Snail Leeches - HELP please!

[pomlady7]

I have two tanks set up, a 50 gallon community tank which seems to be doing well.  I have many nano fish in that one with 3 puffers as I had/have a bit of a pest snail problem.  Lots of plants, wood, etc.

I have another 20 gallon hospital tank that I originally had my puffers in but when I went to switch them over to my 50, I removed 4 Mystery Snails to protect them, into the 20 gallon.  I have since bought 6 cherry shrimp, although 2 died and I have one in a tiny quarantine tank doing salt water baths as 1 had green fungus. 

A few months back I noticed I had a white worm on the wall of my 20 gallon.  Read online and thought it was a detritus worm, so no worries.  The tank has a fluval stratrum substrate, wood and lots of plants in it.  

I just put in a new filter in Monday and switched bioballs and sponges that I had in the old one, as the old filter I felt was not doing well and might die at any time.

Fast forward to yesterday when I fed the shrimp and snails in the 20 gallon.  I put a few shrimp pellets in, along with a couple of algae wafers.

Looking at the tank about 15 mins. later I saw all these worms congregating onto the algae wafer along with some ramshorn snails!  I took a video of it which I will enclose.

I asked on a shrimp group what they thought these were and they said "snail leeches" and they will kill shrimp and mystery snails!  I don't have a lot of shrimp but this is my starter tank for them!

I spoke with the woman that I bought mystery snails from and she said to put the shrimp and mystery snails into a small bucket of water from my 50 gallon, an airstone and heater and keep them in there.   Then basically tear down my tank.  Groan!  I am not sure how long the shrimp and mysteries will last in a small bucket with no biofilm though?  I am in Canada and I can't find much at the store.  I know people mention some kind of Bacter Ea think it is called.  I can possibly tank out a large java moss that is in my other aquarium that might help with that?

I do have some PraziPro that I bought to make sure the Pea Puffers had no worms, but reading someone said they tried that and it didn't work.  I could do a double or triple dose in a tank with no shrimp and mystery snails if it did work?

I read on another site that someone used salt at 2ppm for a few weeks in their aquarium to get rid of the leeches, I think they did remove the snails and shrimp though.

So I am stumped what I should even do?  Can someone lead me in the right direction please?

 I just uploaded the video to a site for 24 hours, as I do not have pictures of the worms or leeches.

Thank you so much again for any help.

 

https://jumpshare.com/s/zuW9CBQiYztZr2qPkVXg

[johnnyxxl]

Lots of fish will eat the leeches not sure what else other than catch them with bait

[Biotope Biologist]

Yup those are leeches but they aren’t necessarily snail leeches. Many leech species are detritivores and from the looks of it here they are partaking in the algae wafer

 

they would make good pea puff food! But anyway I wouldn’t worry too much about them eating your snails unless you notice a sharp decline in your snail population.

[Odd Duck]

Just to be safe, I would try to remove the leaches since it’s very hard for most people to tell the difference between problem leaches and detrivore leaches.  You should be able to use your lab aria traps for the leaches.

Destroy them with either high concentration salt water (as much salt as you can dissolve into the water) or very hot water once they are removed from the tank.  This may seem obvious but I’ve had people misunderstand instructions before so I’m going to clarify- do NOT add that much salt to your tank!

I agree with @Biotope Biologist that these seem likely to be detrivore leaches but I wouldn’t rest easy unless I cleared them from the tank. I’m not sure salt in the water is going to clear them without killing your plants, too.  Most plants can tolerate 1 tablespoon aquarium salt per 5 gallons but I doubt that concentration would have any effect on the leaches.

I would get a Planaria trap and bait it with whatever type food they go after the fastest.  Clean the trap every day or they can die inside and foul the tank water. 

[pomlady7]

On 5/1/2024 at 7:03 AM, Biotope Biologist said:

Yup those are leeches but they aren’t necessarily snail leeches. Many leech species are detritivores and from the looks of it here they are partaking in the algae wafer

 

they would make good pea puff food! But anyway I wouldn’t worry too much about them eating your snails unless you notice a sharp decline in your snail population.

Hi thanks for your reply.  Just wondering because yes they come out when I put in algae wafers and rarely see one if I am not, then snail leeches do not eat wafers or run for what is thrown in?  Is this right?  They mainly want snails and possibly shrimp?

I was going to tear my whole tank down this morning but now having second thoughts.  The 4 shrimp in there are doing well it looks like and the 4 large Mystery Snails are motoring around too.  I do have 3 Pea Puffers in my 50 gallon that I transferred from the 20 gallon because I had pest snails in both but more in the 50 gallon one.  I took the Mystery Snails out of the 50 as some people said that the Peas would attack them.

I am actually thinking weeks back when I cleaned out the bottom of the 20 gallon and the peas were still in there, that on the side of the bucket I transfer water to throw away, there was one of these worms/leeches and I thought "free worm and dangled the leech now I know what it is,  into the tank but the Peas never bothered with it and it got away from my tweezers into the substrate!  If I had only known back then!

Thanks for your reply.  

Yes want to get them out of there.  I was going to look for a diy Planaria trap to try and make instead of waiting for one on Amazon.  I could possibly when feeding the algae wafer and once they and the ramshorn snails are on the wafer, quickly scoop them all up and get some out of there.  Unless they are too fast!

 

[pomlady7]

Hi was looking for "lab aria traps" but I am not sure what those are?  A google search isn't helping me much either.

Thanks for any information regarding them.

[Katherine]

On 5/1/2024 at 11:30 AM, pomlady7 said:

Hi was looking for "lab aria traps" but I am not sure what those are?  A google search isn't helping me much either.

Thanks for any information regarding them.

I'm guessing that was a typo/auto correct of planaria.

[pomlady7]

I just put in a diy trap by Mark's Shrimps using frozen baby brine shimp (maybe I should have put in algae wafer as they sure like that yesterday!).  It looked great and the Ramshorn are all over it but the leeches can't seem to find the opening. 

So going to make another one with an upside down bottle with small holes in the lid  and a prawn inside and will see. 

I also took a couple of more videos because as soon as I did put the diy trap in, there was a few leeches that did come out.

Maybe this will give you all a better idea of what they look like and move?

It sure would be great if they at least are not something that are going to kill my shrimp and snails.  To be truthful so far it doesn't look like they are bothering with them at all, which is a good thing.  Horrible and creepy but if they aren't killers, then that would be so wonderful!

Thanks again for all your help. 

https://jmp.sh/10t1lDae

https://jmp.sh/hp71fA0Q