Cories and... leeches?

[Ltygress]

I have over 40 tanks in my house. Only four of them have cories in them though. One of them houses Hastatus, which aren't quite so much "sand surfers" when it comes to feeding, like my other cories are.

That tank also seems to have a leech problem. VERY tiny ones though. I'm not completely sure how they got in there, except maybe one hitched a ride on a net from my "native" tank. And with Hastatus not being good "sand surfers" they wouldn't be eating them much at all.

The real problem is that I also try to raise pink ramshorn snails in that tank. But they seem to die off in rather large numbers - with the leeches covering them. I ALSO house breeding plecos in that tank (it's a bottom-feeder-only kinda tank) and I'm expecting eggs any day now, but don't want leeches eating them either.

Do other cory species tend to eat leeches? I know cories are pretty good with eating "meaty" type foods, and these things are small enough to EASILY fit in their tiny mouths. They are small enough for the Hastatus to eat, if they'd just graze through the sand more. But if another type, such as aeneus, would eat them more readily, then I'll put some in there. Whatever keeps them off of the snails works for me.

(And yes I know salt kills them too, and I've added some - which the Hastatus seem to tolerate pretty well. But probably not enough to get rid of them as there are SO MANY, and they are all hiding down IN the sand.)

[bekateen]

If you buy live black worms (sometimes sold as tubifex worms), you'll almost certainly get leeches mixed in. I have them in all my tanks. Alas, corys don't eat them.

Cheers, Eric

[dw1305]

Hi all,

If you buy live black worms (sometimes sold as tubifex worms), you'll almost certainly get leeches mixed in. I have them in all my tanks. Alas, corys don't eat them.

Same for me.

They aren't blood-sucking Leeches they are ones that eat small invertebrates etc.

They are difficult to control with chemicals, so I use hand-picking to control them. If you have some smooth rounded pebbles, or bits of slate, you can prop them up so that there is a very narrow gap underneath.

Every couple of days (when the light is on) pick out the pebble/slate, and there should be a few leeches underneath (they are nocturnal). I just wash the pebble in warm water (it needs to be hot enough the leeches turn white, and wash off) and place the pebble back in the tank.

I've tried baiting at night with a prawn etc. and this is good for catching Planaria, but less effective for leeches.

cheers Darrel

[Ltygress]

Ah! That would be where they came from! I do indeed feed blackworms now and then. I actually JUST ordered another pound of them today for all of my fish.

What I really hate about them is that they get on my HAND every time I plant something, move gravel around, move sand, etc. I will pull my hand out and it's covered with them, all over the place

I just wish they weren't killing my snails so much!

[bekateen]

I just wish they weren't killing my snails so much!

Ha! You and I have opposite problems. I have pond snail infestations and I wish the leeches would eat my snails.

[Mol_PMB]

I wish I could order black worms by the pound! Only one shop anywhere near me has them, and then only about every 3 months. I treasure my accidental culture of them! They are the proverbial rocking horse poo here.

[Fundulopanchax76]

To have planarias is much worse that to have snails. Planarias are plague ! I suppose except everything all they produce some toxic chemicals which spoil fish !

[Ltygress]

At least planaria is easy to get rid of. Safeguard Dog Dewormer (Fenbendazole) two days in a row, and poof - they are gone!

Leeches on the other hand.... ugh!