A question on Argulus   11/15/10
Hi,
<Tom>
First off, thank you for your site. I have used it and have learned much on more than one occasion.
<Ah, good>
My question is about Argulus (fish lice). About two months ago I discovered Argulus on some of my goldfish. After much research I learned about Dimilin and tracked some down at an LFS about an hour from my home.
I removed all of the many mystery snails living in the tank and treated it for the prescribed time and it worked wonderfully. All is well with the goldfish now.
<Ah, very good>
Unfortunately, there are still Argulus living in the isolation tank I moved the snails to. Everything I have read seems to indicate that the Argulus cannot live for more than two weeks without a host,
<Mmm, longer than this>
but they are still visible all over the glass in the snail tank after over a month and a half. Are snails a host for Argulus as well?
<Not as far as I'm aware, no>
If so, is there any way to kill them without harming the snails?
<Again... not as far as my knowledge goes>
I really want to move them back to their big 50 gallon tank where they can move around doing their happy snail-speed things.
Tom
<I would keep moving the snails out of their isolation system, draining all the water out, lightly bleaching... refilling with water from the established system... a few times... this practice should eliminate intermediate forms. Bob Fenner>

Fish Lice-HELP... reading  8/28/10
I have a 175 gallon salt water tank, I have a 500 gallon turtle pond and I have a 5000 gallon Koi pond. I CANNOT believe I was so stupid as to NOT QT.
<Happens>
So my problem, the 5000 gallon Koi pond, I have had for 5 to 6 years. Its beautiful. Well, a couple of months ago I did a rescue, some Chinese restaurant had over 100 Koi in this LITTLE pond more suited for maybe 20.
So we did a rescue of 4 of them (along with a few other folks) and I didn't QT, the Koi.
Now, I have fish lice on all my beautiful butterfly Koi. I cried, literally. So here's what I have done, I removed all plant life, did a HUGE water change, cleaned the bottom, and treated them with cyropro.
<? What is this product? I.e., what are the active ingredients?>
My question
1) Am I going to lose any of my fish?
<Not likely if treated properly, no>
they are all named, blinky, ceech and chong, nessie, etc., my butterflies are like 22 inches long, I am SO mad at myself I KNOW BETTER.
2) How does this cyropro work?
<I have no idea what this is; neither does Google>
Will the lice fall off them or do I have to manually remove them?
<Most med.s call for removing adults thus>
And how long does it take. States to treat every 10 days for 30 days.
3) Is there anything else I can do to speed up the process? I hate seeing my fish uncomfortable. They are not even coming up to me for their hand fed treats! So sad.
Believe it or not I have searched the web over and over again on fish lice, there is not as much info as I would like! Things like how long before you notice an improvement. Will they come back?
thank you for you help I do appreciate it
starla
<... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fishlicef.htm
and the Related FAQs files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: Fish Lice-HELP
The active ingredient in this med is cyromazine, Google says it is a pesticide.
<I see this... and typical for Lernaeid med.s>
There is also B12 in the product and a synthetic skin-slime replacer. This is what our LFS recommended. We used last night (the first treatment) 1 fluid ounce for 312 gallons, so we measured it out and we walked around the edge of the pond pouring it in. It doesn't state that we have to manually remove the lice. How do I do this without stressing my fish too much?
<... read where you were referred>
When you said to manually remove them I did a search and read that once the lice is removed I should treat the spot with a medication to aid in healing? Yet the site didn't say..what kind of medication!
<Some folks dab a mercurical on these sites...>
I read the link you sent, actually I read it last night and again this morning, which is how I ended up emailing you.
<Oh!>
Thank you for your help!
<Welcome. B>
Re: Fish Lice-HELP
PS, I can pull my fish out and put them in a 500 gallon QT tank that I have on hand.
<Ahh! Very good to have such/another system... so you can systematically net out, carefully hold (with a wet towel) each fish, inspect it for adult "worms", remove them... and place the fish in the new system>
Would it be better to do this and leave the main pond alone?
<I would likely bleach-wash the main system after removing the fish>
I under stock all my systems so I have in the 5000 gallon pond 8 kois
<... the plural of Koi is Koi... there is no such thing as kois>
and 2 of the algae eaters (sucker fish not sure of the name)
thanks
starla
<Welcome. BobF>

Oscars and some sort of parasite infestation! (fish lice)? <<Not>> Parasites On Oscars   3/17/10 I've been a long time reader of your website and usually I've had enough information from previous articles or questions and email answers from you guys and gals to solve any problems that I've encountered on this journey into the fish world I've taken. However, currently I've run across something that I can't quite get a grasp of to fix and would like your input. I've had these 2 Oscars in a 75 gallon tank for the last 5 years and have normally been very active and playful and decorative for a lack of better term. (Thank tank never keeps its current layout very long they change it almost monthly it seems) Lately though they've been a bit lazy and dont swim around as much. They still have an appetite and are very energetic when its feeding time though! The problem is that they started rubbing on things and it got to a point to where they would rub gouges in their scales on their head and front areas. One night I finally got a closer look at them and they have these little specs all over them, and at first I thought it may just have been some sort of dirt but as I looked closer I noticed the dirt specs crawled around. So I looked around at your website and searched around for pictures of the only thing I could guess it was based on symptoms (fish lice) and couldn't see many pictures that matched it. I read a few of your email answers about fish lice in fresh water and have started a treatment of clout tablets. Its only been 2 days and it says its a 4 day treatment (one dose wait 48 hours re dose, wait 48 hours and do a 25% water change). I followed those instructions and my re dose is later today and I thought that maybe the little bug things (fish lice?) should be dying by now! The parasites are less in number but still seem to be hanging on the Oscars. The other concern is that I didn't think they may be fish lice just because all the stories I read about them, was them burrowing under the scales and these look more like little spider things on top of the scales just randomly crawling around. They're staying mostly towards the front of the fish there are few if any past the gills of the fish and most are on the head. I've attached a couple of pictures that I hope can help you aid me in telling me what they are. Here are my current tank stats if I manage to leave something out please ask if you need it and I'll get it ASAP. I just ran these tests 5 min ago. pH: between 7.4-7.8 Its probably higher than you guys would like to see but its kind of the water card that I've been dealt and the Oscars have lived in it for 5 years now with no problems thus far. Ammonia: 0 ppm Nitrite: 0 ppm Nitrate: Between 0 and 5.0 ppm Copper: 0 ppm Phosphate: Between 2.0 and 5.0 ppm I also am not sure if the phosphate level is normal or acceptable because there's little reference to a normal level of phosphate in a tank. The pictures look a little bit drastic because of the massive amount of the parasites on the fish, but a lot of them are just loosely on there as soon as I feed them or come towards the tank any remotely fast movement shakes most of them off. I had to sit there very patiently for 10 minutes to get the fish to calm down enough to get these shots. The albino Oscar always has more of the infestation on it than the tiger Oscar does and I also don't know why that is. Anyhow, sorry for the long email but I would greatly appreciate any help. If the clout treatment is the correct way to go then it's already in progress and I suppose I'm just not patient enough to wait for the results! I worry about them though. Thanks, Patrick Stockton < Sometimes the parasites bury into the fishes flesh. This makes them harder to treat and it takes longer to kill them. Follow the directions on the package and continue medicating as directed. They could have come in with feeder goldfish. Elevating the water temp to 80 F will hasten the lice's life cycle. If this medication does not work then I have had good success with Fluke-Tabs.-Chuck><<Looks more like Hexamita to RMF. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/FWHLLECauses.htm and the linked files above>>

Trying to find a diagnosis. Oscar With Fish Lice  8/21/07 Hello, I have a tiger Oscar that has been self-mutilating himself. He rubs against things in the tank and has opened his flesh at times. I did not see anything with my naked eye (at first). Then, one day, I sat down by the tank and looked up. He swam into the light and behold, there were microscopic white specks on his head. Then, I looked closer and they actually were moving. They are so very small, too small to compare them to anything. The only reason I saw them, was because he is black and swam into very bright light. They look like bugs crawling around over him. Now that I knew what to look for, I noticed them on the glass of my tank. Lots of them. Only in the light and very microscopic. I have tried researching "parasites" and nothing seems to fit the description. Fleas would be too big and flukes are described as "worm-like" rather than "bug-like". I couldn't stand to see my Oscar with open wounds and frayed fins so I bought "parasite eliminator" to cure flukes, anchor worm, and fleas, etc. I am about to give the 2nd dose. They have not responded to treatment so far. They are still there and there are plenty of them moving around unphased. What can I try next if this doesn't work? I appreciate any response, Thanks, Tina < Try Clout or Fluke-Tabs. The parasites probably came in with some feeder fish.-Chuck>

External Parasites On An Adult Jack Dempsey   7/17/07 Hello Crew, I have a relatively large Jack Dempsey (10") named Phin that lives with an algae eater in a 40 gallon tank. We've had him for just over a year and up to this point his behavior is fairly predictable but lately we have noticed some new patterns that were alarming. We introduce 10 feeder fish each week and it usually takes him just a few days to polish them off. About 2-1/2 weeks ago we introduced the feeders and he has only eaten two of them. In addition, he started to breathe more rapidly and he would dart around the tank and almost crash himself into the gravel. About two days ago I went to say good morning to Phin and noticed that he had about a dime-sized spot behind one of his eyes where it appears he has lost his scales. I also noticed one scale near his tail on the same side that was coming loose. I immediately went to the pet store to ask about possible problems and solutions. The "fish expert" at the store suggested that it may be a skin bacteria or infection and gave me "Maracyn" to treat the tank for five consecutive days. She also gave me frozen beef heart to provide Phin with some nutrition. I did the initial treatment on the tank and fed him some of the beef heart (which he absolutely devoured). A few hours later I returned to the tank to check on Phin and I noticed something new...he now has tiny little greenish things all over him. There are a few on his body and some on each of his fins. They are very small, I would say less than 3mm across, they appear to be round and they don't move around a lot, they seem attached to his body. I referred to the instructional booklet that came with the "Maracyn" and it didn't say that it treated any live, external parasites so I'm not quite sure what to do at this point. What do you think I'm dealing with and how should I treat it? Thank you in advance for your help! < When you feed your fish feeder goldfish you always have the potential to introduce parasites and diseases to your fish. treat with either Clout or Fluke Tabs. It sounds like you have fish lice.-Chuck>

Fish lice?   4/1/06 Hello. <Hi. Tom with you> About a week ago a purchased 2 Fantail Goldfish and 1 Platy. I have all of these fish in a tank together. <Not a good plan, Savanna. The Goldfish require very different water conditions than the Platy does which may have led to stressing this particular fish.> The other day I started to notice on my Platy white bumps all over it's tail. Then yesterday I noticed 1 huge bump on the back of the fish. Today I found 4 new bumps on the left side of the fish. These bumps are white and about 1-3mm wide. I have no clue what is going on, but I did take the Platy out of my tank and put him in a separate one by himself. Tell me what's going on; is it fish lice? <Your Platy almost certainly has Ich. Fish lice are quite a bit larger than you describe (visible to the naked eye) and are dark (brown or green) in coloration. Frankly, that's not all bad since Ich is much easier to treat. You do want to be prompt with the treatment, however. Lots of information here in WWM on the course of treatment. I'd highly recommend heat and aquarium salt as your Platy will be very tolerant of both. Tom> Parasite Attack Hi crew, <Hi Lorenzo, MacL with you today.> I'm afraid I have a parasitic infestation in my tank. <Not good Lorenzo, not good at all.> These parasites look like little oval semitransparent lice that become white and tear away from fishes when I dip them in fresh water. <Have you seen the picture here, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/isopodfaqs.htm, is it one of these?> I think they are trematodes or Argulus sp. (crustaceans). The problem is that after one or two week that I've done the freshwater bath they come back again over fishes eyes and in my puffer's gills. <I really think you need to get the fish out of that tank and put them in a quarantine system. Let the tank go fallow and keep the fish out for 4 weeks.> I can't treat my display tank because have live rocks in it. And when I'll pass to a grater tank in November I have to use my live rocks that I afraid infested by these parasites. <You'll move whatever is in the rock into the new tank unless you let the parasites die out by letting the tank go fallow.> I'm trying cleaner wrasse to control the spread. What can I do to heal my fishes and to disinfest my tank? <I would continue with the freshwater dips and consider putting them in a quarantine system with a low level of copper for the parasites. I would let the tank go fallow for at least four weeks before I put any fish back and let the parasites die out with nothing to feed on.> Thanks for your help!!!! <Hope this helps, MacL>