Nematodes/roundworm ?

[ou7shined]

Hi.
Here's some background : I've been keeping fish for almost 10 years now and been through most of the usual trails and tribulations but this one's had me stumped. I've got a problem with a small community tank, where established and seemingly happy fish (mostly various tetra and betas) suddenly show signs of dropsy, they might develop white furry fungus, they refuse to eat and lose scales. The fish that have died have all swollen to an eye watering size which may last 5-7 days before before popping their clogs. Over the last few months I have treated their tank with Methylene Blue (with some success - the symptoms subsided for a short while),King British 7 anti-bac, Protozine and most recently (because it was there) Myxazin but the problem wont go away.
Today I lost my old boy, 3+ year old X-breeder beta *sniff*. Before he died I thought I noticed a worm or a vein coming out from just behind his pectoral fins, an area that looked particularly bruised and distended. I decide to do a post-mortem examination to see if I could find any worm like parasites and low and behold I found some of these guys.

The pic makes it look too pink. It's actually blood red, less than the thickness of a hair and about 1cm long. I can't find any pics from which to make any comparisons but Googling suggests nematodes or roundworms. Does anybody have any ideas who the bad boy in the pics might be and help me out with a treatment.

If you think it would help, I have a small avi that I made that I could e-mail. Though the only major difference from the pic is that you can see some movement and it's blood circulating.

edit : second picture added

 

[WILDER]

Not the writer of this information below.
Worms In The Body Cavity



Symptoms:

Symptoms are typically absent unless the disease is severe or advanced. Characteristic symptoms include a swollen belly, impaired swimming behavior, damage to internal organs and rupture of the body wall. The worms may live free in the body or encapsulated in white or off-white cysts.



Cause:

Various helminthes, including cestodes (tapeworms) and nematodes (roundworms). Infestations are more common among fish that are fed live foods, such as water fleas. These act as intermediate hosts for many of the parasites.



Remedy:

There is no reliable therapeutic drug for visceral worms; however, therapy is usually unnecessary, as most infestations pass undetected and cause little trouble.



http/www.koizyme.com/Doc's_worming_article.htm

 

[WILDER]

Do the worms have a forked tail.

 

[ou7shined]

Thanks for the swift replys.

No, they just look like regular worms, although what I think is the head end is slightly blunter than the tail. I think I can make out a mouth but we're talking really small here. It may be that they are built like leaches - pointy head and a rounder butt. I dunno.

Going on your first reply, do you think the worms might not be the problem just a secondary concern?

 

[WILDER]

Yes parasites can cause alot of illness bacterial infections, plus losing scales, as they are nasty things, is there any in the tank.

Not the writer of this information below.
Leeches



Symptoms:

Infected fish can be seen with worm-like organisms up to 2 inches, which firmly attach to the skin, fins, or gills. Red lesions or sucker marks may even be present.



Cause:

Leeches. Leeches feed on flesh and blood and can cause significant damage if they are not dealt with swiftly. Leeches often carry various bacterial and parasitic illnesses; therefore, secondary infections may follow. Leeches are usually introduced into the aquarium via live foods and plants.



Treatment:

The most effective medications are Fluke-Tabs, Clout, Paragon and Trifon. Salt dips are also very effective. Removing live Leeches from fish is not advisable considering how strongly they adhere to the body of the fish. Attempting to remove them may cause significant pain to the fish as well as physical damage. The lesions caused by the parasites should be treated to prevent secondary infection as well as aid in healing. Carefully dab the wounds with Methylene Blue. If you suspect that your fish may have a secondary bacterial infection, it is highly recommended to supplement treatment with a medicated antibacterial food.







Not the writer of this information either.
Fish Leech- There are about 300 different species of leeches. They are worm-like creatures that suck on the fish. Besides having an adverse effect on fish they are carriers of blood flagellates. They cause wounds that could end up with secondary infections such as fungus, and bacterial infections. Symptoms: Fish become restless and will try to remove the leech by rubbing against objects in the tank. If you look closely you will see the leech clinging to the body of the fish. Treatment: A 3 % salt dip is usually effective. Pull off any leeches that do not fall off during the dip. Do not remove the leeches before the salt dip or you could cause further injury to your fish. There are medications available at the local pet stores if you are more comfortable using that form of treatment. (back to top)


There is interpet no 12 for lice, leeches, and anchor worm, but it's a very powerful med, and it will wipe your bacteria colony out in the filter, plus water stats will go off the chart.
http/www.aquatics-online.co.uk/listsecti...tp=100&rets=231

Any wiser after this, i hate worms so hard to find out which they are.

 

[ou7shined]

Had really good look in the tank. Can't see any worms in the water or on top of the gravel but who knows what's going on underneath. If I was a worm that's probably where I'd be if I wasn't munching on fish.

I don't think they actually are leeches. If you look at the pic, the end that's in the center of the pic (the blunter end) moved away from the light source. So that's another reason to think it's the head.

 

[WILDER]

All I can suggest is strip the tank down and sterlise it.

 

[ou7shined]

I hear ya.

 

[WILDER]

And throw away the gravel and get some new, and sterlise that, do you have any other tanks as you could start it off again with some sponges from another tank that are mature.

 

[ou7shined]

Yeah, I'm surrounded by them. I likes me fish!

What I'll do is put it off for a day or two and see if anyone else can suggest any treatments. If not I'll got for the major clean out.

Cheers mate

 

[WILDER]

With seeing a worm on a fin i would start the stripping down of the tank as soon as possilbe, good luck.

 

[ou7shined]

To be honest with you I recon half the tank has it by now so a couple of days won't matter. I have however quarantined the fittest looking individuals. Which oddly enough are platties, a plec and a zeb loach.
Can there be any reason why tetras and betas have so far been the only ones affected?

 

[WILDER]

Sorry can't answer that why some fish and not others.

 

[ou7shined]

Ok folks, I thought I'd give this a bit of bumpage and an update to see if there are any more possiblities.
Here's the pics again but these should last this time. Remember these bad boys are blood red, less than 1cm long and thinner than a hair.

I've figured out that these worms are present in most of the fish from that tank (inc now a platty but they seem to have no effect on her - so far - perhaps her size is a factor, only time will tell) they show themselves by poking their heads out of the fishes anus. The platty has only 1 as far as I can see but there's a home grown beta that must have at least 10 of them sticking out. Perhaps this is how the buggers breath or maybe the beta is so full of them that there's not enough room inside, although this is less likely as she is slightly smaller than her siblings and yet shows no sign of bloating. I have completely cleaned out the tank and boiled the gravel but as the fish obviously still carry the nematodes I have treated the water with a slightly heavier doze of Methlene Blue. The fish that I quarantined show no obvious signs of contamination but I shall consider them to be infected for the time being and keep them under observation.
Any ideas?

 

[WILDER]

http/inkmkr.com/Fish/CamallanusTreatment/

Not the writer of this information.

Camallanus



Symptoms:

When the fish is stationary, deep red worms can be seen protruding from the anal pore. They are only visible when the fish is still because the worms retreat into the intestine at the fish’s slightest movement. Other signs may include an inflamed and enlarged anus. In severe infestations, the fish may become emaciated and spinal curvature may also occur.



Cause:

The parasitic worms Camallanus Cotti and Camallanus lacustris. These small, livebearing parasitic worms attach to the intestinal walls and rectum with pinchers. The worm’s grip is so tight that any attempts to remove it forcibly will rip away tissue from the intestinal wall. The worm’s pinching causes ischemia (reduced blood flow) to that part of the intestine. In time, the tissue to that part of the intestine will die, at which time the worm will migrate to another part of the intestine. This causes perforations throughout the intestine, which allows other pathogens to gain entry. If the fish is not treated, either the parasite or bacterial will kill the fish. Camallanus infestations occur most often in livebearing fish such as Guppies and Mollies, though infection is possible in all fish. Camallanus infestations are contagious. All fish, including those not yet showing visible symptoms, as well as the aquarium, should be treated.



Treatment:

Treat with Internal Parasite Guard, Pipzine, Disco-Worm, Trichlorfon or Fluke-Tabs as well as a medicated food to prevent a bacterial infection.