Leeches?????

I cleaned out the filter to my pond the other day and the box that contains the filter mediums had what looked like small leeches, only about half inch long, stuck to the bottom and sides of the box.

I just wonder if thats what they were and if they are considered a pest.

 

Yes John just wondering if they are actually leeches, should have took a pic but didn't both at the time.

And also the fish seem fine so I'm not really bothered too much , more curious about them and what they live on.

 

See if this helps Pete -
http://www.bumblebee.org/invertebrates/ANNELIDAb.htm

Last ones I saw was a couple of years ago in a small lochan in the Cairngorms and they were all pretty small, but I can remember that when I was I boy living in Surrey we'd find quite big fat ones when out hunting for tadpoles and sticklebacks in the local ponds.

 

Thanks Dave, I appreciate the info.

Next time I'll take some pics as I'm still not sure.

 

Hi Pete,I have found a couple of photos taken of a leech this August in our village pond when we rescued over two hundred Goldfish {another chap took over one hundred away}that some kind person dumped in our village pond a few years ago.Not sure where the leeches come from or whether they were feeding on the fish{they must eat sometimes although once fed they can go a long time between meals I believe}

Anyway,please feel free to compare my photos with what you have found in your filter and good luck with what you decide to do about them

 

Thank you Kandy.

I got a feeling mine were much smaller, although the shape is very similar, I'm just going by the leaf in the top pic.

I dont suppose I'll be doing much more regarding the filter this year now, so it will be next year before I see them again.
It could be that they are a very small species, I think, but cant see why if they were leeches they would congregate in the filter, as I assume they would need blood to live on.

 

Hi Pete,the two photos are of the same leech and the top one shows the actual size of the leech and the second photo is when it started to travel along the mud:euw:Some of them were quiet long in length and Mr Kandy accidently scooped one up in the net along with the goldfish and we had a hard job dispatching it at home as we didn't fancy keeping it as a pet.We think that once the pond had dried up,the leeches had buried themselves down in the mud until the pond started to fill up again once we had the rain.I can only assume the leeches arrived with the fish as there definetly wasn't any in the pond when we moved here nine years ago and we are surrounded by agricultural fields so just can't think how they got in the pond.

Perhaps the ones you saw were babies and need a fill of blood to help them grow.I don't like them myself but I believe they are used in some hospitals where they are put to good use and you probably already know they were used quiet a lot through the centuries{I think that is where the term blood letting comes from}

 

Yes just part of nature Kandy, but my small garden pond is not really natural although I try to make it as natural as possible it never going to be as its too small.

Was just wondering if things could get out of balance and maybe the leeches might be living on the frogs, the fish look far too well to be having problems, the frogs on the otherhand seem to die quite a lot.

 

Pete,I had a look at that link that Dave put up and some of them do eat fish but as I don't know which ones you have then not sure if you would have a problem.I assume the ones at our duck pond are Pond leeches but don't know whether they have been living off of the blood of the Goldfish.There were a few dead bodies in the mud but I think they were just the result of the water vanishing due to the drout conditions....

 

Are they like these?

 

No not like that at all Gaz, more roundish at one end with a short tail.

 

OK Pete.

I keep Koi and my filters are full of these worms(above photo). Any idea what they are?

The koi love to eat them so dont seem bothered by them.

 

Pete,I have Leeches in my pond now,ever since we were flooded in 2007. Small versions of the pic's Kandy posted.
After a session of cleaning out muck from the pond base I had one on my neck....Greedy little g*t was busting with my blood!

 

Oh never been attacked by mine Pal, you obviously have the aggressive variety:D