Weird leafy bug? on Fancy Goldfish tail - what is it?

[fishiefreak]

Hey there, today I pulled this odd looking character off my niece's fancy goldfish... it's super thin and leafy looking with legs/arms - anyone know what it is?

Video

Tina

 

[Demobananaknight]

Created an account just to tell you to kill it with fire. I have no idea what that is and I have never seen or heard about anything like this in my life. Honestly, I wish I could say "hopefully we can just hope it was a rare occurrence of a parasite and it won't happen again" but it probably will.

Anyways...did a quick google search with "bug on goldfish" and got goldfish lice as a result, which looks like what you have there. I don't really do much in the way of goldfish, so I have no idea how to treat this, but at least now you know what you're dealing with.

 

[Colin_T]

argulus fish louse

 

[fishiefreak]

Thanks, that was fast and ewww sounds gross... I hope there isn't more!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Ewww. ?

 

[Colin_T]

just monitor the goldfish and if more appear, pick them off. But it's unlikely more will appear unless someone has added contaminated water or plants to the tank.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

That's scary! Looks like a kid's toy, hardly a living thing!

pick them off.

Sounds easier said than done, this is horrifying!

 

[Slaphppy7]

I think it's kinda cool looking...it has a little "face", lol

So, I'm guessing the goldfish can't go back to school until it's lice-free, correct?

 

[fishiefreak]

Well, sadly both fish (a black moor and a fantail) in the tank passed this morning

It had to have come from the original water or already been on one of them when we got them 4 weeks ago as there are no live plants in the tank. Sad but good news is that Pet Smart is going to give my niece free replacements. Now to figure out how to sanitize everything to make sure the tank is clear of them!

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

Well, sadly both fish (a black moor and a fantail) in the tank passed this morning

It had to have come from the original water or already been on one of them when we got them 4 weeks ago as there are no live plants in the tank. Sad but good news is that Pet Smart is going to give my niece free replacements. Now to figure out how to sanitize everything to make sure the tank is clear of them!

PetSmart is never a good place to get fish, even if they're free. If possible... Please don't take the fish.

Completely clean the tank out, including the gravel and filter parts (use tank water to wash out the filter sponges/pads/e.c.t. Don't use tap water. Don't use soap or strong chemicals. Wait it out for a while before getting replacements, and don't bother with huge chain businesses like PetSmart. New fish immediately after others have died is usually a mistake in and of itself, and leads to more heartache if these new ones end up dying too.

 

[fishiefreak]

PetSmart is never a good place to get fish, even if they're free. If possible... Please don't take the fish.

Completely clean the tank out, including the gravel and filter parts (use tank water to wash out the filter sponges/pads/e.c.t. Don't use tap water. Don't use soap or strong chemicals. Wait it out for a while before getting replacements, and don't bother with huge chain businesses like PetSmart. New fish immediately after others have died is usually a mistake in and of itself, and leads to more heartache if these new ones end up dying too.

It won't be a while until we get any replacements, we just got put in an emergency lockdown here (ON, Canada) until May 6th so they said to wait anyway. Thanks for the tips about the tank

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

It won't be a while until we get any replacements, we just got put in an emergency lockdown here (ON, Canada) until May 6th so they said to wait anyway. Thanks for the tips about the tank

Ahh, my partner's been caught up in that... It sounds like a huge pain. Stay safe!

 

[Colin_T]

Now to figure out how to sanitize everything to make sure the tank is clear of them!

Just drain and wash the tank out with tap water, then set it back up.

Fish lice aren't that common and you might see one or two per year at the pet shops.

The bigger concern is why the 2 goldfish died over night.

 

[fishiefreak]

The bigger concern is why the 2 goldfish died over night.

Honestly, I was wondering the same thing since I didn't see any on the black moor but maybe it was on it already and then moved to the other one? I read they fall off after 2 hours? Another thing I noticed is on the fish I pulled it off of she was already stressed or sick the day before with tiny black tops of her fins. We did also do a full water/filter change recently, maybe that was part of it.

 

[OliveFish05]

It looks like a slice of a kiwi fruit came to life

I think it's kinda cool looking...it has a little "face", lol

I agree. It looks a bit evil

Well, sadly both fish (a black moor and a fantail) in the tank passed this morning

So sorry they passed away

Just curious, what is the tank size?