urgent question, life or death situation

77710

77710

The alpha fish
Sep 7, 2005
105
0
0
41
Church Hill, TN
www.patrickcobb.com
this morning everything was fine in my tank and this afternoon i look and see this on one fish and three other fish are starting to get it. there are more than one on each fish. Can anyone identify it and tell how to cure it.
thank you in advance.

1.jpg
 
looks like Argulus (fish lice) to me. Argulus adhere to the flesh by means of sucker type discs. Once attached, the parasite pierces the flesh using stinger type mouthparts and procedes to feed on the blood of the fish. While piercing the skin the parasite injects a toxin which can kill smaller fish and leaves larger fish with reddened, inflamed and swollen lesions. The puncture site often becomes secondarily infected. The intense irritation brought on by the Argulus parasite often causes fish to rub or scrape against objects in the aquarium, in some cases even leaping from the aquarium, in an attempt to rid themselves of the parasites. Once the parasite has finished feeding it will swim freely in search of a new host. Argulus can survive for up to 3 weeks without a host.

Visible Lice attached to fish should first be killed by dabbing with Potassium Permanganate or an antiparasitic medication before being carefully removed from the fish using forceps or tweezers. Considering how strongly these parasites adhere to the body of the fish, it is not advisable to attempt to remove them while still live. Doing so may cause significant pain to the fish as well as physical damage. The wounds caused by the parasites should be treated to prevent secondary infection and aid in healing. Carefully dabbing wounds with Methylene Blue is recommended. Feeding a medicated antibacterial food may also be warranted if secondary infection is suspected. All fish as well as the aquarium they inhabit should be treated to prevent recurrences caused by unseen free swimming juvenile parasites. "In water" medications such as Fluke Tabs, Clout, Paragon or Trifon may be helpful. All fish as well as the aquarium they inhabit should be treated to prevent recurrences caused by unseen free swimming juvenile parasites. "In water" medications such as Fluke Tabs, Clout, Paragon or Trifon 'may' be helpful, but the best meds include:

potassium permanganate. Or treat the whole tank with 2 mg per liter, but this method is messy and dyes the water.

Kordon TM - Aquarium Trifon

Oxolinic acid. This chemical is available in 200 gm bottles
 
I dont know what it is, mabye this will help you out. Good luck with your fish.

Heres some info from fishfarmacy.
http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/symptoms.html

Q: My fish has pimples on it's skin with something white sticking out.
A: This is a parasitic worm (Lernea), or Anchorworm. Common in Goldfish.
Treatment: Treat the fish with De-Los or Praziquantel.
Q: The scales on my fish are falling off.

Q: My fish had a pimple on the skin, and now it is a large sore. Other fish are covered with large sores and dying in droves.
A: This sounds like a bacterial disorder, either Aeromonas bacteria or Pseudomonas bacteria. This disorder is common in Koi ponds.
Treatment: Use a combination of Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride + Oxolinic Acid Powder on the fish for a two week treatment. These medications can also be used in the feed (suggested). If used in the feed, add Forma-Green to the water. Bumping up the temperature to 84 degrees fahrenheit has shown to speed up this treatment.
Click to expand...


Could be a tumor? You can see pics and get info here http://www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html#Lymphocystis
 
thanks for the help

heres an update

okay its getting worse by the miniute, now it looks like it has ruptured, included is a new picture. i am wondering if the most humane thing to do is put the two fish that visibly have it, down. i have another big tetra in the tank that is over two years old, could he get it, should i move him to another tank?

a side view, you can see the small one on the other side

2.jpg


head on view
3.jpg
 
if the fish has been in the tank, it most likely has the parasites already, whether he is showing symptoms or not. i would just leave everyone in there and treat the whole tank. give them some more time to get better, but if they start acting a lot worse after a day or two then it might be time to rethink putting them down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom