Worms, Planeria, Leeches? (PICS)

sixstringphil

sixstringphil

AC Members
May 26, 2008
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I got five of these out of my tank this morning.
1) What exactly are they?
2) Do you think I got all of them, or will they keep appearing?
3) Are they harmful for my fish/shrimp?
4) Can Cory's eat them (I think I saw this happen earlier)

Thanks!!

worms002.jpg

worms003.jpg
 
i think planaria have a triangulated head, most likely detrius worms. How big are they? what did they look like when they moved?
 
The largest one was maybe 1/2 inch long. They crawled around the sand like an inchworm. For a reference, the "rocks" in the first pic are grains of pool filter sand.
 
i doubt they are leeches, i wouldn't worry about your cories eating them. You might up your gravel vacs and decrease feeding a little until you see if they are "gone" or not.
 
Thanks Rachel. I've been a little lighter on vacs since switching to sand, but maybe I need to be a little more aggressive.
 
jm1212 said:
the head (in the first pic) looks alot like a leech head to me
Click to expand...

Segmentation is wrong. Hirudinea (leeches) have very fine segmentation and no bristles. These appear to have large segments and bristles all the way down, meaning they're polychaetes. Most polychaets are marine, but these ones appear to be F/W. Unlikely to be anything to the fish other than food.
 
KarlTh said:
Segmentation is wrong. Hirudinea (leeches) have very fine segmentation and no bristles. These appear to have large segments and bristles all the way down, meaning they're polychaetes. Most polychaets are marine, but these ones appear to be F/W. Unlikely to be anything to the fish other than food.
Click to expand...

This is a beautiful post :) I agree, they'll more than likely simply become a rare delicacy for your fish.
 
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