approximately 21°C or lower. If necessary, store the
container with planaria on the bottom shelf of a refrigerator. To help the planaria avoid light, add cover
such as slate or broken pieces of flower pots to the container. Clean the container once a week.
Feed the planaria once a week, making sure to remove any food that has not been eaten within three
hours after feeding. We recommend performing a water change after each feeding.
White Planaria, Procotyla fluviatilis, should only eat small living crustaceans such as Daphnia magna
(470176-562) and Brine Shrimp (470180-300). Other species can either eat the curstaceans or several
other options including beef liver (which can be stored frozen), hard boiled eggs yolk, earthworm
(470210-928) fragments, and chopped mealworms (470183-784).
Note: An interesting result of heavy feeding is the spontaneous "tail dropping" described above. If no food
is available, a healthy planaria can survive for up to three months without harmful effects.
