parasite free tanks: possible?

[contender]

i so tired of these things1!!!

in one tank i got threadworms or something, in the other i got these tiny looking horseshoe crab type things. i've tried meds and salt, and nothing is working. WTF ??? am i making a big deal out of them and should i just learn to have them as tank mates ?!



ok i feel better now.

 

[ewurm]

Perhaps a UV sterlizer is in order.

 

[guppy]

Threadworms? are they on or coming out of the fish, if so they nead to be treated. If they are tiny pale worms, mainly in the filter (micro worms), or tiny flatish very pale worms, mainly one the glass (planaria) they are not a real problem but you may want to watch for leftovers after feeding and do several gravel vacs, especially around the edges of any decorations in the tank.
Now the horseshoe crab guys have me curious, are they on the fish? Just how tiny? Can you get a picture?

 

[contender]

well, they are not microscopic, and with the naked eye, they look like ,,, man tey look like little white dots with a small appendage that could be a tail, and they zip along , smotimes on the galss or decor. i'll try to get a photo.

 

[drdpc]

I'm having the same problem!! They bore the fishes!! And me to!

 

[ewurm]

It will be tough to get a pic of something that small. Do the fish eat the worms?

 

[rottbo]

coppersafe will kill all parasites i believe try that

 

[drdpc]

mine are very small, the fishes don't eat them!

 

[contender]

yes, i hate them.

i treid to get a photo of the crad lookin things, but i couldnt. oo smale. but, i got some thai fish drug, thats all in thai, and it appered to have killed all of them in one of my tanks.

maybe i'll try it on the worms.

 

[guppy]

The critters sound like one of the hundreds of types of freshwater copepods. Although They are harmless any copper based anti-parasitical like coppersafe or cupramine should kill both the worms and the "critters", it will also kill you snails and shrimp/crabs/crayfish that you have. Here are some examples, many types of small fish eat them, not many fish eat planaria by choice.
Many types have eggs that can dry and actually travel in the air as dust. Unless the tank is kept pristine you can expect to see them again.