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No, I have not sent a PM yet. I also do not have an extra tank to relocated my fish in. If there is a way to do it wihtout moving my fish, I would rather go that route. Is that possible?

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
20 Gallon Album
5 Gallon Album

I understand.

According to the two websites I just visited:
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile25.html
http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/freshwater/catfish/pandacory.html

Both fish like soft to almost acidic water... So based on that info, I would guess it would be safe to slowly add salt, maybe a teaspoon at a time. How big is the tank?

I would still strongly suggest you pm Calilsseia for specifics. I don't want belly up fishies on my conscience. As far as "Clout", I have never used it. I would also ask Calilsseia bout it. Pandas tend to be a little delicate. And since they are bottom dwellers, they tend to feed off whats on the bottom. If the worms are there and die there... The pandas may decide to eat them... I don't know if that would be good for the pandas, if the worms died from a chemical poison.

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

You could try a fish that would eat the worms that would make sure they go away. I'm sure there is a fish that would be able to get them out of the gravel.

Akysis will eat these for sure.
Probably came in on live plants or in live food.

I've found those giant red worms before in tanks, they seem to be harmless... I've only found them deep inside the substrate of established planted tanks, I imagine they're just something that comes in with the plants.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Got the PM. However, I'll post my advice here too, along with some extras relevant to the thread.

First thing ... NEVER put salt in with any Corydoras species, even for a short period. They are completely intolerant of salt, and even modest quantities will seriously impact upon their health. In the case of Pandas, salt will kill them off in about 6 to 8 hours.

Second, your worms do indeed look like leeches. The trouble here, of course, is that identifying which species of leech you have is a job for a professional invertebrate zoologist. And, if you wish to enlist the services thereof, you will need to perform the following steps:

Step 1 : catch a specimen leech from the aquarium;

Step 2 : preserve it for analysis (usually, this means 70% isopropyl alcohol, but since you're unlikely to have access to that, vodka will do);

Step 3 : seal the container, package in a jiffy bag, and post to your nearest natural history museum. Include covering letter explaining the contents. Inform the museum staff who will be analysing the sample that it's been tentatively recognised as a member of the Hirudea, found in a tropical aquarium, and that a species determination would be welcome, along with likely pest status with respect to your fish. You should receive some form of notification in 14 days or so.

Now, if it transpires that your leeches are a member of one of the blood feeding species, and you want to eliminate them, then the best way of doing this is to dose the tank with a copper based medication. Copper is lethal to invertebrates of numerous phyla in extremely low concentrations, whilst the fishes can tolerate much higher doses. A commercial aquarium snail terminator based upon copper sulphate should do the trick. If you don't mind waiting a few days, dose the tank in accordance with the instructions for snail control, and the leeches should be dead within a week. If you want faster results, rehouse the fishes temporarily, and hit the tank with a quadruple dose of copper, this will wipe out the leeches in about 24 hours.

For future reference, if you need to sterilise plants and kill off various undesirable life forms that might be shipped with them, you can use:

[1] Potassium permanganate - soak plants in a dilute solution of this (about the same colour as a rosé wine) for 6-8 hours;

[2] Methylene blue - soak plants in a dilute solution for up to 24 hours;

[3] Copper sulphate - soak plants in a solution 4 x the dose used for snail killing with fishes present for 24 hours.

Whichever of the above you use, rinse plants thoroughly in multiple changes of clean water before planting in the main aquarium. To perform this task, a bog standard goldfish bowl placed in a reasonably well lit setting should be sufficient.

Meanwhile, try and obtain a reasonable sized temporary aquarium for the fishes whilst treating the main tank. After treatment, perform two separate 75% water changes spaced 12 to 24 hours apart before returning the fishes in the main tank. This should deal with your problem nicely.

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002