I recently recieved 6 polyps. that are completely covered with little worms! The worms seem to match the coloration of the three delhizi and the three ornatipinnis. What meds should i use?
polypterus covered with worms!
- Thread starter jconley
- Start date
Welcome to MFK!!!
We need a pic to accurately assess the species you're dealing with. However, in the interim, give the polys a saline bath. A specific gravity of 1.015 should cause the worms to go into distress and detach from the polys. The salt shouldn't adversely affect your polys fora good 30 minute bath (60 minutes is preferred - just observe your bichirs. If they appear "drunk" and rolling to their sides, remove them from the bath and return them to their freshwater tank.
We need a pic to accurately assess the species you're dealing with. However, in the interim, give the polys a saline bath. A specific gravity of 1.015 should cause the worms to go into distress and detach from the polys. The salt shouldn't adversely affect your polys fora good 30 minute bath (60 minutes is preferred - just observe your bichirs. If they appear "drunk" and rolling to their sides, remove them from the bath and return them to their freshwater tank.
Do a major gravel wash/water change to reduce the population of worms. Adding salt at a spec grav of 1.008-1.010 won't harm your polys and might kill off all of the worms. If not, we can step it up from there once we know what worm or hydra, or other animal we're dealing with.
I didn't know you already had an anti-parasitic treatment on hand. PraziPro is great stuff. Omit the salt bath. Still add some salt (teaspoon/gal) to help fend off fungal infections at the worm attachment points. Also add a slime coat booster. The sooner the slime coat is restored, the less chance there is for additional infection to set in.
I've treated newly imported polypterus with an FMG bath in the past to remove them, worked out fine in the end and all are healthy now.
Good Luck with the treatment, it sounds like it is working.
Lately at my LFS I have noticed that almost all new shipments of their senegals are having problems with worms.
This is a good thread for bicher "adopters" to take note of.
Lately at my LFS I have noticed that almost all new shipments of their senegals are having problems with worms.
This is a good thread for bicher "adopters" to take note of.
The typical parasite for polypteridae is Macrogyrodactylus polypteri. It is a type of freshwater leech. It lives from surface cells of the fish. Too many parasites will kill the fish. The leeches are 3 to 5 mm long, very thin, can hardly be seen with the naked eye.
Treatment (source Jurassic Fishes - Haruto Kodera): You should prepare a quarantine tank and add 250 ppm of formalin solution (formalin solution on the market diluted to 1/4000th strength) and then bathe the fish in the medicated water for 30 minutes. If the parasites are not exterminated the first time, repeat the same process until they are. You should be particularly careful in the case of a mixed tank. In no time at all the parasites on a single infested fish can spread to other specimens, so it is a good idea to add some fish medicine to the regular tank too. Based on my own practical testing, half of the prescribed concentration of a product called Green F Gold is most effective.
I have tried the Green F Gold in my tank with the half concentration, as I had only polypterus senegalus, and they were all affected. Aditionally I turned off the filter, but added an oxygen pump, as I was told, that the medicine would use up lots of oxygene. After 3 days, I turned on the filter again and the tank cleared. The parasites did not survive the procedure, the senegalus had no problem.
BG
Thomas
Treatment (source Jurassic Fishes - Haruto Kodera): You should prepare a quarantine tank and add 250 ppm of formalin solution (formalin solution on the market diluted to 1/4000th strength) and then bathe the fish in the medicated water for 30 minutes. If the parasites are not exterminated the first time, repeat the same process until they are. You should be particularly careful in the case of a mixed tank. In no time at all the parasites on a single infested fish can spread to other specimens, so it is a good idea to add some fish medicine to the regular tank too. Based on my own practical testing, half of the prescribed concentration of a product called Green F Gold is most effective.
I have tried the Green F Gold in my tank with the half concentration, as I had only polypterus senegalus, and they were all affected. Aditionally I turned off the filter, but added an oxygen pump, as I was told, that the medicine would use up lots of oxygene. After 3 days, I turned on the filter again and the tank cleared. The parasites did not survive the procedure, the senegalus had no problem.
BG
Thomas
is it same type as "tape worm"? mine have been found hundred of them in my tank and on polypterus body.
mine solve by add ghost shrimp in tank and they all gone. btw I dun know that could this be the same worm I've found, may be you should try.
mine solve by add ghost shrimp in tank and they all gone. btw I dun know that could this be the same worm I've found, may be you should try.