very weird!

[Mith]

Two days ago, one of my female swordtails hhad wahat appeared to be a bone protruding from the top of it's back. I was almost as if a biologist "tagged" it. Opposite the the part protruding out on the other side was what looked like what would have been the pointed side of the biologist's "tag". So I netted her, held her still then with a pair of tweezers, plucked it out.

Upon closer examination of it, it was hard like a bone and looked like a bone. So last nght I dosed the tank with metafix.

Now, tonight I came home to find that one of my angels had the same thing, but in another location (its side). What the hell is going on! Is there a parasite that looks and feels like a bone? I'm hesitent to pull the angel's protrusion out!

Also, I noticed that after administering metafix, there's a fungus that looks something like little tiny cotton balls at the ends of his fins!

Anyone? Anyone? Bueler? Bueler?

[jaysee]

It seems you have a fungal infection spreading in your tank, although I don't know about the bone. Is this in your problem tank?

[Mith]

Yup! I've lost probably 70% of my fish. No symptoms.....just come home and they're dead. The cotton looking fungus appeared the day after I medicated the tank.

[korith]

Did you remember to remove the carbon from your filter, something you want to do when medicating the tank. Might be easier to medicate them in a smaller tank, so you can get a higher concentration of the metafix without using so much in a larger tank. Got no other suggestions, so far I've been lucky not to have had that happen.

[Mith]

I don't use carbon in either of my tanks...

[Little Embers]

Is the swordtail still alive mith? Do the fish look like they have lost weight?There's no way it could be an actual fish bone is there? :ssuprised: Stupid thought I know LOL. It might be a type of worm, can't say I have heard of worms that feel like bone though.

[invadertoast]

When I was little we had a fantail goldfish with the same bone-like parasite. My dad grabbed it out of the tank and pulled it out with tweezer, my mother and myself were absolutely horrified and thought the fish was going to die due to amatuer surgery. He lived!

.... could it be anchor worm? I didn't know what it was at the time as I was only 6 or 7 and didn't have the internet, lol

[Algenco]

yup, sounds like anchor worm , secondary infections would be expected

[Mith]

OK... did some surgery and legwork... Algenco, BINGO!

The reason I initially thought it was a bone was because those little suckers REALLY attach to the host. I pulled another off a different fish (my gourami) and took some photos. I'll post those below at the end of this post.

My die-off... I've lost about 70% of my fish in the community tank. If the fish have anchor worms, then you have to assume that there are also internal parasites.

Another issue that may have been causing my die-off is the temp fluxuation. It's been hot here. I keep my tank temp set at 79°. When I returned home last night from work, I took the tank's temp. It was 83... that's a 4° temp change in a 12 hour period. BAD!

Solution: Keep the house at a steady temp (thermostat set to 79°). This way my tank's don't go above 79°.

Medicate the tank with "Clout" (for anchor worms and other stuff). Do NOT feed the fish during the treatments.


So there ya have it. I believe the temp fluxuation (4°) and the parasites were the cause if my problems.


Thanks for the answers folks. I have some work ahead of me, but I'll eventually get things sorted out.

I'll have to check out my one angel and see if I can see that anchor worm is still visible.

Here are the pics...


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[Sharon]

Oh dear! Better get started on the treatment, Mith!

[Algenco]

medicated food [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
finely crushed fresh garlic can be fed to eliminate internal parasites

[Mith]

medicated food [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
finely crushed fresh garlic can be fed to eliminate internal parasites

So I crush up garlic...and soak the flakes in it?

(My ICK's gone btw... twas in the other tank)...

[Amazon]

Sorry about your fish Mith, I hope it goes away.

[Algenco]

So I crush up garlic...and soak the flakes in it?

(My ICK's gone btw... twas in the other tank)...

you can, most fish will eat fine pieces of garlic

[Mith]

Sorry about your fish Mith, I hope it goes away.

Oh I'll beat it.. I'll beat it or I'll be having a big fish fry!!!!:18:

[Mith]

Oh dear! Better get started on the treatment, Mith!

Already on it poopsi!!!! I got the stuff for 100 gallons (five pills per 50)... so I'll treat it today (which I already have after doing a nice big water change) and then again tomorrow! I'll beat those turd worms yet!

medicated food [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
finely crushed fresh garlic can be fed to eliminate internal parasites


I just made a HUGE pot of spaghetti... I'll throw some sauce into the tank! thumbs2:

Sorry about your fish Mith, I hope it goes away.


I beat worms when I had them as a child (my mother would come in and pick them out of my.... uh... eh hem... lower parts) and I'll beat them now as an adult!!!!

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!

[domjd05]

wow looks like your gunna have to get down and dirty.. let us know how your tank recovers

[Oscar_freak12321]

It's going to be interesting to see how your fish will overcome this, good luck mith!

[Mith]

Well I've gotten kind of close to my fish! LITERALLY! LOL... nothing like "Hands on" to fix things! I had to pull two of them (gourami and a swordtail) out of the tank and remove the anchor worm with tweezers!! One of the gouramis had a bump on it's tail, so I poked at it and popped it. Not sure if it was a growing worm inside or what....

The only thing I HAVEN'T done with my fish is tell them to "turn your head and cough"... But I will if I have to!!!!!