today i saw a little white worm about 4 mm long and the oscar was rubbing aginst the gravel so i fed him and the sevrum jungle anti parasite food but they wont eat it they just spit it out any tips and should i medicate the water if so with what?
parasites
- Thread starter milkshake man
- Start date
If you are using meds then yes, take carbon out of filters (otherwise it will remove the meds from the water).
The medicated foods will not be removed by carbon. The foods have to be ingested to become effective. How does the poop look? What else does the fish eat? If it doesn't appear to eat anything, swims listlessly and seems to excrete white stringy poop, then it is safe to assume the fish may be harboring internal parasites in which case, you need to resort to praziquantel treatment for tapeworm infestations.
As for the white worm, do you have photos of that? Please check if that is planaria. Planaria are totally harmless and are merely indicators that your tank is receiving inadequate maintenance or that you are overfeeding your fish. Excess foods are responsible for the fast reproduction rate of planaria. Cutting it back and doing more tank maintenance usually will help minimize the number of planaria present.
As to why your oscar scratched itself, please answer more questions below.
Which area did it scratch?
What are your water parameters?
How big is the tank?
When was the last time you bought your new fish?
What else are in the tank?
Were the new fish quarantined prior to introducing them in the main tank?
If it is scratching the same gill or body area, then chances are your fish contracted fluke infestations. Flukes are common but cannot be seen without the use of microscopes although it can be detected if the fish is scratching the same body area unusually. Praziquantel is one way to destroy the flukes assuming we are dealing with flukes here. A dosage of 5 mg per liter will help. Overdosage tends to be a little strong and your fish may lose its appetite in the process so do add garlic on your food mix. Praziquantel is a rather mild treatment if administered properly and will not destroy your beneficial bacteria.
As for the white worm, do you have photos of that? Please check if that is planaria. Planaria are totally harmless and are merely indicators that your tank is receiving inadequate maintenance or that you are overfeeding your fish. Excess foods are responsible for the fast reproduction rate of planaria. Cutting it back and doing more tank maintenance usually will help minimize the number of planaria present.
As to why your oscar scratched itself, please answer more questions below.
Which area did it scratch?
What are your water parameters?
How big is the tank?
When was the last time you bought your new fish?
What else are in the tank?
Were the new fish quarantined prior to introducing them in the main tank?
If it is scratching the same gill or body area, then chances are your fish contracted fluke infestations. Flukes are common but cannot be seen without the use of microscopes although it can be detected if the fish is scratching the same body area unusually. Praziquantel is one way to destroy the flukes assuming we are dealing with flukes here. A dosage of 5 mg per liter will help. Overdosage tends to be a little strong and your fish may lose its appetite in the process so do add garlic on your food mix. Praziquantel is a rather mild treatment if administered properly and will not destroy your beneficial bacteria.
the poo looks normal they eat regular food like pigs but they are like little kids an just wont take thier medicine as for tank size its 120 g with an oscar, green sevrum, and a clown knife.oh yeah an the oscar was swimmig sideways aginst the gravel. so far ive only seen 1 wormLupin;3494514; said:
Then there is no reason for you to start doing any treatments especially if the scratching sign was only done occasionally and not on a regular basis. It could simply be planaria which does not pose any threat to your fish. I'd just leave your fish alone.