# How to get rid of leeches



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Bleach dip perhaps. Panacur is used to kill planaria, maybe it will kill leeches too.


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## Davelybob (Aug 23, 2012)

That SUCKS.


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

Oh I am so sorry to hear of this!

Hope you can get rid of them safely!


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

Clout apparently kills leeches

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4724


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

But it might kill shrimp and snails " Not for use with invertebrates."


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## cantsay39 (Jun 10, 2011)

leeches try salt, but dunno if its gonna kill ur plants

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2


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## sbarbee54 (Jan 12, 2012)

bleech drip it, that shoud kill them and it should not hurt the plants... Where did you get the leaches


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## Ajax_xajA (Aug 3, 2011)

Yeah seriously, how'd you end up with leeches? This is the first time I've ever heard of leeches in someone's aquarium.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

You sure they're leeches?

-Sent from my Samsung Note, a "Phablet"


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Kinda sounds like planaria but do they get engorged with blood? Would there be a bunch of them stuck to a shrimp? OP is in India, so perhaps it's something not uncommon over there? It is kinda weird to find leeches in a fish tank though.


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## ShadowBeast (Jul 27, 2011)

Can you post a pic of the leeches because I've never heard of leeches in a aquarium before.


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## DrdhEep (Sep 10, 2012)

*Pictures and video of the leeches*

Thanks for your responses. 
I am from India. I believe they must have snuck up from plants which I got from a poorly reputed LFS. Other fish forums say that only tearing everything down and basically starting from scratch is the only solution. They seem to be alive without feeding for almost a year. Table salt in high concentration kills them quickly. But when I added salt to the tank, they hid in the gravel. I tested with hydrogen peroxide which doesnt harm them. My next option in potassium permanganate dip for plants. Clout and other branded stuff are not available in India. Amazon.com doesn't ship to India!
Posting pictures and videos of them.
The critters are 1 cm in length when fully extended. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7975820407
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7975820878
http://youtu.be/KrXE33NE_4c


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

ok ya... definitely not planaria.... eck~!!! 

good luck!


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

I'd try bleach dips with the plants and new substrate.


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## stevenjohn21 (May 23, 2012)

You could give the plants a salt bath, just make sure not to soak the roots in it for too long, a few minutes wont hurt. Failing that you could try Hydrogen Peroxide.
I had them in one of my tanks after introducing Natives to a new tank. It was a nightmare getting rid of them....had to clean everything and start over !


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I feel like you'll have to break down your tank fully. Those look pretty bad.


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## DrdhEep (Sep 10, 2012)

Update : Based on suggestions from you guys and http://www.ehow.com/how_8503475_kill-leeches-tank.html, I dipped one set of plants in salt water and another set in hydrogen peroxide. Both seem to be potent stuff making the leeches writhe and die. Got a couple of Dwarf Puffers too. One DP bit off part of a leech. But he didnt like it and wandered off. The leech survived! Thinking of bleaching the substrate and filter tomorrow.


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## aznrice247 (Feb 1, 2012)

I was gonna suggest pouring in concentrated salt water enough to fill 2 inches of your tank after you take out your fishes and plants, and then drain it. Then wait for like 15 minutes. Then drain out all the water and do a full rinse with clean fresh water. Yeah leeches are nasty buggers. I hope you can get rid of them.


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## Anapplesnail (Aug 5, 2012)

I got leeches that KO'd my tank several years ago. Everything in a 20 gallon died; even the snails. I bleached everything to death. Beware plants from certain pet stores!


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## Qwedfg (Mar 7, 2012)

Woah that is crazyyyy. I think I would push my fishtank out the window if I had those crazy things. How do you do maintenance?? I wouldnt be putting my hand in there!


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## DrdhEep (Sep 10, 2012)

I bleached, then boiled the substrate. My shrimp and snails are fine. I even have my first berried shrimp. I visited the LFS in question and inspected his java ferns. Indeed they were leech infested. All plants except java moss and java fern have died after salt treatment. Am glad to have salvaged atleast something.


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

DrdhEep said:


> I bleached, then boiled the substrate. My shrimp and snails are fine. I even have my first berried shrimp. I visited the LFS in question and inspected his java ferns. Indeed they were leech infested. All plants except java moss and java fern have died after salt treatment. Am glad to have salvaged atleast something.


I am glad that your shrimp and snails survived.

Were you able to point out the leeches to this person and explain the horrible impact on your tank? Maybe get your money back at least for the plants?

Congrats on your berried shrimp!


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## DrdhEep (Sep 10, 2012)

*Refund?*



SpecGrrl said:


> Were you able to point out the leeches to this person and explain the horrible impact on your tank? Maybe get your money back at least for the plants?
> !


The LFS was not aware of his leech problem and he didn't understand the seriousness. He tossed the leech infested Java fern i showed into his goldfish tank. As for getting a refund, that will be out of question in my country.


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