I find parasites interesting - not billionaires or celebrities, but the ones that appear in and on animals (including us). I saw a new one recently, which goes with my idea that we see and treat in our tanks is just scratching the surface of what can really be going on.
I have some Epiplatys huberi killifish I caught and brought home from Gabon in 2023. One of my older males was getting thin, and I wasn't sure if it was age. He was fully grown when I netted him. Breeding had almost stopped with the group of fish (a dozen in a 20 gallon), and I've been trying to understand what I was doing wrong. They took a sudden turn a couple of weeks ago, right before I was leaving town for almost 2 weeks.
They began to lose weight rapidly, and a lump appeared above the anal vent on 3 of them. Then, thick bodied jet black worms began to protrude, and I had my culprit. The worms/nematodes were much thicker and darker than Camallanus spp.
I don't know what it was, but I'd say it was a slow growing, chronic parasitic nematode worm. I had treated the fish with Praziquantel for regular gutworms and tapeworms after arrival. I put some nematode meds into some frozen food, and let it soak in. The fish ate it, and the next day, all shapes were normal. The next day I was also hopping on a plane... not ideal for getting weight back on them. You can kill the parasites, but they always do harm before they go.
The huberi survived and have now have had a second dose. I don't know if my old guy will regain his weight, but the younger ones are already rallying after three days of a rich diet.
Our fish show incredible diversity, so why wouldn't their parasites be as adaptable? There's way more to this than Ich or tapeworms, but in this case, the meds seem to have been rapidly effective. I can only assume it was active in the fish for 3 years without running wild. A "good" parasite doesn't kill its host. It had spread to my F-1 generation. though Then something must have triggered a population explosion. I have always kept the fish in a single species tank, as I really value them. So I will be watchful, but don't expect to see it again.
Hopefully, it's just a strange tale from a fishroom.
I have some Epiplatys huberi killifish I caught and brought home from Gabon in 2023. One of my older males was getting thin, and I wasn't sure if it was age. He was fully grown when I netted him. Breeding had almost stopped with the group of fish (a dozen in a 20 gallon), and I've been trying to understand what I was doing wrong. They took a sudden turn a couple of weeks ago, right before I was leaving town for almost 2 weeks.
They began to lose weight rapidly, and a lump appeared above the anal vent on 3 of them. Then, thick bodied jet black worms began to protrude, and I had my culprit. The worms/nematodes were much thicker and darker than Camallanus spp.
I don't know what it was, but I'd say it was a slow growing, chronic parasitic nematode worm. I had treated the fish with Praziquantel for regular gutworms and tapeworms after arrival. I put some nematode meds into some frozen food, and let it soak in. The fish ate it, and the next day, all shapes were normal. The next day I was also hopping on a plane... not ideal for getting weight back on them. You can kill the parasites, but they always do harm before they go.
The huberi survived and have now have had a second dose. I don't know if my old guy will regain his weight, but the younger ones are already rallying after three days of a rich diet.
Our fish show incredible diversity, so why wouldn't their parasites be as adaptable? There's way more to this than Ich or tapeworms, but in this case, the meds seem to have been rapidly effective. I can only assume it was active in the fish for 3 years without running wild. A "good" parasite doesn't kill its host. It had spread to my F-1 generation. though Then something must have triggered a population explosion. I have always kept the fish in a single species tank, as I really value them. So I will be watchful, but don't expect to see it again.
Hopefully, it's just a strange tale from a fishroom.
