• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Help identifying worm

Andrew Butler

Member
Joined
1 Feb 2016
Messages
1,740
Location
Banbury, Oxfordshire
I'm not quite sure what this is in my aquarium so hopefully someone will be able to help despite the awful pictures.
They're around 30mm long; white but with a redish tinge to them and a bit of an upper body.
The video might give someone a better idea also which is the google link below.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/u3MYVDhVCHmeUoH3A

Any help appreciated
Andrew

worm.jpg
worm1.jpg
worm2.jpg
worm3.jpg
 
Hi all,
I've never seen anything quite the same, but the serpentine swimming is what leeches do, so I assume that it is a leech of some kind.

It looks almost elver like on the video, but the first photo seems to show it flattened dorso-ventrally, which is more worm like.

cheers Darrel
 
Last edited:
thanks @dw1305.
Assuming they are leech what would you recommend? There are only dwarf ottos in the aquarium aside from the shrimp.
I did suck a few out but there are still more, how do you come to get them in the aquarium?

Andrew
 
flattening might be a photo effect ( long exposure)
I assume you mean in the photos I took; they just move so bloody fast and that's why I tried to film them instead.
In real life they do seem to have a slightly enlarged upper than the 'tail' if that's the way to describe it?!
 
Hi all,
what a typical leeches mouth looks like; with the enlarged mouth.
Most of the leeches you get in aquariums aren't fish feeding, they mainly eat invertebrates and I think particularly snails.

This means they don't have an obvious sucker type mouth, but a narrow head for poking into snail shells etc.
I did suck a few out but there are still more
If you have them in a container and they move along the sides via looping? They are definitely leeches.

I usually have some in the tanks, they don't bother the fish, but will eat fish eggs etc. They aren't as strongly attracted to meat etc in the way Planaria are, so baiting at night is less successful.

I use a bit of flat rock or a rounded pebble, and just take it out every couple of days (during lights on) and then wash them off under the hot tap. They will congregate uder the flat rock, and at the junction of rock and substrate on pebbles etc.

cheers Darrel
 
Update then @Edvet and @dw1305 ............
I managed to net a few out earlier; not so sure they were as big as one I saw yesterday.
I got them in a plastic container and only the eye can see things over my camera skills combined with using my phone!
They seem to have a red hue to them I didn't notice so much before.
I tried to take a video but it's not great, I don't think they are looping along the wall of the container.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JqEMDdYbgDp2Qdm18
 
Back
Top