Leech?

[Aubrey]

I'm embarrassed, disgusted, and concerned that I found what I believe to be at least one leech in one of my tanks. I noticed one about a week ago and could not catch it. They seem to stay in the substrate. Well, I caught one tonight. From the little research I've done it could be harmless to fish. Just wondering if anyone has encountered leeches in their tanks before and what they did about it?

[Carolina Guy]

Many years ago when I was a kid, I found one in my tank. I saw it swimming in the water, undulating like a snake, which freaked me out because it was so unexpected. It had come in on some plants I had just bought, and I was able to catch it and get rid of it fairly easily.

It was really no big deal. My understanding is that they are seldom a threat to our fish. And there's absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. Things live in water. You may only have had the one, but just keep an eye out for a while for any more that might show up.

[Aubrey]

From what I've been reading, it seems that it might be a snail leech. This has been some of the hardest research to do because most of the leeches look very similar and my skin has been crawling the entire time. The tank that I found it in has three Bristlenose Plecos and about 12 Daisy's Ricefish and probably hundreds of Malaysian Trumpet Snails. If there are more leeches in there, I guess I'm fine with them as long as they don't hurt fish and could put a dent in the snails. I imagine I would have seen the leeches on the Bristlenose, due to their habit of hanging out in one place and near the substrate. It also seems like dewormer would get rid of them if I had to.