What Are These Parasites?

[nadajdui]

Gill flukes? Something else?
Gill flukes? Something else?
Dad dissected the BN pleco, and found what looks to be gill flukes. Not 100% positive though. Here are some pictures I took of them with my digital camera. They were only in the gills on one side. Coppersafe didn't kill them. Salt didn't kill them. Being in the freezer for 10 or so minutes didn't kill them while I was waiting for dad. -pulls out her hair-

Sorry for the large sizes, photobucket didn't resize them. Hope this helps.

 

[WILDER]

To be honest there not gill flukes look to big, you can hardly see gill flukes with the naked eye.
Did they move when you opened the fish up.
You can get gill maggots do they resemble a maggot.

Look at gill maggots and do a search on them.
http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm

Not sure on your location but here is a med that deals with that type of parasite.
No 12 Anti Crustacean & Parasite 100ml
ANTI CRUSTACEAN PARASITE No 12 : Eliminates anchor
worm, fish lice, gill maggots and leeches.

Larger higher level parasites can be introduced into the aquarium on new fish or plants. They cause life-threatening damage and should be eradicated quickly.

Crustacean parasites are very difficult to eradicate so this treatment is powerful. Therefore, take care to carefully follow all instructions and note all warnings

For use with coldwater and tropical fish in marine and freshwater systems

WARNING: This treatment negatively affects biological filtration.
Damages Plants
Do not use with UV filters
Do not use below pH 6.5
For Marines, use only in separate treatment aquarium
Use only if sure of diagnosis


http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...p?article_id=87

 

[nadajdui]

Better NOT be that. Does anyone here have experience with these, and how to get rid of them?
Edit: On close inspection, the gill maggots don't really resemble what came from the pleco's gills. I won't throw that out the door, though. The article talks a lot about male and female and such, so maybe they look different. I have never even heard of gill maggots.
Thanks, Wilder.

 

[WILDER]

Just looked at that med have it in the cuboard and there behind the gill flap.
What country are you from.
Have you added any live plants to the tank.

Don't seem to look like these though.
http/fish-helpline.co.uk/health/gill_maggots.html

http/article.dphnet.com/cat-02/flukes.shtml

How big are they is that glass making them look huge.
http/www.jbl.de/uk/aqua/uk_10038.html

 

[nadajdui]

I added some sword plants to the tank a few weeks ago.
Sorry, I know you asked that before. I'm from Canada. In BC. And the parasites look to be .5-2mm long from what I could see.

 

[WILDER]

To be hoenst it hard, never seen a gill maggot really and you never hear of them much, but if they moved, the other fish in the tank will need treating.
Did they have forked tails as they say gill maggots look like anchor worm.

This is a poweful med but i wouldnt use it till you know what you are dealing with.
I would bag them up in that water and take them to the lfs to see if they know what they are.
Clout
Manufacturer: Aquarium Products
A very strong and effective medication for parasitic and protozoan infestations. Treats: Ich, Hydra, leeches, Planaria, Epistylis, Trichodina, Hexamita,Tetrahy-mena, body fungus, digenetic flukes, parasitic copepods, monogenetic flukes and anchor worms.

 

[nadajdui]

I couldn't get a close enough look at the tails to really be sure, as they kept moving around so much. I just now found one of my otos dead. Not sure if it's related or not, as they're hard to keep alive. Anyway, I will blow those pictures I got up a little and see what I can see.

Edit: Blew them up on my camera. I don't see any forks in the tails at all. They just look like...well, maggots almost. Skinny little worms, tapered on both ends.

 

[WILDER]

Right the tank does need treating i would still take them to the lfs to take a look, and try and get clout something that treat a large range of parasites even crustaceon parasites like anchor worm, lice but there disc shaped, and leech, and gill maggots.
That clout sounds like the best med.

 

[nadajdui]

I got some Quick Cure. Would that do the job? It treats a variety of different parasites, and the university I used to work at uses it.

 

[WILDER]

No sorry it only treat ick.
Quick Cure
Powerful anti-parasite medication that cures Ick in 2 days!!
Ideal for Freshwater and Marine aquariums
Will not effect biological systems
Quick Cure is the fastest treatment for curing Ick producing results in only 2 days.

Ick (Ichthyophtoirius Mulfifilis) are small ciliate protozoan cysts that look like sugar or salt granules. As these cysts mature, they fall off the fish and then divide into thousands of trophonts (like spores) that can populate your tank and attach all the other fish in your tank.

Quick Cure is an scientific formulation utilizing special zinc-free ingredients. Quick Cure is safe for Freshwater and Marine aquariums (though it should not be used with invertebrates).

 

[nadajdui]

Hm. Interesting. The one I have here says Fast Relief for Ick and Other Parasites.
It has Malachite Green and Formalin

 

[WILDER]

Yes but not a crustaceon parasite which takes alot stronger meds.
This med but you would have to be desperate.

http/www.fishdoc.co.uk/treatments/potass...ermanganate.htm

You tryed coffersafe and it didn't do anything that why you need a stronger med, plus all i can find on quick cure is for ick.
http/www.nunnie.com/ick.html

 

[nadajdui]

Okay, not that desperate yet. Hate that word 'yet'.

Maybe it's because we're in different countries? Not sure. I'll do some more research on the Potassium permanganate just in case I do end up having to use it.

Thanks!

 

[nadajdui]

Well, still on square one.
However, I keep going back to gill flukes. I've read in numerous places that they can be up to 2mm in length. And that they can be very hard to get rid of.
Here's one reference:
http/www.simplydiscus.com/library/diseas...ls_flukes.shtml

And another one here:
http/www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/flukes.htm

It's still just a hunch. But I haven't been able to find anything closer than gill flukes so far.

 

[WILDER]

Theye are hard to treat as well as that why i wanted you to get the clout, you need quite a strong parasite med, plus that meds treat a large range of parasites as well.
It took me ages to get rid of the things, and they do alot of damage to a fish as the hooks on the parasite pierce the fish skin and in there hooks they have nasty bacteria which enters the fish bloodstream causing bacterial infections.