What are these?

[LondonDragon]

Hi everyone, just wondering what these are? How to kill them and are they dangerous to shrimp/snails?



I have taken 6 out from my 30cm cube, a dose of panacur doesn't kill them, and they are not planaria for sure.

Cheers
Paulo

 

[jaisol]

I'd guess Leech, moves like one, they tend to pull themselves along from one end to the other end. Their method of movement is the biggest clue.
Some are hazardous to fish / shrimp others not so.
I maybe wrong so wait until someone smarter chimes in.

 

[LondonDragon]

Many thanks, quick google for leeches, they might be barbronia weberi some claim they can attack baby shrimp! :/

 

[hypnogogia]

Question is where did they come from?

 

[jaisol]

I'd remove any that are easy to get at, and I'm sure a more knowledgeable person will give you better guidance, I've only ever seen bigger ones in the canal & ponds. Darrel might be the man to ask.

 

[LondonDragon]

No idea, I have seen the odd one in the tank about a year ago and took some out dosed panacur and ignore it, Saturday was doing a major overhall to the tank and noticed a few of them.
I have now removed around 15 🙁

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Darrel might be the man to ask.

Definitely Leeches. They are Annelids ("subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida") so Panacur etc. won't work. I have <"snail leeches in all my tanks">, I don't know where they came from originally, but they are really common in freshwater.

cheers Darrel

 

[Hufsa]

Leech 😰
I have read that there is nothing that will treat them.
Absolute nightmare of mine

 

[LondonDragon]

Many thanks Darrel, are they dangerous to livestock? I see on the link they might attack snails? what about shrimp?
I have a closer look in all my 5 tanks and found them also in the 60cm shrimp and snail tank :/ much larger ones than in the 30cm cube!

Is the only option to get rid of them to tear the tank down? and bin everything other than the livestock?

 

[Tyko_N]

This article describes Barbronia weberi as "typical freshwater predators that feed on invertebrates (e.g. oligochaeta, insect larvae and small molluscs), swallowing the entire prey organism". If given the chance it would probably eat tiny shrimp, but I expect it to prefer softer and less nimble prey; like snails and worms. Depending on size it might even go after planaria.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

If given the chance it would probably eat tiny shrimp, but I expect it to prefer softer and less nimble prey; like snails and worms.

Many thanks Darrel, are they dangerous to livestock?

Not as far as I know. I've learned to live with them, partially because they are really difficult to eradicate.

cheers Darrel

 

[Tim Harrison]

Bugger. I hate leeches even more than pest snails. I think it'd trigger me enough to strip the tank down and bin everything. Although apparently salt dip is quite effective in removing leeches and their eggs from plants. Regarding how they get in to an aquarium in the first place, I once found them in some hairgrass I was dividing up ready for planting 🤢

 

[LondonDragon]

Hi all,
Not as far as I know. I've learned to live with them, partially because they are really difficult to eradicate.
cheers Darrel

Yeah guess I will have to learn to live with them for the time being, although took me a couple of hours to get to sleep last night as I was itching all over LOL

I hate leeches even more than pest snails. I think it'd trigger me enough to strip the tank down and bin everything.

I love all kinds of snails, I just hate this little cannibals! Eventually might have to strip the tanks down and re-start again! hopefully they have not spread to the other 3 tanks!
could always change the substrate and salt dip the plants! there goes my 10 year old tank!

 

[Tim Harrison]

could always change the substrate and salt dip the plants! there goes my 10 year old tank!

That could work. Give it a go in one of the tanks, and observe.

How To Get Rid Of Leeches In Aquarium? - WAF

Leeches are parasitic blood suckers that derive food from sucking blood of fellow living beings, including fish. They can be found at any place, given that

worldanimalfoundation.org

 

[LondonDragon]

Many thanks for the link Tim, just ordered a pack of these traps:

Amazon product ASIN B09TKS99JB

 

[Tim Harrison]

They look the business. Hopefully they will solve the problem.

 

[Tyko_N]

although took me a couple of hours to get to sleep last night as I was itching all over LOL

If it's any consolation, indoor humidity will quickly kill of any leeches out of water. When I visited Borneo I was initially a bit worried about the terrestrial leeches there, but even in the rain forest they could only come out when they humidity was extra high. They didn't spread diseases either, and I think that at least Haemadipsa picta could make for an intersting terrarium subject; pretty colours and they are almost cute when they sit and wave at any passers-by. In all honesty, health wise, people should be way more worried about ticks and mosquitoes than leeches (not to mention all the infections you can get for a cat).

 

[LondonDragon]

They look the business. Hopefully they will solve the problem.

Saw them here:



Fingers crossed! I will go hunting tomorrow 😉

If it's any consolation, indoor humidity will quickly kill of any leeches out of water. When I visited Borneo I was initially a bit worried about the terrestrial leeches there, but even in the rain forest they could only come out when they humidity was extra high. They didn't spread diseases either, and I think that at least Haemadipsa picta could make for an intersting terrarium subject; pretty colours and they are almost cute when they sit and wave at any passers-by. In all honesty, health wise, people should be way more worried about ticks and mosquitoes than leeches (not to mention all the infections you can get for a cat).

I am not worried about them catching a ride on me, was just the thought of the bloody things! lol

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Yeah guess I will have to learn to live with them for the time being, although took me a couple of hours to get to sleep last night as I was itching all over LOL

In all honesty, health wise, people should be way more worried about ticks and mosquitoes than leeches (not to mention all the infections you can get for a cat).

I'd guess that the "yeurrgh" factor is actually worse than the Leeches, and I'm sure that all the chemical methods in <"How To Get Rid Of Leeches In Aquarium? - WAF"> are definitely more damaging than the Leeches.

......You get snail feeding species and some that eat detritus worms, fish eggs etc. The <"common UK fish leeches"> have large rounded head suckers, I've seen <"Piscicola on Sticklebacks"> from ponds etc., but I've never seen that type of leech in the aquarium.

I've seen <"plenty of fish leeches"> during field work etc. but I've never seen one on the aquarium, or in anybodies pictures of leeches from aquariums,

Many thanks for the link Tim, just ordered a pack of these traps:

A Planaria trap might work, but I'm found them less effective for leeches than Planaria.

The easiest way to find out if it has any "friends" is to put a flat piece of stone on the substrate and take the stone out every morning. Any leeches will have congregated on the stone underside. You can just wash them off under the hot tap.

A "flat" stone definitely works to collect them, you want a flat, but slightly rounded pebble where the leeches will congregate at the junction between pebble and substrate during the day. You can see mine at the bottom right of the image, two granite pebbles. I have them in all the tank, most are "flatter" than that.



cheers Darrel

 

[LondonDragon]

A "flat" stone definitely works to collect them, you want a flat

I read that suggestion you made before, already have a couple in each tank 😉 I will not bother with chemical methods as most will destroy the shrimp/snails also. Would rather tear it down and start again.