What is this Illness?
- Thread starter CANAMONSTER
- Start date
I've had fish with anchor worms (goldfish) in the past but nothing showing signs as serious as what you have described.
That growth on the side of your fish is similar to what my nephews Heckelii had and I too thought it was anchor worms but on closer inspection, it was not. Anchor worms terminate in a forked v-shape and that’s not what my nephews or your fish look to have. It definitely had me stumped. Please keep us posted
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Sorry to hear about this. I don't know if a fish vet would consult over the phone. You could try.
www.fishvets.org
Does sound like a parasite?
AAFV FishVets.org – The American Association of Fish Veterinarians
www.fishvets.org
I got something called epistyles on a small datnioid some while ago and it started out like that and became this. I treated it with a big 90%wc lots of salt high flow and a medicine called parazin p. Two weeks in the tank without wc and food and its back to normal. The medicine wont affect your filtration and it treats anchor worms two.
Mine didn't look anything like that, thanks for posting though. I wish I had took pictures.
Sorry to hear about this. I don't know if a fish vet would consult over the phone. You could try.
Does sound like a parasite?AAFV FishVets.org – The American Association of Fish Veterinarians
Thanks, what is bizzare is that my tank is on a drip and water is cycled in and out pretty quick and my nitrates resemble that with a 10 to 20 ppm reading. The other is that it's only the chocolates that are infected, for now anyway.
It may not be anchor worm. It was just a suggestion based on the description of the symptoms as in small numbers anchor worm is fine but it can destroy the fish and also leads to secondary infections. Anchor worm goes through many stages and the forked females are not always visible is my understanding.
The part that doesn't fit anchor worm is about the anal area being affected. That sounds like internal worms and in fact, you may be dealing with a couple of issues at the same time, hence the confusion.
You've treated with prazi and salt so far, it worked for a short period of time but the issue re-occurred. Correct me if I am wrong. Prazi treats only tapeworms, not much else except for some common stuff that inhabits tanks and is only pathogenic in very bad water quality or stressed fish.
You should get a proper dewormer, such as levamisole or flubendazole, if you see the anus of the fish swelled up, etc..
If the issue is just the pits, holes, external on the body generally, and not the anal area, then look into external parastic treatment, broad spectrum if possible. Read on it or ask here first as many people just go blindly but there's logic in treating fish.
Also, about the anal area, if the fish is affected by one thing, such as external parasite for example, any additional issues like internal parasitic load will also get out of control as the fish's immune system is weakened.
Load up on the water changes in the mean time, as again, it is the fish's immune system that matters most in fighting diseases, and prolongs the time frame for treatment.
Certain species of fish are more susceptible to certain things than others, so it is not uncommon just one species of fish to be affected. In fact it is the norm. All have, just one species is not equipped with the necessary immune response to fight it off.
The part that doesn't fit anchor worm is about the anal area being affected. That sounds like internal worms and in fact, you may be dealing with a couple of issues at the same time, hence the confusion.
You've treated with prazi and salt so far, it worked for a short period of time but the issue re-occurred. Correct me if I am wrong. Prazi treats only tapeworms, not much else except for some common stuff that inhabits tanks and is only pathogenic in very bad water quality or stressed fish.
You should get a proper dewormer, such as levamisole or flubendazole, if you see the anus of the fish swelled up, etc..
If the issue is just the pits, holes, external on the body generally, and not the anal area, then look into external parastic treatment, broad spectrum if possible. Read on it or ask here first as many people just go blindly but there's logic in treating fish.
Also, about the anal area, if the fish is affected by one thing, such as external parasite for example, any additional issues like internal parasitic load will also get out of control as the fish's immune system is weakened.
Load up on the water changes in the mean time, as again, it is the fish's immune system that matters most in fighting diseases, and prolongs the time frame for treatment.
Certain species of fish are more susceptible to certain things than others, so it is not uncommon just one species of fish to be affected. In fact it is the norm. All have, just one species is not equipped with the necessary immune response to fight it off.
I noticed a typo in the last sentence.
What I meant to write is that All fish are "infected"/carry whatever is going around, but just one species is not equipped with the necessary immune response to fight it off. Fish "cohabit" happily with all types of nasty organisms without any visible signs for the majority of their lives.
