[Dr Exum]

hey my fish rub themselves on the bottom and the d-wood..
why???

they have worms on them ???

(those little white bastards...

)

 

[rbp 4 135]

look verry carefuly, if they have an external parasite, you should be able to see it. if not they are just scrathing them selves the same thing you do when you get an itch

 

[Dr Exum]

nah dude don't think its a parasite they have been doing it for months....

 

[SERRAPYGO]

Moved to disease, parasite and injury

 

[Dr. Giggles]

If they have been doing it for months it all depends on how frequent each day you see them do it. If you see them do it for example 3-4 times an hour than you most likely have a case of gill flukes on your hands. Once or twice a day i wouldn't worry about it. If you have ruled out water parameters and kept on top of your water schedule game, and fed your p's a healthy diet then best remedy for you is "praziquantel". It will not mess with your biological filter and is safe and effective regarding flukes. A special note to know is "when it comes to flukes, salt will not kill them.

 

[Dr Exum]

is this fatal?

where do i get that "praziquantel".

 

[Dr Exum]

i have found this "praziquantel" in the form of tablets..........(tank buddies)

are theses ok?

i have noticed the fish doing it more...........scratching and such...theses flukes came from feeders correct?

i have and have had those other little white worms.

i was told they are harmless.. could they be on my fish? is this why they are scratching?

i can see no worms in their gills...

please advise...............

 

[DonH]

First measure your water parameters... There are many factors that cause a fish to flash. Basically, anything that can cause an irritation will cause them to scratch on surfaces. Declining water quality (high ammoina, low pH), parasites, bacterial infection, food trapped in gills and even a simple itch. You need to cancel out the probability that it's your water before assuming that your fish have parasites.

The evidence of those white worms tells me that you probably have some decaying food in your tank. Therefore, measure the ammonia and pH and correct it with water changes if that's the problem. Some of my fish will flash shortly after a heavy feeding but that is normal.

If your water parameters are in check and your fish are flashing then chances are your fish have parasites. Carefully inspect the fish for spots. If they don't, then it could be flukes. Unfortunately, the only way to confirm is by taking a scrape and observe through a microscope because they are not easily visible with the nake eye. All these problems can be a result of feeding feeders without proper quarantine.

Try to narrow down the cause before thinking about medicating your tank. The fix might just be as simple as increasing your water changes and doing a gravel vac. Good luck.

 

[Dr Exum]

thanx that is very good advice............i shall check water...

i was told fin fish has lots of those little worms

there are none at the time....i had them a few weeks ago

i have been feeding heavily due to my high population....maybe this is it

thanx for the tips keep em commin

 

[Dr Exum]

hey my water seems to be close to perfect..........

NITRITE= .25

AMMONIA= 0

PH= 6.5

NITRATE= 5.0

i wonder if it is due to heavy feeding..................

when could i expect a death fro these worms?..............its been months......

 

[DonH]

Your nitrite levels may be a problem and as long as you continue with heavy feeding, you can expect those white worms to be around.

 

[Dr Exum]

so don....

i should feed less or treat for worms?

my theory on the worms is i feed the same feeders to my serras and none of them exzibit this "flashing"

the nitrite is not dangerously high correct? is this the cause?

please advise

 

[Dr Exum]

hmm.. could there be worms in th Talipula????(fin fish)

thus they would be in their stomach....they are flashing often i suppose more after feedinds .

do i need to treat or is it not fatal?