Looks Like A Worm In The Fins?

[plecostomus-mad]

one of my black neon tetras have what look like worms in the fins. can anyone shed any light on this? is it a harmful disease? cant post any pics as he is too small to get a decent picture. he was like this when i got him, he has got worse and no signs on other fish.dorsal fin looks tatty and half gone

 

[Just_Another_One]

is there a lot of them or just one ??

I bought a group of albino cories a while ago who had little white strings that appeared to squiggle and move around just like worms on all their fins...I never figured out what it was and my other fish never got them after living with them for a while.

Hopefully someone knows what they are

 

[plecostomus-mad]

they dont seem to move in my neon, not that i can tell anyway.he had 1 in the lower fin, now he has 1 on the body near his gills, 1 in his tail fin and 1 on his body just before the tail fin. this link is as close a match i could find. i think its round worm

http/badmanstropicalfish.com/fish_palace/unknownworms3_mikeaofa.html



this next link is very handy for spotting diseases!

http/badmanstropicalfish.com/fish_palace/tropicalfish_disease_identification_1.html#Worm

 

[plecostomus-mad]

the website i linked above states that it maybe from over feeding the tank or overstocking. there are only 4 black neon tetras in there and i have fed them once a day. i have noticed some of the food goes to the bottom but rarely gets eaten. i thought they may pick at the bottom if they get hungry between feeds but obviously this is not the case? it also say to not feed the fish for 3 days as tis may cure the worm problem. also it states that they are harmless.

can anyone verify this for me please?

mark

 

[Just_Another_One]

hmmmm usually the worms you get from over feeding are either planaria or nematodes. They live in the gravel and you often see them on the sides of the tank. As far as Im concerend they don't attach themselves to fish. They are present in all tanks and pretty much impossible to get rid of. You can reduce their numbers by cutting back on food and doing a complete gravel vac and keeping good tank mantience in the future.

The tiny worms on your fish would be something totally different because I dont think planaria/nematodes attach to fish. It was VERY strange seeing them on my cories.

 

[plecostomus-mad]

the link i posted above suggests they live on the fish too the pic they have of the worms in the fins and on the body( above the skin) match what my 1 neon has. im concerned it may happen to the others. is there any treatment available?

 

[Just_Another_One]

i would probably start with any anti parasitic treatment. Maybe Formalin ?? Have a look around your LFS or online to see what is available. I don't use medications much so i am no good with that sorry I wasn't better help...Hopefully more help comes along for you and your fish

 

[plecostomus-mad]

thats ok Just_Another_One, any help is better than no help i hope they dont attatch to the other black neons, be a shame really since there having a hard enough time dealing with a fish in cycle i wont make that mistake again

 

[WILDER]

Does the worm have a y shaped tail.

Anchor Worm (a.k.a. Lernaea)



Symptoms:

Infected fish can be seen with whitish red worm-like threads, about ¼ inch long. Trailing at the rear of female parasites are two long, tube-like egg sacs. The parasites can be found anywhere on the body of the fish, including the eyes, gills and fins. Raised ulcers may appear at the site of attachment. Consequently, secondary bacterial infections may occur. The tale-tale sign that your fish is infected will be if you notice it rubbing or scraping against objects in the aquarium. It does this in an effort to remove the parasite.



Cause:

The parasitic crustacean Lernaea. Lernaea burrow into the muscle and gill tissue of fish, often times reaching as deeply as the internal organs, causing severe damage. Heavy infestations can cause significant weight loss and death.



Treatment:

You should kill all visible worms by dabbing them with a cotton swab, dipped in Potassium Permanganate or an anti-parasitic medication. Then you should carefully remove them from the fish with tweezers. You should kill the parasites before removing them because if they have burrowed deeply, removing them alive could cause the fish pain and significant physical damage. Once you’ve removed the parasite, you should then dab the wounds with Methylene Blue to prevent secondary bacterial infections from occurring. It is highly recommended that you feed the fish with medicated food. The tank will also need to be treated to kill any unseen, free-swimming juvenile parasites. You can use Fluke Tabs, Clout, Paragon or Trifon for this.

A pic of anchor worm on a fish.

 

[plecostomus-mad]

Does the worm have a y shaped tail.

Anchor Worm (a.k.a. Lernaea)



Symptoms:

Infected fish can be seen with whitish red worm-like threads, about ¼ inch long. Trailing at the rear of female parasites are two long, tube-like egg sacs. The parasites can be found anywhere on the body of the fish, including the eyes, gills and fins. Raised ulcers may appear at the site of attachment. Consequently, secondary bacterial infections may occur. The tale-tale sign that your fish is infected will be if you notice it rubbing or scraping against objects in the aquarium. It does this in an effort to remove the parasite.



Cause:

The parasitic crustacean Lernaea. Lernaea burrow into the muscle and gill tissue of fish, often times reaching as deeply as the internal organs, causing severe damage. Heavy infestations can cause significant weight loss and death.



Treatment:

You should kill all visible worms by dabbing them with a cotton swab, dipped in Potassium Permanganate or an anti-parasitic medication. Then you should carefully remove them from the fish with tweezers. You should kill the parasites before removing them because if they have burrowed deeply, removing them alive could cause the fish pain and significant physical damage. Once you’ve removed the parasite, you should then dab the wounds with Methylene Blue to prevent secondary bacterial infections from occurring. It is highly recommended that you feed the fish with medicated food. The tank will also need to be treated to kill any unseen, free-swimming juvenile parasites. You can use Fluke Tabs, Clout, Paragon or Trifon for this.

A pic of anchor worm on a fish.

no,but thanks for the detailed reply,

its a small, round squiggly looking worm, only a few mm in length, does not appear to be under the skin, has one on the bottom fin, dorsal fin, tail fin and one on the body near the left gill.(not on gill). the link i posted in this thread shows the worm in the second pic with an arrow pointing to it.

http/badmanstropicalfish.com/fish_palace/unknownworms3_mikeaofa.html

 

[WILDER]

Does the worm have a y shaped tail.

Anchor Worm (a.k.a. Lernaea)



Symptoms:

Infected fish can be seen with whitish red worm-like threads, about ¼ inch long. Trailing at the rear of female parasites are two long, tube-like egg sacs. The parasites can be found anywhere on the body of the fish, including the eyes, gills and fins. Raised ulcers may appear at the site of attachment. Consequently, secondary bacterial infections may occur. The tale-tale sign that your fish is infected will be if you notice it rubbing or scraping against objects in the aquarium. It does this in an effort to remove the parasite.



Cause:

The parasitic crustacean Lernaea. Lernaea burrow into the muscle and gill tissue of fish, often times reaching as deeply as the internal organs, causing severe damage. Heavy infestations can cause significant weight loss and death.



Treatment:

You should kill all visible worms by dabbing them with a cotton swab, dipped in Potassium Permanganate or an anti-parasitic medication. Then you should carefully remove them from the fish with tweezers. You should kill the parasites before removing them because if they have burrowed deeply, removing them alive could cause the fish pain and significant physical damage. Once you’ve removed the parasite, you should then dab the wounds with Methylene Blue to prevent secondary bacterial infections from occurring. It is highly recommended that you feed the fish with medicated food. The tank will also need to be treated to kill any unseen, free-swimming juvenile parasites. You can use Fluke Tabs, Clout, Paragon or Trifon for this.

A pic of anchor worm on a fish.

no,but thanks for the detailed reply,

its a small, round squiggly looking worm, only a few mm in length, does not appear to be under the skin, has one on the bottom fin, dorsal fin, tail fin and one on the body near the left gill.(not on gill). the link i posted in this thread shows the worm in the second pic with an arrow pointing to it.

http/badmanstropicalfish.com/fish_palace/unknownworms3_mikeaofa.html


Post in tropical discussion with pics.
Some members might know which parasite it is.
http/warnell.forestry.uga.edu/service/library/c0772/index.html

 

[plecostomus-mad]

update on the tetra, it seems like he's getting better, the ''worms'' on his fins are, what i presume, are dead, they are no longer white, they have turned almost black?dead right? he only has one now, on his body right before the tail fin.looks like its gained in length tho, i hope this one dies too = happy tetra