Little black dots on piranhas????

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Hi guys.

I have been investigating and this is what I found:

"in earthen bottom ponds and lakes, this disease is caused by a parasite (larval trematode) that burrows into the skin of a fish causing the formation of a cyst approximately one millimeter in diameter. This parasite has a complex life cycle that requires fish eating birds or mammals, snails, and fish at different stages in order to survive.​

In general, even heavy infestations of these parasites do relatively little damage to the fish. There is some evidence that heavily infested juvenile fish may experience excessive blood loss, physiological stress, and even death. Also, fish with heavy infestations on the eyes may be blinded.​

The term "Black Spot" refers to the formation of small cysts in the muscle and skin around which the parasite lives. The cyst accumulates black pigment cells. These cause little harm to the fish. Young fish have growth problems if heavily infected. The first intermediate host is a mollusc. The fish is the second intermediate host and the final host is a kingfisher or heron.
Black Spot Treatments
Black spot is generally easy to cure. There are a number of commercially available treatments and preventatives.
Black Spot Prevention
Be careful when adding new fish. Black Spot, or diplopstomiasis, often follows the addition of new aquarium fish. All fish are susceptible, especially the Silver Dollar and Piranha. It is fairly easy to diagnose and treat".​

In addition and for what I've been reading it is also possible my P's got that parasite from the caryfish I fed them, however I fed my fish with this caryfish before and they had never gotten sick 'till now.​

In orther article it says the parasite do not thrieve in acuariums because his life cycle can't be completed and they recommend to leave untreated.​

I have just added some salt and gonna leave it untreated my fish are slightly infested and It says the parasit cause no harm to fish in most of times, they seem to be OK and feeding Ok.​

What's your opinion guys?.​
 
will the parasite remain on the fish forever? or eventually it'll die off and the black spot goes away?. if want to treat it, how to? did the source say anything about the above questions I have?
 
jp80911;3370084; said:
will the parasite remain on the fish forever? or eventually it'll die off and the black spot goes away?. if want to treat it, how to? did the source say anything about the above questions I have?
Click to expand...


Some sources say you can try treatment with malachite green or other similars to erradicate the ich but it also say sometimes the treatment could be worst for fish health than the desease itself.

As the parasit has three stages on its life cycle it cannot spread in the home acuarium because it needs two more hosts to complete their life cycle, so it doesn't say but I infer it realeases his fish host and dies.


I talked with the guy i got my fish from just to see what his opinion was. he says his fish wherent sick he medicates them and he claims they are 100% healty and due to that the mos likely to happened is they got infected from the caryfish I fed them (the caryfish are wildcaught).

He recommended me to go with the malachite green in half dosage to that of the recomended one buecause this medicine could be lethal to piranha. (It maches with what the source says).


I am starting the treatment today and keep you updated.

It is important to mention that while the parasit is on fish body, remains encapsulated so the medication makes no harm to it, being the next stage, when the parasit leaves the host the right moment for the medication to act over it and kill it.


Cheers.
 
Black ich is just something some wild caught fish have.. It's harmless and will go away just make sure you keep the tank clean and the temp in the low to mid eighties.
 
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