Asian Leech + leech phobia

[EmmaK]

Hi all! I recently found a 2-3 inch asian leech in my 20g tank. I moved all of my shrimp into a different tank as soon as I saw it. Remaining inhabitants of the tank are 6 (tho I can only find 4) otos, 10 pygmy corys, and 3 honey gourami. They all seem very healthy/happy, with the gouramis breeding.

I've done a LOT of googling and it sounds like asian leeches don't hurt fish? Wondering if anyone has experience to validate/invalidate this? 

If I keep the tank set up, do I need to have tools that I just use on that tank?

AND, if I get too repulsed (I have a leech phobia) and tear down the tank, will there be eggs on the tank surface or do they just lay in substrate/roots? I would rather save for a new tank than risk bleach not fully annihilating any potential eggs.

I am sooooo appreciative of any advice/help y'all can provide!!

[Wrencher_Scott]

On 2/21/2022 at 1:35 PM, EmmaK said:

Hi all! I recently found a 2-3 inch asian leech in my 20g tank. I moved all of my shrimp into a different tank as soon as I saw it. Remaining inhabitants of the tank are 6 (tho I can only find 4) otos, 10 pygmy corys, and 3 honey gourami. They all seem very healthy/happy, with the gouramis breeding.

I've done a LOT of googling and it sounds like asian leeches don't hurt fish? Wondering if anyone has experience to validate/invalidate this? 

If I keep the tank set up, do I need to have tools that I just use on that tank?

AND, if I get too repulsed (I have a leech phobia) and tear down the tank, will there be eggs on the tank surface or do they just lay in substrate/roots? I would rather save for a new tank than risk bleach not fully annihilating any potential eggs.

I am sooooo appreciative of any advice/help y'all can provide!!

Are you sure it's an Asian Leech? There are medications to kill some of them.

Good idea to move the shrimp!!

I would read this if I were you:

https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/10-13-4-aquarium-leeches/

[Biotope Biologist]

Not all leeches are parasitic and leeches need another to breed, even if they are hermaphroditic.

 

Since you have a phobia could you get someone else to take a pic and upload it? I understand if not but one of us could help I.D if it’s a potential threat or if it’s just in there chomping on some mulm and microfauna.

[EmmaK]

@Biotope Biologist I just took a video. These are screenshots because I can’t figure out how to upload the video. Pardon my melting hair grass!

Very appreciative of the suggestion! I can handle looking at it so long as I tell myself it’s like an earthworm or underground kuhli loach. 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by EmmaK

[Wrencher_Scott]

On 2/22/2022 at 1:16 PM, EmmaK said:

@Biotope Biologist I just took a video. These are screenshots because I can’t figure out how to upload the video. Pardon my melting hair grass!

Very appreciative of the suggestion! I can handle looking at it so long as I tell myself it’s like an earthworm or underground kuhli loach. 

 

That certainly looks somewhat like a Black Kuhli !  lol

 

 

[KittenFishMom]

I have been dealing with leeches that I am pretty sure are from the plants from the lake. When I found some on the native fish in a tank this fall, at first they looked like thin white thread attached to the fins, rather close to the body of the fish. As they ate, they got darker. I netted the fish and remove the leeches by pulling/scraping them off the fin. It is very had to see which side of the fin the leech is on, and the fish don't want to co-operate. If you don't like leeches, get someone who can stay calm to do this for you. If the fish are panicking, they don't need the person working on them to be panicking too. Once the leeches were removed, the fins healed very quickly and you could not tell there had been a problem.

If you remember "The African Queen", salt applied to a leach with kill it rather instantly. I have always use table salt on any leech I found of me or removed from a fish or tank. It works very fast and very well.

You can buy leech traps on Amazon. I think it was on YouTube where I saw someone recommend the glass tubes with 3 tiny pipes leading into the tube. I don't think a trap can catch will catch every leech, but it will help give you monitor if the population is increasing or decreasing.

My female flagfish liked eating the leeches that it found on the glass of the tanks. My betta suddenly started picking on the flagfish, so I moved the flagfish to a different tank and am starting to see leeches in original tank again.  I will be moving the betta to a new tank as soon as I get one cycled. 

I plan on cleaning the tank with peroxide. Then probably a saturated salt solution just to feel sure. Then wait a few days and rise all the salt out several times and let it dry for a week or more before rebuilding the tank.