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Killing leeches



Hi Folks,

I have been mostly lurking for a month or 2, trying to see what's new with the hobby. I was heavily involved with aquaria and plants
many years ago. I worked for William Tricker Inc my first summer out of high school and various whole-salers, retailers after that
for a few years.

I need to kill leeches in my tank. But I do not know what to use.

Background:


After many years of semi-transient living, I have dusted off my tanks, sold off all but 1 and set up that remaining 30x (24x12x24).
I repainted the stand, slapped on a new Eheim Pro, new canopy and light and Flourite. Reused my old Ebo heater, driftwood, Whisper
airpump and a few other odds and ends.

I started the tank with 3 Cory. arcuatus and a male Betta, and I just added the first plants.

Since I am working only a mile from the old Wm. Tricker place, (now called Waterford Gardens), I stopped in and picked up some
duckweed/azolla mix and a small tropical lilly. Unfortunately the new owners do not carry aquarium plants any more, except some
cabomba and anacharis and such, certainly no Apon. or Crypt. like old Schmidlin used to. They also do not stock any dwarf/pygmy
lilly's either. So this one is a bit large for the tank, but since I am planning a larger tank in a few months it will do ok there.

Well, I put the plants in and low and behold, there were some nasty critters in the floaters. Duh. Forgot all about that
possibility.

I did not mind the couple of snails, or the little shrimps, which I was expecting, they will make great snacks for the cichlids I
will add later.

I do mind the leeches, planaria and the grubs. I figure the grubs, (which look like a cross between meal worms and inch worms, but
do not look predatory), will hatch into something that I will have to swat. OK, I can live with that, just. I killed a bunch of them
anyway.

I want to kill the leeches and planaria. I saw 1 leech, which I manually killed, make a pass at the Betta, so it was a parasitic
one. I assume there are more.

What is available currently to use against leeches and such?

I searched the archives, found nothing on eliminating leeches, and did not find anything on the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals or Tetra
sites, or in 1 sort of LFS, (It was the local PETCO, a mostly worthless place).


Any ideas, books, or places to look?


Thanks,
Tom Wright
Your friendly local Libertarian


"It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself"

No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the laws ought to
restrain him.
 - Thomas Jefferson