Problem with fin.

[craiga82]

My small green sunfish has developed a problem with his bottom. The area at the body is red and looks as though it is sprouting a thin long brown growth and with white split ends. I tried to take the best pic i could. Water test this morning showed 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 20ppm nitrates. Does anyone know what this is or how to cure it? How lethal is it and can it harm my other fish. i have 3 green sunfish.

 

[Aquanero]

I can't tell anything from the photo. Is it possibile to get a cloer clearer picture of what you are refering to? Does it look like a worm is comming out of the body?

 

[craiga82]

this is the best pic i could get. It is difficult to tell i know. It is red at the base of the bottom fin at the body. It looks like a long string of poop with white at the end.

 

[Aquanero]

You could treat with API General Cure it's a combination of metronidazole and praziquantel. This is a fairly mild med that would be a good choice as a first step. How long have you had the fish? Was it quarantined prior to being introduced into the main tank?

 

[Oscar Mike]

Sounds like anchor worms based on your description. General Cure is by far my favorite anti-parasitic med. I've only used it a few times but never have to treat with anything else

 

[craiga82]

The fish is wild caught and ive had him about a week. All 3 fish were introduced at the same time. I googled anchor worm and it looked just like it. They said to remove the worm with tweezers which i did and it came right off. The fish is pretty mad at me but he seems ok. i will keep checking for more often and im using melafix to try to heal the red spot where the worm came out. here is a pic of what came off of him.

 

[Aquanero]

Yup, use the GC.

 

[craiga82]

Thanks everyone. I am picking up some general cure today. I see no signs of the parasite visible but i have witnessed the fish trying to scrape his side against something. Should i halt the melafix or continue to treat while dosing GC also?

 

[Aquanero]

Stop using the melafix. Do a large water before starting the GC and then follow the instructions on the package.