What Are These Parasites?

[nadajdui]

I am so tired today. But on a good note, I think my dad figured out what they are:
something very similar to these:
I lucked out, via a Canadian site (U.of Manitoba), and found the gill parasite....finally!
Here's the site, followed by a Google Image page of a parasite quite like yours:
http/umanitoba.ca/science/zoology/facult...crocothome.html (that grey critter is VERY like yours, only thinner)
http/images.google.ca/images?q=Microcoty...G=Search+Images

And also could be these:
I don't know the exact species, but it could be a Paranaella species, because those have been found in.......
.......ta da....plecos in South America!!!
Here: http/www.paru.cas.cz/folia/pdf/4-00/kohn...al%20America%22

 

[BBrain]

Wilder, I've been researching this for some time now. (I'm Nadadjui's dad). Clout is out, because I've read that organophosphates, like Clout, are not so safe with "scaleless fish" (like catfish).

Quick Cure is mostly formalin (with a tiny amount of malachite green). Formalin is the treatment of choice for gill flukes at U. of Florida's fish health section, as well as other teaching facilities, and commercial fish culturists. But, I've just been reading that both those chemicals are also not safe with scaleless fish. So that's now out.

Copper is also dangerous to catfish, has a very narrow range between toxic and not effective, and persists in the water. It's really only recommended for saltwater.

It looks like we are left with Praziquantel, as the only other anti-fluke medicine. (I had to order it online). I haven't found any warnings about it for catfish, and in fact, found a reference that it's safe for plecos, even babies.

Now the big news:
After my autopsy, and microscopic exam of the things found on the pleco's gills, I've found out what the organism is!

It is a gill fluke, but looks nothing like any other on any fish keeping website, or book, that I've seen. I found out what it is through the U. of Manitoba's Zoology Dept. (that's in Canada, eh! ). It's a Monogenean fluke (under the class Trematoda, AKA flukes), of the family Microcotylidae. It looks a LOT like this one:

Here's a one-paragraph description of Monogeneans:

"Monogenetic flukes are small flukes without a well-developed sucker. At their posterior end, they have a bulbous structure covered with hooks called an opisthaptor. Most monogeneans are ectoparasites on fish or other aquatic animals, although a few live in the urinary bladders of turtles and frogs. Their life cycle involves a single host. Eggs hatch into ciliated larvae, which may attach directly to a host or swim freely for a time before attaching. Adults lack cilia."
(that's from here: http/animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site...Monogenea.html)

I haven't been able to narrow it down to species, since this is an area of study that is limited to specialist scientists, who are still very much discovering new species, so there's not much on the internet. However, I lucked out and found this scientific paper, describing a newly classified species in that family (Microcotylidae), which says they are found on the gills of................................ (guess what?!)............
PLECOS FROM SOUTH AMERICA! Bingo!

This is a species of the genus Paranaella. Here's the paper:
http/www.paru.cas.cz/folia/pdf/4-00/kohn...al%20America%22

I hope my research is helpful to others with similar problems, and of course I hope it will help to keep Nadadjui's other fish healthy!

Oh yeah, here's a fuzzy photo I took. Those marks are millimetres, so the flukes are about 2 or 3 mm long:

EDIT to add: Ha ha! We posted at the same time! Only I'm the long-winded one!

 

[WILDER]

This med is good for gill flukes and it treats what yours are, thanks for the info.
http/www.jbl.de/uk/aqua/uk_10038.html