Things You'll Need
- Tweezers
- Salt solution
- Trichlorofon
- Potassium permanganate
- Measuring cup
- Freshwater puffer
- Jar
Instructions
Remove fish from the tank and inspect the fish for leeches.
Give the fish a bath with a 2.5 percent salt solution for at least 15 to 20 minutes, if there are leeches attached to the fish. This will often cause leeches to die or become weak. If the leeches are still attached to the fish after the bath, they will have loosened their hold on the host; use tweezers to remove them.
The bath water should be the same pH and temperature as the tank water. Do not use this method on salt-sensitive fish.
Remove the plants in the tank. Treat the plants with potassium permanganate for 1 hour. Use approximately 5 mg per liter of the solution to treat the plants. The potassium permanganate will kill any leeches hiding within the plants.
Treat the entire tank with Trichlorofon (also known as Metriphonate), an organophosphate insecticide, to get rid of leeches. Use approximately 0.25 mg per l of water in the tank. This product is usually not available in a pet store but can be purchased from your local vet.
Purchase freshwater puffers to eat the leeches.
Trap the leeches using a jar trap that has a piece of meat in it. Once captured in the trap, the leeches can be killed manually.
Remove any hosts from the tank for about a month or two. This will cause the leeches to die slowly, since they require blood for survival. This is often the last option, if every other solution fails.