Help with diagnosis please...

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mikeb210

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Oct 14, 2008
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I collected some sunfish today. Four bluegills and two green sunfish, I believe. I noticed after they settled in to the tank that three of the bluegills seem to have small yellow/gold flecks attached near the rear of their dorsal fins and near their tail. The flecks move in the current almost like small hairs. I have never had parasites with any other fish I've kept so I'm not positive about an id, and I don't have a picture right now but does this sound like an easy diagnosis to any of you?

Mike
 

mikeb210

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Oct 14, 2008
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Not ringing any bells...pics will help!
I just moved so I have about 20 boxes which could house my camera. I'll get some pics up when I find it. The flecks are about 1-2mm long, around the eye, tail, dorsal and pectoral fins at both the base and the ends. I don't know how else to describe them. **** moving... I'll get them up tomorrow. The fish appear to be fine otherwise.
 

THE V

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A). With a magnifying glass, you can see red dots on the fish, or you can see transparent disc shaped crustaceans

= Fish Lice

B). Elongated oval objects measuring up to 10mm, stick up out of the skin

= This involves the egg pouches of copepods, e.g. Lernaea. The anterior portion of the parasite is burrowed deeper into the skin

From http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/skin_disorders.html
 

mikeb210

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Thanks Lupin. The "hairs" didn't look anything like that though. I woke up this morning and checked on the fish and found that the flecks are gone, but all four of the bluegills have fuzzy white growths on their bodies. Their eye/eyes, dorsal fins, pec fins, tails and lateral lines have patches of the stuff. It almost looks like they are shedding their skin. I have class in a few but I will get the pictures up this afternoon. Any reason it would affect the gills but not the green sunfish? They seem to be fine.
 

Lupin

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Ahh..Hairs..I must have misread it before. I'd certainly wait for photos to save myself from speculating over nothing.

The main reason probably why your sunfish were unaffected may likely be because the issue confines itself on one species only especially with most flukes and nematodes. The other reason I can only think of is your sunfish may have a stronger resistance system although a lot of external parasites certainly will not spare a fish regardless of its health level and characteristics.
 

mikeb210

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Here are some pics. I'm gonna be late for class, but I've got priorities :) Their fins also seem a bit clamped. One fish especially isn't using his pectoral fins at all. The hairs are visible on the dorsal fins, but the rest seem to have gone away or gotten worse.

_MG_0665.JPG _MG_0679.JPG _MG_0681.JPG _MG_0673.JPG
 
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