Leaches!!

captmicha

captmicha

Le tired.
Dec 6, 2006
2,052
0
36
39
Maryland, USA
I just removed four leaches from my rcs/mts/ramshorn tank tonight!!! WTH? I don't know where they came from. Those are the only creatures I have in there w/ java moss, which has been in there for a long time. I do use that tank as quarantine though, and most recently, which was like a month ago or so, I had some cloudy mountain minnows in there and a cichlid. But they've been out of there for a while now, and I this is the only time I've seen leaches. I don't use live food, only frozen or packaged dry. I also have never seen leaches in the tank that those fish are in now.

Any ideas? Should I treat my fish for paracites? Should I treat my invert tank for leaches? I don't know what kind they are, some were roundish, others were long and slender. I suck at photography but this is the best picture that I could get. It's a picture of two, back to back.

leaches.jpg
 
Are you sure they're leeches?
Look a little clear to me, almost like some huge planaria.
Unless they're just babies, then I can understand.
 
They could be egg sacs from pond snails. Just a thought.
 
They're not egg sacs. There's no eggs in them. They have lines going down the middle with veins branching off. The skin looks like it has a slightly ribbed texture, like all Annelida. I've had planaria before and these aren't them. I also don't have substrate if that makes any difference.
 
Not sure exactly how leeches reproduce, but it's not unheard of for snails to intermediate hosts for part of the life cycle of some worms.
 
I don't know, maybe someone with a little more experience can come in on this.

Do you have anymore pictures to help us identify them?
 
I'd like to see a clearer pic, but my guess is that these are leeches. I've encountered these about a half dozen times, the first time really freaked me out. I did a little research and while I never got a perfect answer, I am pretty sure that they are plant leeches.

Do they move sorta like inch worms? In other words, they pick up the head, move it way forward, set it down, pick up their butt and bring it to the head; repeat. They also seem to be blind as the narrowish head gets extended and moves as if it is smelling/feeling for something, rather than looking (just my opinion).
 
I have leaches in my RCS tank too.
They DONT look anything like this picture though.
I have seen what you have before, online (not in my tanks) and dont remember what they are. But someone here will know..
 
most of the time these are planiara. but if YOU know what planaira are, and these look diff. then your right , you need to do some research !! did you get in any new' plants in the last week or 2 ? if so, email and ask if they have any white bugs on thier plants, and if they woudldlook . other than that, with no substrate, maybye off the snails. I get weired bugys in my tanks sometimes mostly from overfeeding so all my shrimp and briggs will breed (2 diff tanks ) good luck with your search ,.
 
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