Parasites

[ReverendShmoove]

My g/f's aquarium seems to have parasites. There are tiny, white in colour, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long & about as thick as a hair. Very hard to notice but I saw quite a few of them on the side of a plastic breeder she has in the tank. I treated the aquarium with a product called CURE-ICK that is suppose to be for ick & parasites acording to the label, but they are still in the tank. Does anyone know what this parasite is & recommend a product that will rid these parasites?

 

[Fish Friend]

In my fish book it says actually take the fish out and remove the actual parasite with tweesers and then dab it with some dis infectant ???/ correct me if i am wrong here ?

 

[bubblecandy]

I have something similar like that in my tank. It doesn't seem to harm my fish in anyway. Actually you will see my fishies eating it. I was told that it's harmless. I've been wiping the inside walls whenever I see them appear. But then what do I really know being new to fish and all.

 

[seastaar88]

i've dealt with this type of parasite before -- if her tank doesn't have sensitive fish (ie catfish and the like) , it's easy to treat. remove fish to QT and treat tank with copper. fish friend was right though, when you remove your fish to QT, pick the parasites off with tweezers. if there are sensitive fish, you'll need to treat the tank with a parasite med safe for catfish. check the labels of meds at your LFS.

 

[ReverendShmoove]

Would this parasite have come from the LFS when she purchased a new fish or could this occur on its own?

 

[Lotus]

These aren't parasites unless they're on the fish. They're likely some kind of worm that's gotten a hold on the tank, like planaria or nematodes, which are usually harmless. They're kind of like having ants or roaches in the house, in that if there's food left around, they'll multiply. They can come in with water from the fish store or on plants, etc. I believe spontaneous generation is no longer a valid theory

Feeding less and cleaning the gravel thoroughly will usually get rid of them.

You can read this: http://www.fishpondinfo.com/micro.htm and this http://www.shrimpnow.com/modules.php?name=Content&file=viewarticle&id=33

 

[ReverendShmoove]

A person at the LPS said they could have come from feeding them the Wardley Tubifex Worms. These worms come in dried cubes in a sealed plastic jar, is it possible that some could still be alive? I would not think so.

 

[Lotus]

I doubt they are from the tubifex, as freeze-dried food is sterilized, frozen and dried. Many years ago I had some beetles in some flake food, so I guess it's possible to have insect eggs in food if it hasn't been stored right, but that wouldn't give you aquatic worms.

Don't freak out too much, they are unlikely to harm your fish.

 

[ReverendShmoove]

Perhaps I have not been completely clear about these worms. They are very tiny. I probably would not have even noticed them if I hadn't had my face an inch from the tank looking at the baby platties. One suggestion was to remove the worms (or parasites) with tweasers, this would be impossible as you would not be able to see them on the fish. I can't even see any in the rest of the aquarium. It must be the way the light is shining thru the glass & the plastic feeder when it is up against the side of the aquarium. Sorry if I wasn't clear, however don't think I'm losing my mind, they are there as we both saw them & neither of us were smoking anything.

 

[Lotus]

So are they on the fish? I'm confused now

 

[ReverendShmoove]

So are they on the fish? I'm confused now

They are on the side of the plastic breeder that is floating in the aquarium with the baby platties in it. Sorry for the confusion, completely my fault.

 

[Balance]

sounds like they are just planaria, like Lotus mentioned earlier

they are pretty harmless, and your fish will probably just eat them all up eventually.
usually they will die off without a food source, so you could starve the tank for 3-4 days. shouldnt really affect your fish and they'll end up eating the planaria anyway...

i usually skip a few feeding days every once and awhile myself, just to make the SAE's feast on algae.....

 

[revfred]

I would skip the tweezer thing. If they were going to get on the fish they would be on them by now. The ich med won't do a thing. As others said... leave them alone ... fish will eat them ...starve them out if you want to ... lean back have a doobie and enjoy the aquarium.

 

[ReverendShmoove]

Yeah, these pests haven't cause any fish fatalities so I guess we'll just keep an eye on the tank and go from there. Thank you all for your help.

 

[discus4everGrl]

Well i looked these up as I don't think I have had them in my tank, but I may have just not noticed them. I was curious. It says that they most likely are introduced on plants and rock and live foods.

They seem to appear more in tanks that have alot of organic matter in the gravel.

Fish that like to eat them alot are betta splendons, gouramis and kribs

So I guess the best bet to help get rid of them is to do a fast like the others suggested and try to get the gravel really clean and if you have live plants to trim back any dead or dying leaves.