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Leeches

From: jarvis at inetco_net (Paul)

Hello to all and happy holidays,

I have been reading the mail about Hirudina (leeches). I used to buy large
quantities of blackworms at least 5 pounds at a whack. I often found one
inch or less sized leaches. I picked out the little buggers and dropped
them in a cup of salt to kill'em! There is something revolting about the
little bloodsuckers that I just can not stomach (no I don't eat them!). If
you take a moment to look at them you can easily distinguish them from
planaria, watch to see if they undulate when they swim and if they attach
one end to a surface and inch along like an inch worm, if they do I'll bet
you a cold rootbeer it's a leeeeech!

I have worked with planaria a lot and once you see the diff. you can't
miss'em.

If you do not mind using copper in your tanks you can get rid of
infestations using Cu copper, they used to make a product called "Had a
Snail" it works if you can find it. Beware copper is very hard on plants!

In my experience leeches are common preditors among tubificid worms
(including blackworms).

I used to grow my own blackworms (accidently) I had a 55 gallon tank with 2
BIG oscars, I fed them trout feed (cheep). They were very messy eaters and
dropped a lot of feed in the tank which sank to the bottom and got lost in
the gravel. I used one of those old 600gph Supreme SuperKing power filters
and changed half of the water each week (vaccuming the gravel as well). I
had fed a few blackworms to the oscars and they must have escaped. But each
time I vaccummed the gravel I pulled dozens of blackworms out of the
gravel. They must have liked the trout feed and oscar doo. I do not
recommend you all running out and buying oscars but a spare tank with
gravel and well filtered water and a small hand of trout feed and who
knows!

Well thats my $5 worth, sorry for the long volume.

Paul