Parasite Med and Salt Dip Question
- Thread starter eylk
- Start date
Im not sure if the worms have a preference to noticed. I would usually just turn on the lights and observe the fishes.
But here are the symptoms and what is going on in my tank right now.
I have quarantined 2 of them ,
the 1st one shows signs of bloating, looks skinny and deformed at the same time, clamped fin , edges of fins are black and frayed, and the colour of the body is dull, is inactive (rests at the bottom) but still feeds.
the 2nd one is also bloated , clamped fin, edges of fins are black and frayed and there is this area on the body infront of the caudal fin that has turned white. White spots on the pectoral fins. Colour looks otherwise normal, inactive (rests at the bottom) and only feeds occasionally.
Now for the rest of the fish in the main tank. Most of them are behaving normal and are active but here are some of the abnormal signs. Some of the fishes have:
1 Clamped fins
2 Blacken and Frayed fins
3 very small white (seems round) worms (not longer than 0.5cm or maybe less) clinging to their body.
4 white spots like dots (only 2 to 3, grouped quite closely) on their body
5 very small white raised bumps (a lot of them , grouped quite closely) spreading across the whole body
6 Bloating
7 Occasional Gasping of air (mouth opening very wide)
8 long fish faeces (half of it is white and the other is transparent)
9 Occasional darting around, scratching, twitching of fins and shaking of head
10 They are otherwise active and feeds normally.
I tried to 'mix and match' symptoms with the fish book that I have , but there are so many possible disease, so im very confused.
I am particular afraid of parasite as I read that they are very persistent, that is why I want to completely eliminate all traces. I still plan to stock up the tank a bit more in the future.
Can anyone advise me on what I should do now? Methods of treatment, etc.
(If you think I need to do a salt dip can you please refer to my previous post as I am still not completely sure how much salt to add)
Thanks!
But here are the symptoms and what is going on in my tank right now.
I have quarantined 2 of them ,
the 1st one shows signs of bloating, looks skinny and deformed at the same time, clamped fin , edges of fins are black and frayed, and the colour of the body is dull, is inactive (rests at the bottom) but still feeds.
the 2nd one is also bloated , clamped fin, edges of fins are black and frayed and there is this area on the body infront of the caudal fin that has turned white. White spots on the pectoral fins. Colour looks otherwise normal, inactive (rests at the bottom) and only feeds occasionally.
Now for the rest of the fish in the main tank. Most of them are behaving normal and are active but here are some of the abnormal signs. Some of the fishes have:
1 Clamped fins
2 Blacken and Frayed fins
3 very small white (seems round) worms (not longer than 0.5cm or maybe less) clinging to their body.
4 white spots like dots (only 2 to 3, grouped quite closely) on their body
5 very small white raised bumps (a lot of them , grouped quite closely) spreading across the whole body
6 Bloating
7 Occasional Gasping of air (mouth opening very wide)
8 long fish faeces (half of it is white and the other is transparent)
9 Occasional darting around, scratching, twitching of fins and shaking of head
10 They are otherwise active and feeds normally.
I tried to 'mix and match' symptoms with the fish book that I have , but there are so many possible disease, so im very confused.
I am particular afraid of parasite as I read that they are very persistent, that is why I want to completely eliminate all traces. I still plan to stock up the tank a bit more in the future.
Can anyone advise me on what I should do now? Methods of treatment, etc.
(If you think I need to do a salt dip can you please refer to my previous post as I am still not completely sure how much salt to add)
Thanks!
Okay, this makes things a little clearer. The parasites are in the main tank, so you might as well treat them all in there.
However, it also sounds as though you may have secondary issues/infections...
1st, I would heavily vac out your gravle and do a large WC/maintenance (including your media as the worms readily infest here as well!)
Also, I would start treating with salt - slooowly raising the concetrations (are you familiar with this method?)
Due to the bloating indicated, I would not feed them for 2-3 days and keep your lights off or on at a minimum (reduces stress and activity levels)
Lastly, I would keep a close eye on your tank (parameters, fish reactions, etc.)
You could have a few things, but the only "worm" I know that is that big (.5cm) and hanging off of a host are hookworms...
However, it also sounds as though you may have secondary issues/infections...
1st, I would heavily vac out your gravle and do a large WC/maintenance (including your media as the worms readily infest here as well!)
Also, I would start treating with salt - slooowly raising the concetrations (are you familiar with this method?)
Due to the bloating indicated, I would not feed them for 2-3 days and keep your lights off or on at a minimum (reduces stress and activity levels)
Lastly, I would keep a close eye on your tank (parameters, fish reactions, etc.)
You could have a few things, but the only "worm" I know that is that big (.5cm) and hanging off of a host are hookworms...
1st of all, thanks for the reply,
I have another piece of bad news. I do not have gravel because the water is not matured yet and the PH is at 6.0 (Very Bad for cichlids right?) and I can only manage to get wood as cover for the fishes. I know it sounds like I bought everything on impulse, but i didnt. My dad did.
As for the gradual salt concentration increase, I thinking that it is something like 1 tablespoon the 1st day, then 2 the 2nd day , then 3 the 3rd day.. so on. You might want to give specific instructions for me on this. My Tank is 250 Litres and the salt im using says to put 1 tablespoon per 25 litres of water.
I am thinking of feeding them only boiled green peas with the skin removed. Or should I stop totally?
Lastly, I would just like to ask a few more things.
1 Will the gradual salt increase remove all the external parasite and its eggs,larval from the tank,filter and fishes?
2 Do I put the 2 fishes that I quarantined back into the main tank?
3 What about the white stringy poo and the secondary infections? I was thinking of getting a medicated fish food that contains Metronidazole , Praziquantel , Levamisole and then add Pima + MelaFix after the whole salt treatment is over. What would you advise? My method seems to be way too paranoid and causes un-necessary stress.
Thanks
I have another piece of bad news. I do not have gravel because the water is not matured yet and the PH is at 6.0 (Very Bad for cichlids right?) and I can only manage to get wood as cover for the fishes. I know it sounds like I bought everything on impulse, but i didnt. My dad did.
As for the gradual salt concentration increase, I thinking that it is something like 1 tablespoon the 1st day, then 2 the 2nd day , then 3 the 3rd day.. so on. You might want to give specific instructions for me on this. My Tank is 250 Litres and the salt im using says to put 1 tablespoon per 25 litres of water.
I am thinking of feeding them only boiled green peas with the skin removed. Or should I stop totally?
Lastly, I would just like to ask a few more things.
1 Will the gradual salt increase remove all the external parasite and its eggs,larval from the tank,filter and fishes?
2 Do I put the 2 fishes that I quarantined back into the main tank?
3 What about the white stringy poo and the secondary infections? I was thinking of getting a medicated fish food that contains Metronidazole , Praziquantel , Levamisole and then add Pima + MelaFix after the whole salt treatment is over. What would you advise? My method seems to be way too paranoid and causes un-necessary stress.
Thanks
starting at the top, and working down 
No gravel will make your job easier in a way.
pH of 6.0 is something that nearly all tropicla fish can acclimate to, however, this should caution you to 2 things: a) acclimate very slowly, and b) always test the pH of the water you get your fish from to see just how off you may be.
By gradual salt increase I mean take 36-48 hours to build up your concentrations (again to acclimate your fish and reduce the shock/stress).
The recommended concentrations for salt treatment is 2 teaspoons per gallon. 250L is approx. 65 US Gallons, so I would ramp up my concnetrations by pre-mixing (disolve in a bowl of tank water) around 8-9 tsp every 3-4 hours until you got the recommended concentration.
*Also, please remember that you should definetely continue your WCs, just be sure to re-concentrate the lost salt.
Feeding peas is good.
Your Qs:
1) yes
2) yes
3) white stringy-poo is a symptom of parasitic internal infections (meds would be great, but I belive that the salt will work)
3-b) I would only treat with one method at a time and never dose 2 treatments (that's me)
lastly, please read this: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88601
No gravel will make your job easier in a way.
pH of 6.0 is something that nearly all tropicla fish can acclimate to, however, this should caution you to 2 things: a) acclimate very slowly, and b) always test the pH of the water you get your fish from to see just how off you may be.
By gradual salt increase I mean take 36-48 hours to build up your concentrations (again to acclimate your fish and reduce the shock/stress).
The recommended concentrations for salt treatment is 2 teaspoons per gallon. 250L is approx. 65 US Gallons, so I would ramp up my concnetrations by pre-mixing (disolve in a bowl of tank water) around 8-9 tsp every 3-4 hours until you got the recommended concentration.
*Also, please remember that you should definetely continue your WCs, just be sure to re-concentrate the lost salt.
Feeding peas is good.
Your Qs:
1) yes
2) yes
3) white stringy-poo is a symptom of parasitic internal infections (meds would be great, but I belive that the salt will work)
3-b) I would only treat with one method at a time and never dose 2 treatments (that's me)
lastly, please read this: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88601
Does this seem correct?
http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/anchor_worms/
It'sbest to always ID an issue if at all posisble to be 100% sure or treatments and methods.
http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/anchor_worms/
It'sbest to always ID an issue if at all posisble to be 100% sure or treatments and methods.
I think I will adjust the PH a higher count after the treatments have been done.
2 teaspoons per gallon. so its 2 x 65 = 130 teaspoons. Does this mean that I have to have a total of 130 teaspoons of salt in the tank at the 'peak' of the treatment? I understand that after the 'peak' I will have to do little PWCs to let the fish slowly adapt.
About the salt replacement after the PWC, for instance, I have added 10 tsp of salt into the tank. Lets say I did a 10% PWC, so I would have to re-add an extra of 1 tsp after the PWC right?
Do I also use the salt measurement for a salt dip (just curious) - 2 teaspoons per gallon)
As for the links, thanks and I dont think its an anchor worm as the 'worm' I saw on the fish is not shaped like a Y.
Thanks
2 teaspoons per gallon. so its 2 x 65 = 130 teaspoons. Does this mean that I have to have a total of 130 teaspoons of salt in the tank at the 'peak' of the treatment? I understand that after the 'peak' I will have to do little PWCs to let the fish slowly adapt.
About the salt replacement after the PWC, for instance, I have added 10 tsp of salt into the tank. Lets say I did a 10% PWC, so I would have to re-add an extra of 1 tsp after the PWC right?
Do I also use the salt measurement for a salt dip (just curious) - 2 teaspoons per gallon)
As for the links, thanks and I dont think its an anchor worm as the 'worm' I saw on the fish is not shaped like a Y.
Thanks
