i recently found a very creepy bug attached to one of my fish and i have no idea what it is. it kinda reminded me of a mix between a potato bug ( round hard shell and flat on bottom) and a tick. it is frankly scaring the crap out of me beacuse it is so large and the probability that there is more of them. someone please help before my heart gives out!
wierd bug on fish, hellp!!!
- Thread starter xafigrlx
- Start date
Likely an isopod, serious but need not be the end of the world.
Take immediate action to remove it with tweezers, dab the wound with iodine. Make sure it doesn't fall back into the tank, you will need to capture the host fish; best to use a clear bag or acrylic trap for that, then with a plastic baggie on your hand hold the fish gently but firmly (avoid touching the fish with your skin) so it doesn't flip around. Plan it out first, and hope their aren't others. Keep an eye out for more in the future, if you see several more you will need to treat with copper or if you have inverts let the tank run fallow without host fish for a month or more.
Move all wounded host fish into your quarantine system if possible.
Take immediate action to remove it with tweezers, dab the wound with iodine. Make sure it doesn't fall back into the tank, you will need to capture the host fish; best to use a clear bag or acrylic trap for that, then with a plastic baggie on your hand hold the fish gently but firmly (avoid touching the fish with your skin) so it doesn't flip around. Plan it out first, and hope their aren't others. Keep an eye out for more in the future, if you see several more you will need to treat with copper or if you have inverts let the tank run fallow without host fish for a month or more.
Move all wounded host fish into your quarantine system if possible.
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Watch the tank at night--parasitic isopods often hide in the substrate and rock work at night, then come out after lights out to feed. They are one of the few parasites that will be seen off a host. FloridaBoy's treatment is right on.