# What's this worm?



## Ags11 (6 Oct 2020)

Firstly apologies for no picture - my phone was out of battery.

I spotted a worm I have not seen before in my tank today, just after lights on. It was about two cm long, stretchy and pink-brown. It did not have an arrow head but did look a bit flattened. It was not segmented and was stretchy. It moved over the glass by stretching forward, attaching it's front to the glass, and then contracting. Eventually it detached from the glass and swam off, undulating in an up-down manner.

I wouldn't say the hind part was thicker than the front part, it looked equally thick head to tail.

Looking for suggested names then I can ID it from youtube vids.


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## Ags11 (6 Oct 2020)

Got some blurry pictures.


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## Ags11 (6 Oct 2020)

Got it on video:


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## Ags11 (6 Oct 2020)

I am betting on: Asian freshwater leech. Apparently it is fish safe.


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## dw1305 (6 Oct 2020)

Hi all, 





Ags11 said:


> Asian freshwater leech


It is definitely a Leech. 

cheers Darrel


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## X3NiTH (6 Oct 2020)

Yup it’s a Leech, I’ve been spotting the exact same thing a few times today swimming back and forth in one of the nanos at work, at a glance I first thought it was a Khuli Loach juvenile until it started swimming by vertical undulation and that gave the game away, Leeeech! I’ll see if I can grab a video of it when I’m next in.


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## Ags11 (6 Oct 2020)

Should I be worried? Should I cancel my delivery of celestial pearl danios? I don't have any fish currently...

Will it go after me when I am doing my scaping?


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## X3NiTH (6 Oct 2020)

It’s quite a big leech and if it hooks onto a fishes gills especially a small one it could bleed it dry in no time, whether this actually will happen or not is anyone’s guess it may also just be feeding on detritus worms in the substrate. It’s up to you to test it’s safety with other fish, as it’s the only swimming thing currently in the tank then you may or may not be about to provide it a banquet, as always ‘If in doubt get it out‘. You could try baiting it with some raw pork to see if it will feed from it, if it does then it’s feeding opportunistically and live fish may be on its’ lunch menu.


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## Ags11 (6 Oct 2020)

There’s nothing in there to eat except detritus worms and midge larvae.

Given how small CPD are, the leech would be lethal if it gets a taste for vertebrates. I’ll keep an eye out for it tomorrow at lights on and see if I can net it. CPD are tough cookies though!

Or I could be eccentric and keep a leech tank? Very Bond villain.


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## sparkyweasel (6 Oct 2020)

Ags11 said:


> Or I could be eccentric and keep a leech tank? Very Bond villain.


You wouldn't be the first. 
I think leeches are fascinating, but I wouldn't trust a big one with fish.


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## X3NiTH (6 Oct 2020)

I’d be the second option.

For small stuff I’m now so far down the Marine rabbit hole that I’m one of those growing pest aiptasia to feed nudibranchs that only eat pest aiptasia and now need a Starfish factory to keep a Harlequin shrimp happy once he eats his way through the pest Asterinas in the display tank. Bristleworms I added because I want diversity and Velcro the matted file fish is going back to the shop because despite the live food banquet I’m feeding into the tank he can’t help but browse my Acanthastreas as side dishes!

My digested guide so far for Marine starts something like this -

‘There was an old Woman who swallowed a fly......’


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## dw1305 (6 Oct 2020)

Hi all, 





Ags11 said:


> There’s nothing in there to eat except detritus worms and midge larvae.


Are there snails? A lot of leeches are snail eating.

I'm not sure about non-UK species, but the UK Fish Leech (_Piscicola geometra_) has a <"very obvious head sucker">.

cheers Darrel


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## Ags11 (6 Oct 2020)

I am going by this guide: https://www.aquasabi.com/aquascaping-wiki_parasites_leeches

If I can believe Aquasabi, and if it is an Asian freshwater leech, then little Dracula can live.

@dw1305 no sign of snails so far.


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## dw1305 (6 Oct 2020)

Hi all, 





Ags11 said:


> I am going by this guide: https://www.aquasabi.com/aquascaping-wiki_parasites_leeches
> 
> If I can believe Aquasabi, and if it is an Asian freshwater leech, then little Dracula can live.
> 
> @dw1305 no sign of snails so far.


Useful link.

cheers Darrel


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## Ags11 (7 Oct 2020)

I have been on Worm Watch all day but no sign of Dracula. It must have been in the tank a while and I have only seen it once ever. I am torn between using some copper treatment to eliminate the threat or trusting that it is a genuinely harmless species. The copper would kill everything in the substrate so not keen on going that route.


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## dw1305 (7 Oct 2020)

Hi all, 





Ags11 said:


> I am torn between using some copper treatment to eliminate the threat or trusting that it is a genuinely harmless species. The copper would kill everything in the substrate so not keen on going that route.


In that case the cure would definitely be worse than the Leech. You could try baiting with a <"Planaria trap">?

cheers Darrel


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## Ags11 (7 Oct 2020)

I am tending to think leeches are cool and I am prepared to give it a chance. Apparently Barbronia weberi feeds by siphoning up larvae and worms and swallowing them whole, so assuming my species identification is correct it can’t harm even a small fish. An infestation is apparently unlikely as well. But getting a planarian trap as a fallback is a good idea.


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## dw1305 (7 Oct 2020)

Hi all, 





Ags11 said:


> I am tending to think leeches are cool and I am prepared to give it a chance.


I have Leeches in my tanks, it isn't  entirely by choice, but they are almost impossible to eradicate, and I like shrimps, snails, _Lumbriculus_ etc. so I'm not ever going to take the nuclear option. 

cheers Darrel


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## Ags11 (7 Oct 2020)

What sort of leeches do you have?


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## dw1305 (8 Oct 2020)

Hi all, 





Ags11 said:


> What sort of leeches do you have?


The ones I've looked at have all been  _Helobdella sp._

cheers Darrel


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## X3NiTH (8 Oct 2020)

Took a vid today, not very good about the same as yours before it dived down the back and I didn’t have time to chase it down. I’ll try again when I have more time.

Here is a  screen shot of the clearest frame showing this one has banded markings.


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## Ags11 (11 Oct 2020)

I have had no casualties amongst the fish so far, so this may work out after all.



X3NiTH said:


> Here is a screen shot of the clearest frame showing this one has banded markings.



That looks very much like an asian freshwater leech - right shape and its sides in the mid section are darker than down the middle.


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## Rouvax (2 Nov 2020)

I got same worm for months, I do lose a fish in this period but I dont it is because of this worm. I am not sure about snails and shrimps.

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/what-is-this-creature-name-this-worm.61644/


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## Ags11 (10 Jan 2021)

I haven't seen the leech again, and I have also had no losses of fish or snails.


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## Courtneybst (30 Apr 2021)

Ags11 said:


> I haven't seen the leech again, and I have also had no losses of fish or snails.


I'm glad to hear this, I just spotted one in my tank tonight. I literally swore when I saw it 😅


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## Ags11 (27 May 2021)

All my snails and fish are still fine, I have had no (leech-based) problems...


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## Aqua360 (31 May 2021)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, I have Leeches in my tanks, it isn't  entirely by choice, but they are almost impossible to eradicate, and I like shrimps, snails, _Lumbriculus_ etc. so I'm not ever going to take the nuclear option.
> 
> cheers Darrel



How common are they? I don't think I've ever seen one in my tanks, I'd empty my tank if I thought I had any type of leech whatsoever 🤮


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## dw1305 (31 May 2021)

Hi all,


Aqua360 said:


> How common are they?


I really don't know, we have a few threads where people <"have had them">, and they probably came in with plants, shrimp or snails. I also guess most people might assume that they were Flatworms (Planaria).

I think I originally got mine with live food, and as I don't ever break the tanks down I've had them ever since.

If you ever do any <"freshwater invertebrate surveying"> you will definitely find Leeches, there are hundreds of species and they occur in every type of fresh water, still, running, clean, polluted, very polluted etc.

cheers Darrel


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