# Leech in the aquarium



## Thorald (Aug 8, 2009)

Hi,

I just found a leech in my tank. It was stuck almost entirely flat against the glass. I first thought it was some weird fungus or bacteria because it was in a place my snails couldn't reach. But after it moved I got suspicious 

I caught it and have it in jar. It looks like these:









Source









Source

I don't want to kill it and it can stay in my tank if it is a nice guy. Does anyone have experience with them? From what I read they are not dangerous to fish. Can they become any bigger? This one is maybe an inch when fully stretched.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Some Leeches like that make a living eating snails. Or, it could attach to a large fish. There are some leeches that specialize on turtles.


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## Franzi (Dec 7, 2009)

I used to have leeches in the tank. They're pretty disgusting, but oddly, I haven't seen any since adding assassin snails to the tank. I wonder if the assassins get 'em while burrowed in the substrate?


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## Franco (Jun 25, 2010)

Probably. Assassins probably eat a lot more than just snails in the wild but when you put them in a tank that doesn't have more than a few invertebrate species, they have to eat something.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

thats so kool! let it suck ur finger, is good for your health lol, and an experience you don't really go through very often... i found one in a pet store while working there and did that  take pics too, lol


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## Thorald (Aug 8, 2009)

Well I had it in a jar without a lid on and today the leech was gone. It was no where to be found. It probably crawled out and is now laying dried up somewhere.

If I still had it I wouldn't let it suck my finger.  I'm not squeamish, but that's taking it to far for me. Could you feel it when it bit you?


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## Thorald (Aug 8, 2009)

I found it, it was all dried up and shrunken. He only made it a couple of inches from the jar, but was underneath a box that was also on the table.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

Thorald said:


> Well I had it in a jar without a lid on and today the leech was gone. It was no where to be found. It probably crawled out and is now laying dried up somewhere.
> 
> If I still had it I wouldn't let it suck my finger.  I'm not squeamish, but that's taking it to far for me. Could you feel it when it bit you?


hahhaha! i don't remember if i felt it, sorry the thing died...


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## Thorald (Aug 8, 2009)

If it hurt you probably would have remembered it ;-)

It's a shame it died, but it's better to be safe than sorry.


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