Crustaceans on skin.

[Duncan]

Hi folks,

Here's my details, I've got a Juwel Rekord 70 aquarium with 1pr dwarf Gourami, 6 White Cloud Mountain Minnows, 6 Neon Tetras, 1 Plecotomus and 6 Black Widow Tetras. I got a 24" plant selection - so well planted. I do a weekly water change of 25% and my latest test results are ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 75 mg/l, KH 3, GH >7, ph 7.2 and a temperature of 25'C.

My new problem is crustaceans on skin, it is spiral like and is just behind the pectoral fin. The colour is a creamy yellow. The muscle area is swollen. I'm thinking of using Interpet's No. 12 Anti Crustacean Parasite treatment, and also I'll be using Liquisil General Tonic No. 5 for treating my plants as I'll have to move them to another tank or container for 7 days or so.

I'm a wee bit peeved as the treatment will harm the good bacteria in my filter (can't move the filter as its permantly attached to the tank) and my ammonia and nitrite levels will rise and so I'll have to do a daily water change mind you it'll be better for the fish though.

Comments welcome

Duncan

 

[Duncan]

I've got an up date. Went to a fish supplier looking for treatment, ended up doing a second journey with my fish so that he could have a look at it.

It turns out to be a burrowing worm of a sort, he hadn't seen it before and its not in the books, he heard about after seeing a circular mark on a koi carp. This worm is actualy eating my fish

I've got some sterazin that might work against the worm. The worm is under the skin and it kind of looks like ringworm. Since my first trip to the supplier, a second burrowing worm has appeared on my fish.

I'm making a wee contraption for containing fish to see if I can get a photo

Duncan

 

[Dragonslair]

Sorry to hear about you troubles Duncan. Do you think the fish have come already infected? If you do stear clear of the Ifs for a while or do what I did and actually insisted to net the fish that I wanted. A healthy specimen. The worm you describe sounds like a sort of naematode. A minute transparent parasite, worm like for burrowing. Unfortunately naematodes can come on plants that have not been treated properly before putting into an aquairum. Particular favs.of naematodes are bulbous plants. Original form of the naematode are found inside the potato tuber. Of course it may not be that at all. It is just the description you give sounds like it.
When I get some time and some cash I am going to set up a lab.( For my personal use ) I need to know more about fish diseases first then I will be able to investigate.
Don't know what else I can advise you to do as naematodes in the soil can only be killed off with disinfectant!!!

 

[Dragonslair]

Duncan,
Just as a post script to my last posting. I recently read an article from a vet Lance Jepson from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals(UK)Ltd.(If you want their address,let me know) It was concerning various types of worms. The main article was about internal/intestinal worms but it covered various other worms. You might be able to write to them to ask exactly what your worm is and if there is a cure.

 

[Duncan]

Cheers ta Dragonslair

I've noticed that another Black Widow has this ring forming, and I've also noticed that my female dwarf gourami has worms too, I thinks this one is tape worm, I've seen it coming out and its disappeared as well as the poor fish is plump now.

I've checked one of my books, and read the symptoms for tapeworm or cestodes. Poor lass is swimming with a slant, and belly plump, now has blood stained anal fin. I've also noticed that one or two other fish have plump bellies - I was mistanking it as eggs as they have had eggs in them before this.

For those that don't know Cestodes can arrive from plants stored out doors, reason being bird's poo falling into outdoor tanks containing plants, eggs are contained in the poo, they hatch and then begins the journey to your aquarium and hence to your fish. I'm using Sterazin for the worm infestation. Once the dosage - which is 1st, 3rd, 6th, 8th and 10th day - should hopefully cure my fish.

What my plan now is to set up a wee tank for treating plants before adding them to my aquarium, in the hope that that will prevent any more mishaps.

Dragonslair if there is a web site, I'd be very interested.

Duncan

 

[adeyc]

Thats bad news m8. Sounds as if you may have a leech problem the usualy appear all curled up(circular) on the fishes skin then start to suck and burrow into the fish. I'll do some checking to see what I can come up. You'll need to treat the whole tank by the sounds of it. careful though some of the meds can stain the tank.

 

[Dragonslair]

Duncan you can try this one:[email protected]
Adeyc mentioned medication. Methylene blue is a good general chem. however it is very hard on plants and inverts and too much will stain the silicone inside your tank and your filter will need to shut down for a while too.