PLSS HELP - Something wrong with my Flowerhorn - Unable to diagnose. Env.  – 09/08/09
Hello,
<Hi there>
Something definitely wrong with my Flowerhorn... I will try to be as descriptive as possible..I have not given any pictures in this post.. because picture in this case will not tell you anything...
Background
Tank - 48 X 18 X 18
<In inches I'll take it, not cm.>
Filter - Canister 1200 L/H
Air Curtain for aeration...
Small pebbles in the ground, not as a substrate but more of him to play with...
<At times gravel is useful to necessary to foster biological filtration>
A bog wood - on which the air curtain is tied around
Sunday (August 30th 2009) - Performed a major cleaning of his tank. Cleaned glass, he had quite few number of pebbles as gravel to play with, had to remove some of them, because they were very dirty.. Cleaned the canister medium only partially... changed water over 50%...
<Mmm, I would usually keep such changes to 25-20% maximum>
Wednesday (2nd September) - Got hold of a brand new packet of Ching Mix Sp100 (from US) - Started feeding him in small quantities morning and evening..
Thursday (3rd September) - Noticed an unusual thing in the evening.. FH has passed poo usual in color, but the poo was floating on top of the surface instead of settling down..
<Can be just the food>
Problem
Friday (4th September ) -
Morning - Changed water 20%.. added salt..
<... why? What sort of salt/s? Unless added to raise dKH or such, not necessary or advised with Neotropical Cichlids>
usual appetite for him and usual aggression.. he had his feeding (Ching Mix)
Evening - Went home to see him lying on corner of the tank.. color darkened.. The whole tank is spread with this Poo.. very unusual for a FH poo.. not continuous, but small granule like structure, black in color spread all across the tank floor...
Performed water change once again, cleaned the mess and added salt.... felt that he also had trouble in swimming... (is that a swim bladder??)
<...? No>
Saturday (5th Sep) -
Morning - Color improved... no signs of stress, but most of the time resting down...when swimming, swimming is normal.. tried showing him his food packet.. he became excited for feeding.. did not fed him though - Diagnosis, may be minor constipation... Stomach slightly bloated..Thought I should be stopping Ching Mix...
<I would>
Evening - Situation remained same.. Throughout this day, he did not passed any poo...
On account of heavy rainfall where I live...temperature of the tank was showing 27.4 degrees, Changed water 20%, added heater, salt, had set the temp to 30 degrees.. Did not fed him for the whole day...
Sunday (6th Sep) -
Morning - Still no sign of improvement.. most of the time resting below, he comes up only when someone approaches his tank.. But he had appetite...No food... Water change 20%, added salt
<Don't add salt>
Evening - Situation remained same...resting down.. not passing any poo... Tried him 1 pellet soaked in water.. I had to find out what was wrong... he ate that single pellet literally gulped it (Hikari cichlid staple)... Moment after consuming the pellet, vertical black stripes appeared out of no where and he went down to rest in the corner...
Monday (7th Sep) -
Morning - found him resting below, color darkened.. Started Metronidazole treatment... Metrogyl 400 mg dissolve in luke warm water, pellets soaked in that solution for 15 min.s.. fed him.. usual appetite, usual aggression while feeding... once completed, body turned black.. went down to rest...
Evening - Went home, found him resting on a corner.. he has passed Poo - this time normal in structure but dark yellow in color? When someone approaches, he swims fine... otherwise whole day resting in a corner - Stomach bloating disappeared...
Water change 20%, added Salt
<...>
Tuesday (8th Sep - Today) -
Morning, same situation resting, dark stripes in the body... fed him few pellets with Metrogyl soaked... He has passed Poo, small in quantity but dark yellow in color
Help me guys what is going wrong??
<Salt... water quality likely, some toxicity...>
1. Looking at his swimming pattern - he does not have a swim bladder...
<... Cichlids do have such>
Sometimes he jumps to catch the pellet..
2. Internal Infection - He is not passing any white poo
3. Stomach is not bloated...
4. Immediately after food, the dark stripes come in, remains for some time and then disappear..
Does he have a internal blockage???
<Doubtful>
One point wanted to mention here -- The bottom edges of his tank is covered with some kind of a yellow/white film which I thought was water mark on silicon gel..The fellow who prepared this tank had actually emptied 1 full silicon gun on my repeated warnings of leak...
<... When was this done? What sort of Silicon/Silastic was used? Some has mildewcide in it... for window use... is toxic. Could be at fault here>
This yellow/white kind of things keeps coming out from those edges, specially when i change water or when there is a turbulence... some part gets sucked by the canister, some again settles in the bottom...
Since yesterday I am also observing the same kind of this thing is hanging from this dorsal fin.. ?? Is he also having an fungal infection?? This is a new symptom came out of no where
Some ideas friends --- I am fearing, that I should not be late in corrections.. he still has appetite for food... if he looses that, then the damage would be done already...
Regards
Nimo
<Do get hold of the Silicon cartridge, read what the intended use is. Bob Fenner>

Re: PLSS HELP - Something wrong with my Flowerhorn - Unable to diagnose  Lernaea? 9/10/09
Hi Bob,
<Subhankar>
First of all thanks for stepping in to help me out
<Sure>
Update on the situation...
Yesterday I had first roller coaster ride in my 10 yrs of hobby..
The diagnosis was wrong..
I observed him sulking in a corner in a slanting position.. I observed him lethargic, I observed him turning dark in color.. so the first idea which anyone gets is an internal stomach problem...
But the confusion was
1. He had the usual appetite
2. His stomach was not bloated
3. He was passing poo normal in color
Tuesday (8th September 2009)
Evening - I observed whenever he sulks, he sulks in the same position in whichever corner of the tank he chooses... He sits in a posture where both his pelvic fins are covered in the ground, I also observed that he has a very mild movement pattern sitting in the same position, as if swinging like a pendulum...
I observed he had two red scars in his pelvic fin and a pure white thread like structure 1 inch in length hanging from both the scars - Worst part is that thread has a sac like structure or a ball at the end....
Wednesday (9th September 2009)
Morning - Saw the thread like structure has disintegrated from one of the scars, one still has a reminent, very small in size..
Three new white pimple like structure arrived on his tail.. they were new... looks like some kind of a white pimple...
Afternoon - My all doubts were Anchor worm, ...
<Ahh! A too-common parasite for pond-raised fishes, or kept with, fed fishes from...>
I had seen this before with one of my friend's goldies, So i knew how does an Anchor worm look like so, at the same time was not aware of what is the commercially available medicine, whether will get it in shorter time.. from anywhere..
He was always sitting in bottom, in a posture, which used to cover both of his scars.. and he used to move some time to and fro as if rubbing those scars...
Decided to go for KMNO4 (PP) treatment..
<Mmm, not for Lernaea... Better the organophosphate route... DTHP or Dimilin... Please read here re: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/anchorwrmfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. You will need to extract/remove the adults on the fish itself with tweezers>
Had a 23 litres tank - dosage of 10mg/litre of PP, prepared a PP concentrated solution (25 mg in 500 ml of distilled water) and had put 5 ml of that in the 23 litres tank resulting in 230 mg of PP...
<Potassium permanganate is too strong an oxidizer for "casual use"... too easy to serious burn fishes>
Transferred the FH into that tank, and allowed him to be there for 20 minutes with heavy aeration...
By god's grace he took the treatment well.. he was swimming.. all through the treatment... there was heavy bubbling inside the tank.. the clean water of PP was filled up with very small disintegrated particles....
After 20 minutes took him out to a freshwater tub...
Cleaned his hospital tank thoroughly, filled - refilled twice,, and had put him back again....in his small hospital bed
<Good>
Then came the easy but the most tedious part.. had to again disinfect his 300 litres tank with KMNO4... this time did not measured the KMNO4 amount.. just poured it liberally in the tank with all decors inside... allowed the tank to sit for 30 minutes.. with PP solution...
<Yikes... stains most all. I would have used hypochlorite/chlorine bleach... Per the protocol detailed on WWM>
Then cleaned all his decor, refilled and cleaned 300 lites twice, till i was sure not a trace of KMNO4 was visible... poured it up with water, dechlorinator, salt started heavy aeration for 4 hours.. then transferred him back to his main home..
Immly he became white, all colors gone.. fed him two pellets, switched off the lights,
Thursday (10 th September) - today morning
Colors got back to normal...he ate pellets, active than before but still relatively lethargic..
<But... did you remove the adult Anchorworms/Crustaceans from the fish?>
Out of 5 pimples, 2 have vanished, 1 still exists, remaining 2 has very slight traces.. I am just hoping, that those are dead by now and would vanish in 2 - 3 days time..
I will be keeping a close watch on him...
Now the million dollar question i have, is how did this thing entered in my tank..
On last Sunday (30th Sep) - I did a major cleaning of both of my 4 feet tanks.. Till now i do not see anything to my Malawi Setup.. but the FH got affected..
I had kept him in a very good condition - I know difficult to believe, but people who have seen him as regarded my tank as one of most clean ones..
but still ...
I just hope that I am done.. and these remaining small spores would go away with Salt and temperature and I do not have to treat him with PP once again...
Had to do this, because these damn freaks were sucking all that I was feeding him...
Just hope he pulls through...
<Me too>
Regards
Subhankar
<Thank you for sharing your experiences... observations and reactions. Bob Fenner>

Dalmatian Molly, dis.; was: platies  8/27/09
Thank you again. I have another quick question about my Dalmatian molly.
She is about 2 months old or so and has developed this whisker like thing on her "nose". It looks stiff and about 1/8 in. long or so it actually splits into 2 but comes from one spot on top of her "nose " area. Is this
something to worry about - a parasite or just an abnormal growth.
<More than likely dead skin, and as such, a possible precursor to Finrot.
In the case of Mollies, the number-1 cause of such problems is keeping them in the wrong environmental conditions. Mollies do best in hard, basic water with a little marine salt mix added, around 3-6 grammes per litre being ideal. Marine salt mix (as opposed to the largely useless "livebearer salt", "tonic salt", or "aquarium salt" on sale) contains not just salt but also minerals that harden the water and raise the pH. The overall effect is to create slightly brackish conditions that suit Mollies extremely well.
Whilst Mollies are found in freshwater habitats for the most part in the wild, and less often in brackish and marine habitats, for whatever reason, they do best in saline conditions when kept in captivity. There are several explanations about this, but the most probable answers are to do with the stable basic pH and the reduced toxicity of nitrite and nitrate in salty rather than freshwater conditions. If you read through our Molly disease FAQs, you'll see this issue comes up again and again, and the only explanation can be that people buy them before reading any books first: practically every aquarium book written since the dawn of time has stated clearly that Mollies prefer slightly salty conditions. Anyway, my advice would be to add marine salt mix (e.g., Instant Ocean, or whatever generic marine salt mix brand your pet store sells) at the dose suggested above.
Other livebearers won't mind this, and in fact are likely to be healthier, particularly Guppies, though Platies and Swordtails aren't from brackish water habitats and won't appreciate the addition of marine salt mix above 6 grammes/litre. At this dose, you'll find using marine salt mix very economical: you're using about a sixth the amount used in marine tanks, so a box suitable for 20 gallons of marine strength salt water will make 120 gallons of water for a Molly aquarium. Most hard water tolerant plants will adapt fine, but most freshwater fish will not, but then, as is clearly stated on WWM numerous times as well as in practically every aquarium book ever written, you don't keep Mollies in community tanks. They aren't community fish, and never have been. The fact they often need saline conditions simply makes them untenable for such systems, though they work brilliantly well in livebearer, brackish water, and even marine community
tanks. I'd even argue that Mollies are such beautiful fish, and in the cases of Sailfin Mollies, so very large when properly cared for, that they amply deserve a tank all their own.>
She eats and acts fine with no other signs of distress. Thanks for your time. Donna
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Dalmatian Molly; was: platies. Dis., Lernaea?   8/29/2009
Hi Neale,
I found that not only does the molly have this thing but one of the baby platies has one hanging from it's bottom. I thought it was feces. At closer observation it looks like a Y comes from one spot and splits to a y
shape. I have gotten the salt - should I just continue with that and nothing else? I also had the water tested and it is fine. Again thanks for the input to a very novice aquarist.
Donna
<Donna, the shape is *strongly* suggestive of something like an external crustacean parasite. Google "anchor worms", "Argulus", and "fish louse" to see what you get. In general, these are best removed by [a] dipping the fish in a seawater solution (35 grammes non-iodised salt added to a litre of aquarium water) and then [b] forceps used to gently pull the parasite off. Maintaining the aquarium at SG 1.003 to 1.005 (6 to 9 grammes marine salt mix or tonic salt per litre) should also do the trick. If you're maintaining the tank as a brackish water aquarium, then raising the salinity using marine salt mix should shift the parasites, but if it
doesn't, then use forceps. Grip the parasite as closely as possible to the fish's body, holding the fish firmly without squeezing. Don't rush! If you dip the fish in seawater for one to twenty minutes, the parasite should
weaken, making this easier. Clean the wound with antiseptic (something like a dab of iodine or even Melafix) when done. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Dalmatian Molly; was: platies, Lernaea  8/28/2009
Hi Neale
Yup that's exactly what it looks like when I Googled it.
<Very good.>
My concern is actually removing the thing. I'm nervous about taking the fish out and hurting it.
<May well "hurt" as you pull the thing out, but much less dangerous (or painful) than the constant sucking of blood.>
Is there anything special I need to do, do I just hold it in between my fingers?
<Not fingers; must be forceps, or something similar, like tweezers. Have you ever removed a tick from a dog? Not dissimilar; must remove whole thing, including mouthparts, taking care not to snap the body in two and so allow secondary infections. Your aquarium shop may sell certain Anchor Worm specific medications, e.g., Anchors Away, but these are often fairly toxic in themselves, and can harm sensitive fish (e.g., Loaches, Catfish) as well as invertebrates (snails, shrimps). They aren't always effective, either.>
I have the Melafix also - do I just apply only once after pulling it out or do I repeat that until the wound heals - or should I just add the Melafix to the tank after wards also. I do also have the stress coat stuff to add
to the tank for the slime - is that also suggested?
<I'd dab a little neat Melafix with a Q-tip onto the wound, and then dose the tank as suggested by the instructions. Stress Coat shouldn't be required, and in fact I recommend against mixing two or medications unless you know it is safe to do so.>
I was hoping that with the salt treatment it would fall off but of course it did not.
<How much salt did you add? At one extreme, if you transferred Mollies to a marine aquarium (or similar added 35 grammes marine salt mix/litre water) the Anchor Worms would quickly die. In a freshwater tank you can add up to a specific gravity of 1.005, or 9 grammes salt per litre, which should certainly weaken the parasites without harming salt-tolerant fish like Platies as well as Mollies. Of course, non-salt-tolerant fish may not accept such conditions for long.>
My other question is do I have to do anything else to ensure that the anchor worm is gone from the tank?
<There's no 100% reliable way, but usually removing the worms you see, and if any others occur afterwards, removing those, breaks the cycle.>
A 25% water change I'm guessing.
<Won't do much of anything against Anchor Worms, since these are attached to fish, not swimming about.>
Also is there anything I need else I need to do to ensure recovery of the fish?
<Usually the fish recover very well.>
I know nothing is "for sure" but I want to give it as good of a shot as possible. We haven't added any new fish - besides the babies - in quite some time I'm wondering how this parasite got in.
<Typically, Anchor Worms breed in ponds, and in the case of livebearing fish, this would have been outdoors on a farm in Florida or wherever.>
Any ideas on how not to get a re infestation?
<Observe new fish carefully, quarantine them, and if you see Anchor Worms, remove them before placing them in the main aquarium. Anchor Worms are actually pretty rare among aquarium fish, though they are more common on pond fish.>
Sorry for sooo many questions but as I've said I feel there is no better site than yours and trust everything you suggestion. Again thank you for your time and patience.
Donna
<Happy to help. Good luck, Neale.>

Re: Dalmatian Molly; was: platies, Lernaea  8/30/2009
Hello again Neale,
<He's marked "out till Tues.>
I added the salt as per the recommendation on the bag. Just to make it slightly brackish for the molly. We have all platies except for the one molly who we've had as a fry and who just appeared in our tank one day. We had an adult who had passed a while before hand due to ick but must have been pregnant. Anyway 2 adult platies, 2 platy babies ,one baby molly and a clown Pleco in a 29 gallon tank. All but one baby platy has an anchor worm. I will try removing the ones I see and let you know.
<Do take care here, with their extraction... the adults' removal can/does cause a great to mortal amount of damage. Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/anchorwrmfaqs.htm
and the linked files above; particularly re the use of organophosphates>
But as I stated before a bit worried about doing that. I was wondering how to hold the fish actually - with my fingers or laying him out on the net?
<The net>
Will this just stress them out?
<Will>
As you can tell a really new fish hobby. But if I don't ask I won't learn!
I really appreciate your time. I'm just wondering if the anchor worm has eggs and more develop - that was the reason I questioned about doing the water change.
Again thanks Donna
<My sis' name... whom I'm moving an armoire with currently. Bob Fenner>

Re: Dalmatian Molly; was: platies 8/30/2009
Thanks Bob,
texting and moving an armoire at the same time - nice multi-tasking!
Donna
<Donna, Bob, just wasting time at CVG airport. Thanks for taking the time to answer this query, Bob. Donna, yes, removing lice is tricky but not difficult, and dipping in saltwater, as mentioned earlier, weakens the crustacean sufficiently that removal isn't hard. Will bow to Bob's better knowledge of organophosphate insecticides for treatment, but my understanding is that these have reduced/zero impact on "attached" lice. It
is telling that much research in aquaculture is towards "manual" removal via cleaner organisms; in the UK, the favoured "cleaner fish" on salmon farms being juvenile wrasse, analogous to cleaner wrasse behaviour in the tropics. Cheers, Neale.>

medication, Lernaea
Hi crew, a quick question about medicating my tank. I had medicated it for anchor worm - which didn't work
<... doesn't work on embedded adults>
so now onto pulling them out manually, but replaced the filter to get the medicine out. How long is this process because after I attempt to remove the anchor worms I was told to apple Melafix
<... no>
on the spots and treat tank with the Melafix for about a week. If I do that I have to take the carbon out of the filter. So I want to make sure all the medication is out first. Thanks for any input. D
<Depending on the quality of the carbon employed, the amount, volume of the tank, circulation through it... a few hours. BobF>

Re: Dalmatian Molly; was: platies, Lernaea  9/1/2009
Hi crew,
I removed the anchor worms with tweezers but not really sure if the head came with it.
<Is distinctive...>
I tried my hardest to get the fish still but of course one jumped as I was pulling and not sure if the whole thing came out. The anchor worms were all in uneasy areas (right next to fins and one by the mouth) and hope I didn't harm the fish, they are very hard to distinguish between when they are out of the tank everything is so translucent. They all seem shaken by the ordeal as I am also. If I didn't successfully remove the head can I say these fish will eventually die?
<Mmm, no; not necessarily>
I used the Melafix on them and am treating the tank with it also. Now just wait and see? I'm so upset by this whole endeavor. What else needs to be done? Thanks for your time and patience - kind regards Donna
<When, where in doubt, keep reading. B>

Re: Dalmatian Molly; was: platies, Lernaea  9/1/2009
Hello AGAIN,
I'm glad to hear that they may not die, I last spoke with Neale who suggested using the Melafix after wards is this a sufficient tonic for recovery.
<Ah, no, perhaps I wasn't clear. It is standard practise after physically removing Anchor Worms and other "skin biting" parasites to dab the wound with an antiseptic such as iodine. If you have Melafix, then this might be used in the same way, as a topical antiseptic, or perhaps added to the water to reduce the chances of secondary infection. In and of itself, Melafix won't cure Anchor Worms, and as Bob is intimating, Melafix isn't altogether reliable, and you may still find the wounds become sites of secondary infection, in which case an appropriate anti-bacterial or anti-fungal would be used.>
Is there a different solution? I got a different answer from Bob. Needless to say they are tight finned right now and not looking happy. I had put some Cycle in this morning - suppose to help with fish loss? Anyway I'll heed any info you throw at me. Have read all the FAQs about the anchor fish on your site but will take any other info if you have. Again thanks for your knowledge sharing! Donna
<Physically removing parasites from fish shouldn't cause undue stress,
<<!? Lernaea extraction I've seen cause outright death... being netted, handled, having a large (%) mass removed from the body, bleeding... RMF>>
and usually they recover quite rapidly from the stress of being removed from the tank and handled. The chances of secondary infection aren't great, but it does happen, hence the need to keep your eyes open for signs of bacterial or fungal growth. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Dalmatian Molly; was: platies 9/1/2009
Hi thanks again, I see that most of the fish are back to normal from being on the bottom to up and swimming around and eating.
<Good.>
One in particular is swimming about at the top head up tail down clenched fins. Should I be worried.
<Yes, particularly if it doesn't show signs of improving over the next day or so.>
And lastly should I continue for the recommended 7 days with the Melafix in the tank or should I use the Cycle instead or along with the Melafix?
<Don't Melafix and Cycle do different things? Nutrafin Cycle is a largely useless product that is supposed to improve the performance of biological filters and (supposedly) speeds up the rate at which new filters become colonised by bacteria. I'd be surprised if it did much of either, frankly, but I'm sure of the many ways to spend money, it's among the more harmless.
So if you want to use it, go ahead, but it isn't going to make your fish healthier or a properly maintained and mature filter any better. Melafix is a tea-tree oil solution that has mild anti-bacterial and anti-fungal
properties. Some aquarists swear by it, but others, including Bob, are much more critical. I can certainly report that many aquarists who have used Melafix still go on to have bacteria or fungal problems, so at best, it's an unreliable "cure".>
cheers to you! Donna
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Dalmatian Molly; was: platies 9/1/2009
Ok cool I'll just use the Melafix - you know I'll always listen to you guys rather than the supposed fish experts at the LFS.
<I'm glad we can help.>
What should I do about the one I should be worried about - she's eating (a little) but no signs of anything on her body just the hanging out at the top and tail down.
<Is this a Molly or a Platy? With Mollies, fin-clamping is a common symptom of stress, sometimes to do with water chemistry or water quality, but sometimes because they're too cold. Oddly, while Mollies are subtropical to tropical fish in the wild, with a very broad temperature tolerance (they live as far north as the Carolinas in the US) the tank-bred forms need really warm conditions to do well, quite a bit warmer than the average community fish. So whereas Platies thrive best around 24 C/75 F, Mollies are usually better kept a bit warmer, around 26-28 C/79-82 F.>
The one and only male is definitely feeling better because he's "courting" her again and bothering her to no end.
<Clumps of floating plants will help.>
Didn't take long for him to be up and running.
<Indeed! Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Dalmatian Molly; was: platies... Lernaea f'  9/5/09
Hello,
I'm at a loss again they seem to be making a turn for the worst - hanging at the bottom and when they do come up for food their heads are up tails down. But they are eating. Any advice on what to do?
<Keep checking water quality, being observant>
Not sure of what's wrong. There are no visible sign of anything physical just that I extracted the anchor worms so could that be the problem? They are flashing on things too. Thanks for any advice. Donna
<Maybe. RMF>

Anchor worms and quarantine   6/4/09
Hi
<Hello,>
I've poked around on the web, but haven't found anything that can answer my question. On Monday I bought 2 new goldfish, a calico fantail (3cm) and a orange-and-white fantail (4cm), to add to my 10 gallon with a 6cm fantail (upgrading to 60gal at the end of the month).
<Glad to hear you upgrading this tank! Ten gallons isn't nearly enough for three Goldfish.>
I've had that fantail for a year and a half, with no problems. This morning (Thursday) I noticed that there are thin string-like things on the tips of the white-and-orange fantail's tail, he also has a scale that is dark (looks like a wound) that I noticed when I bought him home.
<Now, there are three things to think about here. The first is some type of external parasite like Anchor Worm, just as you suggest. But the two other things to consider are Finrot and Fungus. Finrot erodes fin tissue, leaving behind what we call fin rays (the bones) until these snap off. It's actually very common for Finrot to take the appearance of receding fins and trailing fin rays. Fungus is characterized by the presence of the hyphae that make up the "body" of the fungus, and these look like cotton wool threads. They can, in some instances, be quite long, over 1 cm. So that's another thing to think about. Both Finrot and Fungus are latent in all aquaria, even well maintained ones, since the bacteria and fungi responsible normally do good work breaking down waste materials.
Consequently they have the potential to come out of nowhere when conditions turn bad in the aquarium. Anchor Worm, and indeed most of the other large external parasites, have complex life cycles that cannot be completed in aquaria. They only really become problems in ponds, and because Goldfish are farmed in ponds, it's newly imported fish that are likely to carry them. Once exterminated, Anchor Worms rarely turn up in aquaria ever again.>
I've done some reading about Anchorworms and I've decided to quarantine him, because he doesn't seem to have any other wounds where the worms could've reproduced. Should I keep him in quarantine and treat him, or should I treat the main tank?
<Quarantine, treat and observe the fish until you are happy he is no longer infected. Free living parasites could potentially hitchhike from the quarantine tank to the display tank via buckets, nets, etc. so take care to
isolate the two tanks as fully as possible. Disinfect buckets, nets, etc. using a strong brine solution (50 g/litre cooking salt should do the trick). Anchor Worms are normally treated using organophosphate insecticides to kill the free living stages, with the adults ideally removed by hand. This is fairly tricky to do, but worthwhile if the insecticide isn't killing the adults quickly. Place the goldfish in a waterlogged towel, wrap the fish securely to hold it firmly, and then pull away the adult Anchor Worm using forceps from its head, NOT it's tail (it's a lot like removing ticks from dogs, if you've ever done that). Dab the wound with some sort of antiseptic such as mercurochrome, iodine, tea-tree oil, etc. It would be a very good idea to use something like tea-tree oil proactively in the aquarium once you're finished to prevent secondary infection, though if only the tail fins are affected, the risk of trouble is very small. You may decide to dip the Goldfish in seawater for a few minutes prior to manual removal of the parasites; although this won't cause serious harm to the Goldfish, and doesn't kill the parasite, it does weaken the parasite, making it easier to remove them. Make up seawater using 35 g per litre non-iodised cooking salt or aquarium salt; don't use regular
marine aquarium mix because that raises the pH and hardness, which won't be appreciated by the Goldfish. Dip the fish using a net, and leave for several minutes, potentially 15 minutes, but remove the fish at once if it
shows signs of distress such as rolling over. You can now pull of the Anchor Worms a bit more easily than otherwise. After a couple of weeks, if there's no sign of any more parasites on the fish, and you've finished the treatment of insecticide, you can then move the Goldfish into the display tank.>
I know this isn't fin rot, there is nothing else wrong with his fins or with him, he's eating and swimming....
Thanks for your time!
Nadine (South Africa)
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Anchor worm and platy fry 12/30/08
Good evening,
<Hi,>
I'm new to the hobby and about a month ago I introduced a female wagtail platy into my cycled tank. Little did I know, I soon had a brood of fry :)
Wanting to ensure the safety of the fry and it being a well planted tank, I moved the mother to another tank.
<Floating plants the way to go with these livebearers; instinctively the fry seek shelter in the leaves/roots of floating plants, and it's easy to see them there and scoop them out. The fine roots of species such as Limnobium trap algae and organic detritus, providing lots of good "grazing" for Platies, both newborn and adult.>
A few days later, in the fry tank, I noticed small crustaceans which I first thought we daphnia--either way the fry were happily eating them!
After a lot of reading on my new hobby, I spotted a male adult anchor worm in the tank today. Needless to say, I removed the little b*****!
<Are you sure it's an Anchor Worm? Actually NOT AT ALL common in aquaria, and while can be introduced on live food collected from a garden pond, unlikely to come from farmed Daphnia bought in a reputable pet store.
Because Anchor Worms need intermediate hosts to complete their life cycle, they die off eventually in aquaria, rarely reaching population sizes large enough to do any serious harm.>
I've seen spotted a couple of adult female anchor worms in there and they have gotten the same treatment.. My question is with the platy fry being about two weeks old and only about 4 millimeters (excluding tail) can the anchor worms do any damage or should I treat the tank or move the fry to another tank?
<In theory at least, Anchor Worms can harm any fish, in part as parasites themselves, but more seriously by creating wounds that can become infected.
But I honestly don't believe this is the issue here. Portions of live food from the pet store may contain other crustaceans alongside Daphnia, some of which might be mistaken for Anchor Worms. They're difficult to treat
without recourse to insecticides such as metriphonate, but in an aquarium, the cycle is broken anyway, so there shouldn't be a long term problem.>
Thanks for a great web site and, of course, any help,
Sam
<Cheers, Neale.>