I found this in my Cherry tank

[bimbi]

Hi Guys,
this is my first post here,
I hope you can help me.
What is this??

Its as big as my shrimp.

[JohnPaul]

Is it soft? Looks like maybe some kind of freshwater leech.

[Terran]

Looks similar to the type of leeches that I added to one of my shrimp tanks on purpose...
The ones I had appeared to have no interest in any of the snails (MTS and Ramshorn) or any of the shrimp (Cherry and Malawa)...they only seemed to feed on the live Tubifex worms that lived in the substrate of my tank...

This being said yours does look significantly different than mine...

Its significantly larger than the biggest of my leeches (biggest being about 1 cm when completely stretched out) and it is a different color...mine were gray (but perhaps your color is an artifact of the lighting used to take the picture)....

If they behave like mine did they wont bother your shrimp...

[Kunsthure]

What have you added to your tank recently? New plants? New critters? Have you used any live food? I've never seen anything like that and I hope I never do IRL. Where did you find it? On a plant, on the substrate? Does it move?

-Lisa

[Terran]

Does it move?

-Lisa

If its a leech like the type I had it moves like this:

...its 'hind' end is the wider end and it clings onto some surface, it will then stretch out and with its narrower 'end,' which I think is its mouth, and this mouth will attach onto a new surface. The hind end then releases from its anchor and attaches itself near where the mouth was clinging...then the mouth releases and looks for a new place to attach...this process is repeated and the motion is similiar to that of an inch worm moving (but under water)



Here is a completely different type of leech that is on land but essentially the way they move is the same...
youtube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdSQP3HxfA4

[bimbi]

OH YES THIS THING CAN MOVE.
I live in rural Australia, all my water is stored in a rain water tank,
so I think this thing is living in my drinking water
It could be a form of flat worm???
I had it in a pot of water with some snail,
the thing had attached its self to one of them
I am sure it was eating it.
I have worked out that the darker part at the back end is it's mouth

[Carlo]

That is one strange looking thing. I would have to say it looks most like a ribbon leach.

[bimbi]

Carlo, I have found out what it is.
It is a Snail Leach.
I wish I had found out sooner,
as I have got rid of the ones I could see:(

[Carlo]

There are more than one??? Do you know how you got them?

[bimbi]

I have found about 5 I think,
I have seen more.
I thought they might have been the Biggest Planaria ever.
I dosed them with No_Planaria,
All it did was make them grow faster
I found the Snail Leaches in my two RCS tanks and in my 4ft community tank
heres a link
http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/scribbl ... 14406.shtm