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What are these?

Quick update, been setting the trap only over night last couple of days and catching 6-7 on the 60cm, I moved one of the traps to the 30cm cube but that has not caught any so far, so hopefully I got them all in the Cube!

Wookii said:
It may also mean though that your trapping regime might require a long term approach to get them all, especially those that have eaten recently and don't need to feed for a few months.
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Once I run out of the brine shrimp babies food, I will move to normal food and see.

Did not expect to have as many in there as I have taken out to be honest, leech population had been thriving in there, most have been quite large leeches, few baby ones, but mostly quite large ones!
 
Hi all,
LondonDragon said:
For your viewing pleasure:
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I have to say that yours are bigger than mine. So the question would be are they the same species? or have yours just enjoyed the good life?
Conort2 said:
Bloody hell you’re spoiling them before you dispatch them!
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I wonder if that was why the trap worked so well? I'm going to have another go and see what I get.

cheers Darrel
 
dw1305 said:
I wonder if that was why the trap worked so well? I'm going to have another go and see what I get.
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They seem to love that stuff, at first when I set the traps within less than an hour leeches were getting into the trap! over night the trap in the 60cm caught around 10! I do think that some do figure out the way to get out again! because they are not like planaria that just swim on surfaces, they raise one end and explore the surroundings while anchored with the other end.
 
From what I read could be 3 types of leeches in the tank:
  • Glossiphoniidae or snail leeches: They can be recognized by their drop-shaped appearance. In color, snail leeches tend to be light to beige, with some species having a dark pattern. Snail leeches suck out snails and usually leave behind only the empty snail shells. Worms are also eaten. Snail leeches, on the other hand, do not eat shrimp or other crustaceans.
  • Barbronia sp. or Asian leech: This leech is elongated and reddish in color. Asian leeches predominantly eat rather soft prey such as worms. Rarely, snails may also be eaten. Shrimp, crabs and shrimp have nothing to fear.
  • Erpobdella sp. or dog leech: This native leech is rather rare in the aquarium. Its mottled skin is striking. The dog leech also tends not to eat larger shrimp or crabs, but will eat worms.
What I have is one of the last two as they look very similar! Got a feeling might be the last one which seems to be the nastiest!
 
Hi all,
LondonDragon said:
  • Erpobdella sp. or dog leech: This native leech is rather rare in the aquarium. Its mottled skin is striking. The dog leech also tends not to eat larger shrimp or crabs, but will eat worms.
What I have is one of the last two as they look very similar!
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You need to <"count their eyes">.
........ Uniform reddish-brown colour (lacking the black & yellow pigment flecks of E. octoculata). Uniform segmentation. Four clear anterior eyes with a second arc of eyes slightly posterior to the first arc and in two pairs laterally.
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o_19i9jalor12c0dkvnkkakv1p2ma.jpg
LondonDragon said:
Glossiphoniidae or snail leeches: They can be recognized by their drop-shaped appearance. In color, snail leeches tend to be light to beige, with some species having a dark pattern.
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These have six eyes <"Glossiphonia heteroclita | NatureSpot">

med-o_1eaaqcpae1a2n71u15qu16b81u13d.jpg
LondonDragon said:
Barbronia sp. or Asian leech: This leech is elongated and reddish in color.
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Also six eyes, but in a slightly different arrangement (from: "First record of the Asian leech Barbronia weberi (Blanchard, 1897) (Hirudinea: Arhynchobdellida: Erpobdelliformes: Salifidae) in the Iberian Peninsula" <"https://www.researchgate.net/public...elliformes_Salifidae_in_the_Iberian_Peninsula">)

Dorsal-view-of-the-apical-end-of-Barbronia-weber-i-three-pairs-of-eyes-and-pharyngeal.png

I should have done Helobdella europaea / stagnalis as well. <"Leeches - Aquascaping Wiki">
This leech, belonging to the Rhynchobdellida has spread all over the world. It has also settled in European waters, insofar an introduction into the aquarium by live food from ponds is possible. Originally, this leech was probably brought to Europe with imported aquatic plants. This species is capable of surviving in an aquarium. These leeches are rather small with a length of one to two centimeters and have only one pair of eyes.
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15490125.jpg


cheers Darrel
 
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dw1305 said:
ou need to <"count their eyes">.
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Not that easy to do unless under a microscope which I don't have. Might take out the 90mm macro lens I have to see if I can get any closer shots!

All I can be sure about is that it's not a snail leech as those are very pale and these are very dark! I am not sure about the mottled skin, they seem just brown!
 
Hi all,
LondonDragon said:
Might take out the 90mm macro lens I have to see if I can get any closer shots!
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Should do.

If you can't get them to stay in focus? You could try freezing a couple (in water, ice cube etc) and, when they thaw out, they should still be coloured enough for you to see the eyes. Boiling water (or alcohol) will give you a quick kill, but you may not be able to see their eyes.

cheers Darrel
 
dw1305 said:
You could try freezing a couple (in water, ice cube etc) and, when they thaw out, they should still be coloured enough for you to see the eyes. Boiling water (or alcohol) will give you a quick kill, but you may not be able to see their eyes.
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The less I touch these the better for me LOL it's bad enough I been taking them out by the tens each time! lol
Still intrigued where they might have come from as I have not purchased plants that often, last bulk purchase was the large tank 3 years ago, I did move some plants from the large tank into these two, I have not seen evidence of leeches in the A900 though, but the barbs might eat them I guess, I have moved plants from the large tank into the 60cm and the Cube! Unless they came attached to the fish?
 
Hi all,
LondonDragon said:
I have not seen evidence of leeches in the A900 though, but the barbs might eat them I guess,
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Some fish are meant to eat them, but I've never had any of my fish try eat them (or Planaria). I don't know where they come from but they've managed to get into our water butts etc.

I know from doing invertebrate samples of ponds and streams that you always get some leeches in your kick samples.

Because they are a low scoring item of the <"WHPT Biotic index">* we don't usually try and identify them, or if we do just to family. The only exception to this would be if they were really abundant, in which case they would reduce the WHPT score.
LondonDragon said:
last bulk purchase was the large tank 3 years ago, I did move some plants from the large tank into these two, I have not seen evidence of leeches in the A900 though, ...... I have moved plants from the large tank into the 60cm and the Cube! Unless they came attached to the fish?
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I'm pretty sure they didn't come with the fish, plants are more likely.

* <"http://wfduk.org/sites/default/files/River Invertebrates WHPT UKTAG Method Statement - updated May 2021.pdf">

cheers Darrel
 
dw1305 said:
Looks like Barbronia weberi.
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Yeah does look like the Asian leech to me. Which they claim doesnt attack shrimp or snails! Wonder if that is really the case! Maybe adults not, wonder about baby ones! I cannot see any baby shrimp in either of these two tanks!
 
Looks like they might kill shrimp after all!



Looks like I have my weekend cut out it seems! going to tear down the Cube first as I pulled another 3 from that today!

Going to move all the shrimp and snails that I can catch out, remove the plants into a bucket and salt them (how long is it safe to dip the plants for?), then going to drop hot water into the sand and cook these f'ers! then put everything back into the tank, let the tank run for 2-3 days then add the shrimp and snails back to the tank!

Not sure about the 60cm! but a similar approach might be needed!
 
The more this thread moves on the more I'm impressed with your resistance to just burning everything down.

Is there any chance that eggs, larvae or young (or however they reproduce) would survive a salt dip?
 
Miniandy said:
The more this thread moves on the more I'm impressed with your resistance to just burning everything down.
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I have now considered reducing my tank number from 5 to 3 and just get rid of these tanks all together! I am trying to avoid that so I am going to crack on with it lol

I did remove 3 more from the Cube yesterday and another 10 from the 60cm tank! So I am now up to 3 digits in the number taken out of both tanks 😱 considering I never actually saw any in the 60cm until I went looking for them this is scary!

Miniandy said:
Is there any chance that eggs, larvae or young (or however they reproduce) would survive a salt dip?
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It seems they might carry the eggs and the young for a while, so fingers crossed!

Not sure how long, couple of minutes maybe. Either way, I hope it works.
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Yeah was thinking a couple of minutes! then rinse them properly! Will do the Cube and see if that works! hopefully will not kill the shrimp with these changes!
 
LondonDragon said:
This was quite a large fat one, fully extended about 4cm!
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There wasnt any "Oh hell no" reaction available on the post so I went with Angry which I guess is the second closest :sour:

I think I heard that tech guy Elongated Muskrat was selling actual working flamethrowers to people a while back... you reckon they have any of them in stock still? 🤔
 
Hufsa said:
I think I heard that tech guy Elongated Muskrat was selling actual working flamethrowers to people a while back... you reckon they have any of them in stock still? 🤔
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I will take two please! I need a backup LOL
At first I was like OH NO! now I am like it's just leeches lol
 
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