Xref: utzoo rec.pets:2213 alt.aquaria:228 Path: utzoo!hoptoad!ptsfa!ames!aurora!agate!ig!uwmcsd1!marque!gryphon!richard From: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) Newsgroups: rec.pets,alt.aquaria Subject: Re: Fish parasites? Keywords: fish fresh water aquarium worms ich food parasites Message-ID: <2590@gryphon.CTS.COM> Date: 17 Feb 88 06:28:30 GMT References: <23207@yale-celray.yale.UUCP> Reply-To: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) Organization: Trailing Edge Technology, Redondo Beach, CA Lines: 84 In article <23207@yale-celray.yale.UUCP> Ram-Ashwin@cs.yale.edu (Ashwin Ram) writes: > >I have a 10-gallon freshwater tank. About a week ago, after I did a partial >water change, vacuuming up the gravel as I usually do, I noticed that there >were little white thingies floating in the tank. They were white, about 2-4 >mm long and very thin, looking almost like hair. The fish were eating some >of them. They weren't moving, but to be on the safe side I put some >Promethysul (malachite green + sulpha + something else) in there. > >A couple days ago, I did another partial water change and I noticed the same >thing. This time they were definitely ALIVE! They were squirming in >typical worm-like motions. The fish were eating them again. Within 15 or >20 minutes, all the fish were sick; they were drifting aimlessly near the >top of the tank, gasping for air. My neons died within the hour; an angel >died overnight. I put in another dose of Promethysul and raised the >temperature to 80 F. Thankfully, the rest of the fish survived. > >I went to a pet store, and the guy there said it was Ich larvae that I'd >seen in the tank. But I was under the impression that Ich larvae are a lot >smaller than that. Anyone know what it was? Both times they appeared after >the water change (perhaps because I stirred up the gravel?) > >Also, about the time they first appeared I'd gotten some live food (brine >shrimps) and some frozen bloodworms from the same pet store. Could these >things, whatever they are, have come from there? Is live food inherently >unsafe? What about frozen food? > >Is there still a danger of further infestation? What should I do? Any >particular medicines? Should I take everything out and completely wash out >the gravel? > Hmm. I remember once I had my first two glass catfish. They died. I was so pissed I just let the indignant swine rot in their 5 gal. tank. After about a month they were gone, but there were these little wiggly things, about 2-4 mm long. I fed only dried food in those days, but one of the dried foods was freeze dried tubifex. No, its, not ick ("white spot"). Those little buggers are really small. It's not Ichthyosporidium, thats a fungal disease. It's not Ichthyophthirius, they are 1 mm max, and are not worm shaped. It's not a planarian, they arn't free swimming. I can't find flukes in the book, but I'm pretty sure that are real small too. It suddenly occurs to me I don't know what the hell they are. I guess you have two choices. 1) Look at them under a microscope, take some photos, have them identified. 2) Screw it. Fish are cheap, so is medication. I would probably quarantine fish after an incident like this, in a naked tank, with some copper or formalin. Where did they come from ? Bought any plants lately ? They, in all likelyhood cannot have come from brine shrimp as marine parasites don't fare too well in freshwater. But the plants are suspect. It *is* possible thay came in on frozen food. One of the better foods for very young fish is microworms, which you culture on oatmeal. These cultures only last a week. So you have to keep making new ones. Well it turns out that you can freeze them, and they do just fine. I'm not certain that any parasite could survive freeze drying, but it wouldn't surprise me. I've used frozen bloodworms with no problems. I have trouble with live tubifex. Fish always seem to get "the crud" after I use them. -- "My life is changing in so many ways, I don't know who to trust any more" richard@gryphon.CTS.COM {ihnp4!scgvaxd!cadovax, rutgers!marque, codas!ddsw1} gryphon!richard