Small White Worm Wiggling Inside One Eye

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DuconLajoie

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 7, 2010
14
0
0
48
Switzerland
Since yesterday I have been noticing a small white worm-like creature wiggling inside one of my Red Head Tapajos' eye :WHOA:, it is around 1-2 mm long as visible in the pictures
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Does anyone know what this is and how to get rid of it ?

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All the other fish seem fine and I do regular water changes (30-50% a week). My tank is 110 gallons @27 degrees Celsius. Stocking 2 Red Head Tapajos, 7 Corydoras Sterbai, 2 Pterophyllum Scalare, 2 Microgeophagus Ramirezi, 2 Ancistrus sp., 4 crossocheilus siamensis, 4 Gabonese shrimp.
The tanks is clean, heavily planted with Valisneria, Anubias... With a canister filter 630 Gallons/Hour. Any help would be deeply appreciated.
 
Possible it is a anchor worm. My brother fish has a worm and he used tweezers to pull it out but it was not in the eye. You really need to have a very steady and and be careful.
 
smitty03281964 said:
Possible it is a anchor worm. My brother fish has a worm and he used tweezers to pull it out but it was not in the eye. You really need to have a very steady and and be careful.
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From what I've gathered anchor worms attach themselves on the external surface of fish. I tried to remove the worm but soon realized it was inside the eye bulb. I would have to cut the eye open to get to it and I will not do it !
 
Interesting (and unfortunate). Is this a wild caught fish, or are any of the fish in the tank wild caught? This is the larva of a helminth (which one I'm not sure) that has migrated inappropriately in its host, called ocular larva migrans when it travels to the eye. The larva will die eventually, but there is the possibility that it can cause damage to the eye depending on where in the eye it travels. In the picture it is in the anterior chamber of the eye where little damage can occur. Hopefully it stays there till it dies.

Treatment will not work to kill the larva in the eye, and any damage is generally irreversible. However, you still can proceed with the prazipro in case there is an intestinal infection.
 
calioutlaw1a said:
Interesting (and unfortunate). Is this a wild caught fish, or are any of the fish in the tank wild caught? This is the larva of a helminth (which one I'm not sure) that has migrated inappropriately in its host, called ocular larva migrans when it travels to the eye. The larva will die eventually, but there is the possibility that it can cause damage to the eye depending on where in the eye it travels. In the picture it is in the anterior chamber of the eye where little damage can occur. Hopefully it stays there till it dies.

Treatment will not work to kill the larva in the eye, and any damage is generally irreversible. However, you still can proceed with the prazipro in case there is an intestinal infection.
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i do not know if the fish are from the wild. The larva has been in the same spot for three days now. I hope it will stay there. Do you know how long it takes for the larva to die ? I have ordered the prazipro online as I could not find it at my local pet shop and I will start treatment ASAP. Can the infestation become worse ? And can it spread to other fish ?
Thank you again for your kind help.
 
just a little tip...i never seen prazipro in any pet store or LFS around me!

than i wandered in to a garden store a nursery and found it in the pond section, than found it at a landscaping/pong place.
 
DuconLajoie said:
i do not know if the fish are from the wild. The larva has been in the same spot for three days now. I hope it will stay there. Do you know how long it takes for the larva to die ? I have ordered the prazipro online as I could not find it at my local pet shop and I will start treatment ASAP. Can the infestation become worse ? And can it spread to other fish ?
Thank you again for your kind help.
Click to expand...

I am not sure how long it will take to die in fish, but my guess would be around a month or longer. The infection can get worse, and may be able to infect other fish depending on the type and lifecycle of the worm.

I'm really interested in this case so please keep us updated on it!
 
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