"rescue" fish w/ gill worms. help!

silentskream

silentskream

AC Members
May 16, 2004
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Florida
we just picked up a "jelly bean" cichlid from someone who was moving away. he came with a 30 gallon tank HOB filter and a catfish like thing that I can't remember the name of. (its the kind shaped like glass catfish but it's not see thru- it's silver. the anal and caudal fin are merged like a knife fish)

ANYWAYTS the cichlid has gill worms. the ugly bushy red ones that stick out of his gills... the catfish doesn't seem to have them. I've looked though my medications and none of them specifically say they get rid of gill worms.. (some meds get rid of gill flukes, but not worms)

what do I do?


i've set up the 30 gallon as a QT tank so I can treat him/them there.
 
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Hrmm depending on how bad they are it may be too late!!!
 
How big is the fish? you can try this method but it may be very harmful to the fish as well. you can place the fish in a diluted potassium permanganate solution for a few seconds. remove the fish to a different bucket. follow this with large WC ever half hour till you are satisfied that there in no nome chemicals on the fish. This method is usually used to treat drift wood found naturally to remove parasites. I dont recommend this method, but it can be used as a last resort. do a google search and find out more before you try this.

Please use safety precautions while handling chemicals.
 
it seems pretty bad in the right gill, but there are none visible in the left gill.
if anyone knows of a more fish-safe remedy i would really appreciate it.
 
One of the things you can try is salt. 1tbs per 5gallon of water. You can go with a much higher concentration if you only want to try a dip method. 1-1-1 dip = 1 tbs salt for 1 gallon water for 1 minute.

"Clout" might work.

"Potassium permanganate" as Preeth said.

None of these are a guarantee and death of fish is possible. Failure to take any action, death is a certainty.
 
KMnO4 and salt will work fine... just don't overdose the fish. I've used KMnO4 to "sterilize" larval tilapia before using them in a feeding trial. You can use it as a prolonged treatment at 2ppm, or do a dip at (no more than)100ppm for no more than 7-8 minutes. then remove the fish, or you can add sodium thiosulfate to neutralize the KMnO4.
 
and if that doesn't work, I can give you a new convict cichlid for free:)
 
yeah there's no telling how long this guy has had it.. but i've added salt to the tank..

I've got API General Cure for parasites... Should I try that before going on a search for potassium permanganate?
 
http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/products.html#De-Los
Anchor worms...?

You might also try Jungle Parasite Cure - Fizzy tabs, available lots of places. It has Praziquantel,etc... it is safe for fish.

Cathy

I'd do a salt dip asap. Put him in a bowl with his own tank water. SLOWLY add a cup of extremely salty water, stop when the fish looks stressed. If he starts to float or turns over, add a bit more fresh water. Keep him there for 1 minute. Maybe the worms will detach/die.
 
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