Parasitic Worm?
Hi guys, got a question for you regarding my adult Imperator Angel.  I noticed some bumps under his skin that have been there for a week or so, small and irregular in shape.  It appears that one of the bumps has broken through the skin and is white in color.  I was thinking worms, but have not been exposed to them before so I am clueless.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Sean
<Sean... we have yet to complete a parasitic worms section for the WWM archives. Its not something we can briefly describe or ID from the description given either. Do seek some disease reference material like Untergasser's "Handbook of Fish Diseases" for photo references. Else, we'll need more history, description and a close clear photo to fairly ID this for you. If you research it well and decide to write an article on the topic... we'd love to post it here. You'd be doing many aquarists a great favor in sharing what you learn! Best regards, Anthony>

Intestinal Worms?
Hi Bob,
<Scott F. here with you tonight!>
First of all I would like to say thank you on writing such an excellent book! (The Conscientious Marine Aquarist).  My fish store recommended this book above all others and I have learned more from it than anything else.
<I read my copy so much it started to fall apart! I agree with you-it's a great book!>
I am just setting up my first 55 gallon saltwater aquarium (with the help of the store of course) and I am having the following problem.  I bought two clownfish, one flame Hawkfish and an Orchid Dottyback about 8 days ago.  Everyone seems to be doing fine except for the Dotty.  Over the last two days I have noticed that he has had some discoloration on the lower part of his abdomen and today after watching him for quite a while I come to the conclusion that he has some sort of worm/internal parasite.  The discoloration seems to follow a "wormlike" pattern throughout his lower body and his stomach seems a bit enlarged.  The clincher though was the small white being that poked it's head out the fish's vent for a brief time.  That's a worm, huh?
<Hmm, could definitely be some type of intestinal parasite. Treatment is really contingent upon you ascertaining what type of parasite it is. Assuming that it's a tapeworm (Cestodes) or nematode, you can use some of the commercial "anti-worming" fish foods that are out there. On the other hand, sometimes these conditions can improve through maintaining very high quality water conditions. There are a number of commercial products available for this type of parasitic infestation. Often times, however, the chemical "cures" used to treat these problems can cause more damage than the parasite, so do read the WetWebMedia.com disease FAQs to get more information.>
What do I do?  I have not bought a quarantine tank yet (don't have the $$$ right now because every last cent has been spent on the main tank) but I don't want to lose my Dotty.
<I understand, but I really think that the modest amount that you'll need to spend to acquire a simple quarantine set-up (5- 10 gal tank, heater, sponge filter) will save you potentially hundreds of dollars down the line. You really need to quarantine all new fishes, and you should treat all sick fishes in a separate tank. If you look for used equipment, you can save more money on this stuff>
He seems very distressed though and his tail fin is fraying.  What advice can you give?  Will my fish live?
<It depends on the type of parasite that you're dealing with, and the apparent severity of the damage it's causing.>
Should I remove him?
<I would definitely attempt treatment with medications only in a "hospital tank">
Will the other fish acquire this worm as well?
<Hard to say, but it seems somewhat unlikely that this will happen>
I don't want to lose my little Dotty!!! Help! Christy
<Well, Christy, just hang in there, read up on parasitic infestations, and take appropriate action. I think you'll be fine! Good luck! regards, Scott F.>

Black spots on a clownfish
>hi,
>>Hi, Ben.
>I had a quick question.  I've got a percula clownfish that over the last week has developed a bunch (10+) black spots all over it's body (some up to 3 mm).  No particular location - just all over.  Besides these spots, the fish seems quite healthy and has a voracious appetite, swims normally, and hangs out in a colt coral it has hosted to.  The only thing that has been different recently is that I installed 2 new lights about a week ago (2 x 96W PCs, one 6500k and the other an actinic).  Could the fish be 'sunburned'?  
>>You know, I've never heard of a fish being sunburned unless it was actually out of the water.  This sounds more like a disease that's much more common on tangs, especially yellow tangs--black spot disease.  It's a parasite, and very easily dealt with via freshwater dipping.  Just be sure the water is matched for temperature and pH, and all should go well.  Minimum dip time would be on the order of 5 minutes, but I always watch the fish (they can often go longer).  Erect fins are a sign it's time to pull them out of the freshwater dip, but they will breath rapidly and "lose their balance", all common with f/w dipping.
>Although I had decreased the photoperiod from 12 to 8 hrs, some polyps didn't like the change and they retracted until they were relocated to the bottom of the tank.  Have you seen this before?
>>To be expected with the inverts, they do indeed tend to "burn", so reduction of photoperiod OR moving the lights and/or the inverts away (then moving closer/increasing photoperiod as they adjust) until everything has adjusted is the order of the day.
>thanks, Ben
>>You're quite welcome, and best of luck to you.  Marina <Might be flukes, possibly Paravortex, even Microsporideans... RMF>

Weird Bumps On Yellow Tang
I bought a yellow tang which is about 2.5" in size.
It's been feeding very well, but I've noticed that the fish has some bumps randomly all over its body. It doesn't look like Ich... the bumps look like some kind of rash... under the skin and are only visible when the fish is at certain angles to the light.
Then, they look like the bumps are a bit whitish... the difference between those and Ich is that ich looks like grains of salt outside... these look like tiny mosquito bites under the skin... The fish is also scratching a lot...I was thinking that maybe its body flukes.
<Could be...Or some other type of parasitic invasion...>
I gave the fish 5min bath in FW today. The bumps are still there, nothing changed...
<Not a bad idea...I'd still give it a couple more tries, to see if this will do the trick>
What do you think this is? What treatments would you recommend...?
<Well, for a parasitic infection, copper or Formalin preparations would work. There are  other commercial products better suited for "flukes", however...Visit a few of our sponsor's web sites for various products and their applications>
BTW, for body/gill flukes, what is better: copper (just like the treatment for Ich or velvet) or Formalin/malachite green ?
<Do make  positive ID on what you're dealing with there, just to make sure. Check the disease FAQs and see if you can find an example of something that looks like what you're seeing. Or, if you can email a digital photo, we can possibly help make a better ID...>
Thank you, Luke
<And thank you for stopping by, Luke! Regards, Scott F>

- Wasting Disease -
<Hello, JasonC here...>
Hi crew, have a problem I haven't been able to find much on. Have a Sebae clown, wild caught, about 4 years old; always been in perfect health.
Recently, I moved him to a larger tank, fish with some inverts, no anemones (yet). About 2 weeks later he developed Popeye, one eye, which I successfully treated with Epsom (thanks!). He still has a good appetite, even still has that pearly iridescence around the white bands that fresh-caught clowns have, BUT, he is beginning to lose mass; first, developing the typical pinched forehead, now progressing rearward both above and below the lateral line; no other clowns in the tank, other specimens unaffected. He eats and comes out less but is otherwise still pretty normal. <So you do see the fish eating... it would seem to me with the other occupants, this fish might be getting less that its fill.> His offered diet hasn't changed, if anything is better because I am feeding a large French and Atlantic blue tang, and very wary of HLLE, so they eat better than I do. My past experience is that this guy is headed for checkout, but its been a while, and if there is anything I can do I want to do it, so, suggestions? <Well, isolation might help - make sure the fish is eating well and without competition from the larger fish. Also, because this is a wild fish, it is also more likely that it has an internal parasite (or two) that are competing for the same nutrients, quite possibly nematodes or Cestodes [tapeworms]. Both can be treated - you should be able to obtain Praziquantel [for the Cestodes] and/or Fenbendazole [for the nematodes] from your local veterinarian. I would work with one of these at a time, and administer in baths for 2-3 hours. More information on these treatments can be found in the Edward Noga book, Fish Disease, which while expensive is very complete... and an eye-full.> Thanks, Steve J.
<Cheers, J -- >

- Fluke on my Foxface? -
Hello WWM Crew!  
<Hello.>
I love your website and have learned a tremendous lot from it! <Glad to hear.> Thanks so much for helping us 'newbies.'  I have a 120 gallon aquarium that's been up and running for almost 4 months.  I have recently added a Foxface Lo and an algae blenny as my first additions.  I also have a few frags of corals (zoos, a frogspawn and a couple xenia.)  My problem is that I had an outbreak of what I presumed to be ich in my display due to foolishly not quarantining my two new fish.  I now know better and will not repeat this mistake.  When I noticed the signs of ich I immediately removed both fish and treated with hyposalinity for 30 days.  I have returned the fish to the display and there seem to be no signs of ich so far - it's been about 4 days.  However, my Foxface has a 'bump' on his dorsal fin near the base that I would describe as looking like a clear to whitish 'bubble' of maybe 1-2 mm in diameter.  It's round to slightly oval and appears to have a whitish line or segment cutting near the center.  It was most certainly not there yesterday and is there clear as day today.  The fish appears healthy and is eating well.  My research on your site has led me to suspect this may be a parasitic fluke. <Could be.> Any way to know for sure? <Closer examination... magnification.> However, the treatment of this problem is not crystal clear to me.  Is a routine of freshwater dips in order? <Would be a good start.> Formalin? <Only if the dip doesn't affect the cure, but could also try some of the anti-parasitic foods like the New Life Spectrum Thera+.> Thanks for any help you can provide!
Cheers,
Steve S.
<Cheers, J -- >