White Worm Like Parasite On Betta

[FishTankCrazy]

My Betta has a white worm like parasite buried in the side of his head and i'm getting worried about him because it seems to be getting bigger and deeper!! I've tried treating him with Interpet Anti crustation and parasite medication but on the instruction it states its harmful to live plants so i treated the betta in a smaller hosiptal tank. He was in about 5ltrs of water with treatment for about an hour or two before returning him to the main tank. My question is. Was that the best way to do it or is there another way? Do i have to physically remove it? Also will this spread to the other fish? Thanks in advance...

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I'd remove the betta to a smaller tank until his treatment is over. Most treatments are a 7 day thing; however if he's been in a tank with other fish it may be better to treat the whole tank and remove your plants temporarily.

Can you get a picture of it please?

 

[FishTankCrazy]

I'd remove the betta to a smaller tank until his treatment is over. Most treatments are a 7 day thing; however if he's been in a tank with other fish it may be better to treat the whole tank and remove your plants temporarily.

Can you get a picture of it please?

Can't get a picture atm minute. I have a very small 10ltr tank. Would the betta be ok in there on his own if i add some sand and add aquarium water from the main tank everyday? So physically removing it is a big no-no?

 

[loraxchick]

actually, the best thing you could do is manually removing it if it is anchor worm or something similar. keep up treatment afterword. just use a clean washcloth soaked in tankwater to hold the fish, and a pair of tweezers to remove it.
best of luck!
cheers

 

[FishTankCrazy]

actually, the best thing you could do is manually removing it if it is anchor worm or something similar. keep up treatment afterword. just use a clean washcloth soaked in tankwater to hold the fish, and a pair of tweezers to remove it.
best of luck!
cheers

Thanks for the reply I will attempt this tomorrow...what about the 10ltr aquarium i have could he live in there with no filtration or lighting etc for 24hrs and i change the water and add more medication? Really trying to avoid the removal or killing of my live plants....

 

[loraxchick]

he will be ok for a day. just make sure you keep a towel or something wrapped around the tank to keep the water warm. you dont want fluctuating temp to cause another health issue. also, dont feed him while hes in the hospital tank. less food= less waste.
out of curiosity, which med are you using and whats the active ingredient/med which is so bad for plants?
all the best. let us know how it goes.
cheers

 

[FishTankCrazy]

he will be ok for a day. just make sure you keep a towel or something wrapped around the tank to keep the water warm. you dont want fluctuating temp to cause another health issue. also, dont feed him while hes in the hospital tank. less food= less waste.
out of curiosity, which med are you using and whats the active ingredient/med which is so bad for plants?
all the best. let us know how it goes.
cheers

Thanks for that. looks like i'll have to just bin all my plants again and start again after treatment after all the fish are more important than plants the medication is Interpet Anti Crustation and Parasite

Thanks again

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

he will be ok for a day. just make sure you keep a towel or something wrapped around the tank to keep the water warm. you dont want fluctuating temp to cause another health issue. also, dont feed him while hes in the hospital tank. less food= less waste.
out of curiosity, which med are you using and whats the active ingredient/med which is so bad for plants?
all the best. let us know how it goes.
cheers

Thanks for that. looks like i'll have to just bin all my plants again and start again after treatment after all the fish are more important than plants the medication is Interpet Anti Crustation and Parasite

Thanks again

Just put your plants in the smaller tank or a bucket for a while; they'll be ok.

 

[FishTankCrazy]

he will be ok for a day. just make sure you keep a towel or something wrapped around the tank to keep the water warm. you dont want fluctuating temp to cause another health issue. also, dont feed him while hes in the hospital tank. less food= less waste.
out of curiosity, which med are you using and whats the active ingredient/med which is so bad for plants?
all the best. let us know how it goes.
cheers

Thanks for that. looks like i'll have to just bin all my plants again and start again after treatment after all the fish are more important than plants the medication is Interpet Anti Crustation and Parasite

Thanks again

Just put your plants in the smaller tank or a bucket for a while; they'll be ok.

I read somewhere that uprooting the plants will kill them off and you can't replant them

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Well I wouldn't have thought that true. I just uprooted all of my plants during the week to do a proper gravel vac.

It's like houseplants, if you re-pot it (i.e. take it out the soil), it'll probably 'sulk' for a bit and look sorry for itself and then pick up and be back to normal.

 

[FishTankCrazy]

Well today is the day i remove the anchor worm from the poor #28###. I've decided to leave the plants in and see what happens...

 

[FishTankCrazy]

Decided not to remove the wormy thing until I've uploaded a picture of it just to make sure its defenitley a anchor worm! What you think? Picture is the largest i was allowed to upload...

 

[WILDER]

Pic of anchor worm.

Don't add the anti crustaceon med to the main tank. It wipes the benefical bacteria out in the filter.


Anchor Worm (a.k.a. Lernaea)

Symptoms:

Infected fish can be seen with whitish red worm-like threads, about � 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.

 

[FishTankCrazy]

Pic of anchor worm.

Don't add the anti crustaceon med to the main tank. It wipes the benefical bacteria out in the filter.


Anchor Worm (a.k.a. Lernaea)

Symptoms:

Infected fish can be seen with whitish red worm-like threads, about � 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.

Thanks for the detailed reply HOWEVER i have already added the meds to the main tank!! When do you think the parasite/worm will be dead from the med so i can remove it? i've got some methelyne blue ready for removal. Hopefully the rest of the tank is cured now at least!!

 

[WILDER]

Does the parasite look dead.