Treating Fish Lice

[Davo86]

As said in the title i'm looking for a legal treatment that will kill fish lice, as it seems that on one of the fish that came in on a delivery there were a number of these creatures,

I have physically removed 4 lice from the infected fish but could do with treating the system that the fish had been residing in, in order to kill off anymore that may have been missed,

For now i have treated with a broad spectrum anti-bacterial in order to aid the recovery and prevent any secondary infections attacking the fish.

is there anymore i can do?

thanks in advance
Dave

 

[AdAndrews]

WORMER PLUS

 

[rabbut]

^^Wormer plus is as effective as asking the parasites to get off nicely IME. Interpet number 12 is a good med that works, but like most meds for curstation parasites, it only gets the free swimming stage, not the eggs or latched parasites, so it requires a 2-3 week treatment period It can be very hard on the bio-filter though

 

[WILDER]

Anti crustaceon med by interpet wipes all the benefical bacteria out in the filter.

There a waterlife med.
http/www.waterlife.co.uk/waterlife/parazin.htm

 

[rabbut]

I tend to find mini-cycles after the first dose with the Interpet med. After the first shot though, the system has little if any issues being dosed with it again... It's a good med that works IME, but I'm sure the med Wilder recommends is good also

 

[WILDER]

[URL="http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm"]http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm[/URL]



[
Argulus (a.k.a. Fish Lice)



Symptoms:

Infected fish will have flattened, disc-shaped crustaceans measuring between 0.4 and 1.2 cm in diameter. These parasites may be visible anywhere on the body of the fish, including the eyes, gills and fins.



Cause:

The parasitic crustacean Argulus (a.k.a. Fish Lice). Argulus adhere to the flesh by means of sucker-type discs. Once attached, the parasite pierces the flesh using stinger mouthparts and will suck the blood of the fish. Argulus inject a toxin that will kill smaller fish and leaves reddened, inflamed lesions on larger fish. This lesion often becomes infected. The intense irritation brought on by the Argulus parasite causes fish to rub or scrape against objects in the aquarium. Your fish may even try to jump out of the aquarium. Once the parasite has finished feeding it will swim freely in search of a new host and can survive for up to 3 weeks without a host.



Treatment:

Visible Lice should first be killed by dabbing them with Potassium Permanganate or an anti-parasitic medication. Then, they should be carefully removed from the fish using tweezers. It is paramount that you kill the parasite before attempting to remove it from the fish. It will make it easier to remove and less stressful to the fish. It is a good idea to then dab Methylene Blue on the lesions to prevent secondary infections. It is recommended that you feed your fish medicated food to prevent a bacterial infection from occurring. The whole aquarium will need to be treated to kill any unseen, free-swimming juvenile parasites. Fluke Tabs, Clout, Paragon, and Trifon work great.

 

[Davo86]

Thanks,

 

[WILDER]

Good Luck.