I find these guys in my Discus tank and my angel tank occasionally.

They live WAAAY down deep in the gravel & don't really seem to hurt anything. I've never seen one attached to a fish or anything like that. I mostly find them when gravel vaccuming.

They are probably 1" long, very thin & fleshy - the exact color of a snail. They swim like an aquatic snake does and I've noticed they have the ability to latch on to things with one end of their body. So in other words, they have some sort of suction cup at one end.

I've had no sickness in these tanks, so I'm only mildly concerned.

So what is it? Is it harmful? Should I be taking them out & "offing" them when I find them as I've been doing?

Here are two pics. Remember...these were taken on a cement driveway. They are only 1" long and normally look slimier and wetter than this...

i had never seen anythings quite like it.

could it be a leech, of some kinds?

that my best guess.

Awesome guess.

I haven't posted on the topic since, but you're right spot on.

The day I posted this, my Aquarium Fish Magazine came. In it they had an article about "Unexpected Guests."

In the article, they described a small (0.75") leech that just shows up in aquariums. They went on to say that they had no record of the leech ever hurting a fish, but often when they choose to venture out of the gravel where they live - they do become dinner.

Your 35 years shows. Nice call. Great to have you here!

Ewww.

It looks pretty creepy close up. Do you get just a few or is it thousands like snails?

ive also had them in my tank before. they have never done any harm but if there not eaten soon after ive seen them i take them out. they live on left over food.

Yep...just exterminated two during a gravel vacuuming today

I have seen planaria(a harmless lflatworm, unless you're a small fry) in some of my tanks before(when in desperate need of a gravel vacuuming), but they don't get that big..... maybe only 1/2" at best. Planaria will show up when there is excess food/nutrients in the gravel or water, they tend to crawl the tank walls or even skim the water surface feeding. Their head is kind of triangular in shape and they inch along, contracting and expanding to move. Their method of multiplying is usually via division, like a cell. You can literally cut one in two and they will regenerate their missing parts and each will become whole again. I'm not sure if this is what you have or not Melonhead, it doesn't really look like it, but here is a photo of planaria

Whatever they may be, harmless or not. I would remove them and make sure there gone. Who knows what they could do to your fish and I don't want to find out. Besides there ugly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eeeeeeewwwww.

Damn, Jen.

No...mine are (were) leeches for sure. And I think they're gone. haven't seen one in quite a few gravel vacuuming sessions. I assume they became discus droppings.

Speaking of that...my discus eat snails. Lots of empty shells around...and then one day I saw one doing it.

The melon had a snail in its lips and was shaking its head side to side. When the snail fell to the gravel....it was an empty shell.

They love to eat.