Anchor Worms -- help!

[marke14]

My main question -- do I need to treat my main tank for anchor worms? (read the details below)

My stats:

20 gal. tank:
3 adult balloon mollies
2 adolescent b.m.
5 b.m. fry

2 adult guppies
7-10 gup fry

Tank is planted, at 78 degrees F, Ph ~ 7.6 - 7.8 (stable -- at this Ph for a year now), I use salt (big tablespoon per 5 gallons changed out). Greenwater problem. Weekly (sometimes twice weekly) water changes using tap water (in coastal Los Angeles). NO2/3 and Ammonia within good ranges. Deep gravel bed w/o undergravel filter. HOB, no-frills filter.

QT Tank:

10 gallon, 80 degrees F, salted (1 tbs/5 gallon), a couple of plants, no substrate (just the glass!). Ph/NO2/3/Ammonia are the same as the main tank.

Currently in the QT: three male gup from PetsMart -- all 3 w. anchor worm

====

So, upon advice from several people, I set up a QT. I have read various bits about how long to quarantine the new fish, from several days to several weeks.

I had my new three in there for about 5 days, when I decided to move two of them into the main tank. The other one appeared to me to have a tiny bit of fin rot, so I left him in the QT.

Over the past several days, as I looked more closely at the lone QT fish, I realized he had anchor worms! CRAP! So I looked very carefully at the other two that I had foolishly transfered to the main tank; nothing. I left them in there. I finally was able to pick up some Jungle Parasite Clear (the fizzing tabs) last night and began treating my QT (yes, I removed the carbon from the HOB filter). As I scrutinized the two that had previously been in the QT, I noticed that each had at least one anchor worm on their tails, and I scooped them up and put them back into the QT.

The questions:

-- should I now treat my main tank as well, because the 2 fish I returned to the QT obviously had the anchor worms?

-- how contagious are the anchor worms?

-- because of my deep gravel bed, is treating the main tank even an option? My concern is that the larvae and eggs might permeate down into the gravel and hang on for who knows how long.

-- WHEN WILL I STOP BUYING FISH FROM PETSMART/PETCO?

Seriously people, take it from me -- do NOT buy fish from the big box pet stores (specifically, at least around Los Angeles, CA, Petco and Petsmart). So far, purchasing only guppies and balloon mollies, my tanks have contracted ick, hexamita, and now anchor worms IN A 12 MONTH TIME PERIOD.

I just need Camallanus, Columnaris, and Dropsy to round out my Tropical Fish Disease Decathalon.

I am seriously ready to throw in the towell here (as in, move the fish to one tank, treat the hell out of them w/ a bunch of salt, Jungle Parasite / Jungle Fungus / etc. and nuke the main tank with bleach). And I love my fish so much! Any advice would be very much appreciated.

 

[guppy]

You are going to need to treatr any tank the infected fish has been in. don't worry about how deep the gravel is. luckily treatments have changed in the last couple decades so products like parasite clear, parasite guard, Para-guard, anchors away, and clout are available now and any of these will kill off the naupuli of anchor worms. the adults are tougher. sometimes the meds kill them and the bodies remain attatched so watch for bacterial or fungal secondary infections, do not raise the temperature during treatment and the salt level you have should help prevent secondary infections but doesn't do squat for the worms. To remove large ones physical removal is often nessicary and that is not easy with very small fish. dabbing them with mecurichrome or iodine often makes them let go or at least loosen thier hold and them you remove them with forceps. If you cannot remove them with forceps swab the worms with iodine and just continue to treat the tank/s as the product you have chosen instructs. The treatments keep new ones from surviving and the older ones will eventually die, especially after being dabbed with iodine.

 

[marke14]

To remove large ones physical removal is often nessicary and that is not easy with very small fish. dabbing them with mecurichrome or iodine often makes them let go or at least loosen thier hold and them you remove them with forceps. If you cannot remove them with forceps swab the worms with iodine and just continue to treat the tank/s as the product you have chosen instructs. The treatments keep new ones from surviving and the older ones will eventually die, especially after being dabbed with iodine.

When you say "Dab them with iodine," are you referring to regular iodine that I could presumably pick up in a pharmacy? Do you "dab" with a Q-Tip (cotton swab)?

Thanks, you are the first person to directly answer my question! I will go home, immediately remove the carbon from my filter, and drop in some Jungle Parasite Clear and hope for the best.

I wonder if my diatom filter will help in this respect? That and a massive water change ...

Thanks again

 

[guppy]

Yes I do mean the iodine from the pharmacy or medical cabinet and yes, cotton swabs work great, I would hold off on the diatom filter as I am not sure if it would remove the meds as well, if not then it could not hurt as it would remove free swimming naupuli, uv also helps a bit as with ich.

 

[marke14]

Yes I do mean the iodine from the pharmacy or medical cabinet and yes, cotton swabs work great, I would hold off on the diatom filter as I am not sure if it would remove the meds as well, if not then it could not hurt as it would remove free swimming naupuli, uv also helps a bit as with ich.

OOh! I just had a thought then:

I will diatom filter the water, *then* chuck in the Parasite Clear.

Good thinking, Guppy! Thanks for the heads up.

Supposedly, according to the box (it's a Vortex Freedom Filter, I think it's the D-1) it doesn't remove meds, but who knows? You're right, presumably using both in that order (filter then meds) would do a double clean.

I thank you, and no doubt my guppies and mollies thank you!

 

[marke14]

I used my brand-new Vortex Freedom (D-1) diatom Filter, and dropped the Parasite Clear from Jungle in. We shall see; the diatom really cleaned the water out! I had a fairly sever greenwater problem, and it is now Crystal Clear. So far none of the other, original fish in the main tank had shown signs of AWs, and I will keep an eye out for them, but hopefully a couple/few doses of the Parasite Clear will take care of them.