# help! fish parasite



## superman (Oct 19, 2007)

help! i just bought come cardinal tetras from a lfs and found a parasite on one of the fish, it looks like a tick, it was attached to one of the fish, i tried to rip it off but it held on the fish real good and finally managed to yank it off, i dont see any more of them, what should i do now? quarantine the fish? and what kind of parasite was it, anyone know?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Welcome to Fishforum.com, Superman.:wave:

How does the parasite really look? Look into my sticky thread, Freshwater and Saltwater Diseases and look on Anchorworms, Fish Lice and Ergasilus on page 2.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Does it look like these photos?

















There are a number of freshwater parasites that resemble "ticks", the first thing that's important is to identify it. The next thing to do is to get the full stats for your tank so we know what its safe to treat with once we identify it properly. If you can post as much info as possible about your tank, size, how long it has been set up, what animals are in it and how many, how often you do water changes & how much water at a time, what kind of filtration, feeding habits/schedules, how much decoration, temp, everything you can think of... and water params for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, & pH. 

We'll help all we can, but first we need to identify the problem. For something like this I would say its probably safer to wait on quarantine, cuz if possible, we will need to treat any tank that was infested. All it would take is for 1 to drop off of a fish, then find another host fish... it can be an ugly cycle.


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## superman (Oct 19, 2007)

thanks  i didnt add it to the tank yet, its still in its bag from the lfs, ill take a pic of the tick and post it asap


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## superman (Oct 19, 2007)

it actually looks like a oval parasite, with a hard shell, has 2 black eyes, ill post a pic


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

I look forward to seeing the pics. We'll go from there...


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## superman (Oct 19, 2007)

k this is the closest picture that i can find of this guy, it looked exactly like this, should i be scared?


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

That looks like fish lice, in which case, yes, I'd be concerned. I am looking for a proper ID of the parasite you posted to be sure. I am noticing a few differences between these and a typical louse, meaning it could still be something else. I will post in the morning as soon as I can, will look for your post with the information at that time.

The info I asked for previously will be very important if you wish to treat the tank with any type of medication.


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## Picklee (Feb 22, 2007)

That is scary. I nice salt bath will do him well.


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## superman (Oct 19, 2007)

Hey thanks again for everything, anyways, i dont have much information, i just bought them this evening so theyre still in the bag with the local fish store's water in it, i havent placed it in my planted tank yet

i just bought the ten cardinal tetras, when i was leaving the store i noticed (what seems to be) fish lice attached to one of the cardinals, when i got home i got a tweezer and managed to grab onto the lice, it was tough since it didnt let go of the poor little fish but then i finally pulled it off

i compared the picture i posted with the fish lice again and they look 100% identical, not sure on what to do yet, maybe leave them in the bag for a couple of weeks, days and see if anything happens before i put them in my tank??


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

superman said:


> Hey thanks again for everything, anyways, i dont have much information, i just bought them this evening so theyre still in the bag with the local fish store's water in it, i havent placed it in my planted tank yet


How long have they been in the bag? Check the water parameters before ammonia and nitrites build up poisoning the tetras.


> i just bought the ten cardinal tetras, when i was leaving the store i noticed (what seems to be) fish lice attached to one of the cardinals, when i got home i got a tweezer and managed to grab onto the lice, it was tough since it didnt let go of the poor little fish but then i finally pulled it off


Get yourself a 10 gallons tank to serve as a hospital tank. Swab the wound of the fish with iodine to prevent fungus from developing.

Please tell us your water parameters once you get them to settle in a spare tank operated with sponge filter as a temporary measure.


> i compared the picture i posted with the fish lice again and they look 100% identical, not sure on what to do yet, maybe leave them in the bag for a couple of weeks, days and see if anything happens before i put them in my tank??


No, you cannot leave them in the bag.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Also... cardinal tetras cannot handle a salt bath!

I am looking for a med that is safe for cardinal tetras for killing fish lice. There is one med I can think of off the top of my head called Dimilin and it works great on fish lice, but I need to do some checking to make sure cardinal tetras can handle it.

I am hoping the fish either went intio a quarantine tank or back to the LFS, and that only the fish went into the tank, not the water from the store??

I'll be back once I know about the Dimilin.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Ok, I was able to do some checking, instead of the Dimilin, which I think is going to be too harsh for the cardinals (why I hesitated), try using a fluke tab in the quarantine tank. If the tank is 10 gallons, 1 tablet is all you should need. Put the tablet into a small cup, add a small amount of tank water to the cup, swirl it around gently until the tablet is completely dissolved. Once you have all liquid in the cup, rinse this all into the 10 gallon tank with the cardinals. This will help to kill any possible eggs that may be in the tank or water with the fish. Wait 8 - 12 hrs, then do a 25% water change, and then one more 25% water change after another 12 hrs.

If you notice any red sores or white stuff growing on the fish, this would indicate 2ndary bacterial infection from the damage the lice have caused. The safest medication for bacterial infections with the cardinals is probably Naladin. 

2 Important notes: 
1. You must run a filter or air stone in the quarantine tank during treatment, but NO CARBON. Carbon will remove the medication. 
2. After the treatment and water changes, return the carbon to the filtration for 24 hrs before adding the naladin to the water. Also, due to the sensitivity of the cardinal tetras, you will also want a heater in the tank and some kind of decoration for hiding places. Plastic and silk plants work well for this. 

The naladin should have treatment instructions on the package, please follow them. Also, quick note, is that naladin doesn't mix into water as easily as the fluke tab will, so you may want to use a straw or plastic butter knife or stir stick to mix it into the cup of water before adding to the tank (like with the fluke tab). Any containers (cup, straw, plastic silverware, etc) used with the meds should be thrown away immediately after use. 

Good Luck and keep us posted on the progress of the fish.


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## superman (Oct 19, 2007)

To respond to Lupin's post, the cardinals has been in the bag for half a day so far, i will setup and move them to a quarantine tank as soon as i get home 

i will also provide more information once i get home and get things settled

and to respond to bettababy:

i couldnt bring them back to the store, its a no refund store  theyre still in the original water and bag from the LFS, once i get home ill slowly drip some of my quarantine tank water in the bag and slowly get them adjusted to the water before i transfer the cardinals over (to the quarantine tank)

also, what are the chances that theres still fish lice on any of the fish? the one that i saw was attached externally, they dont lay eggs on the fish do they? just on tank plants and ornaments?


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## superman (Oct 19, 2007)

thanks bettababy, i just saw your post right after i posted again, can i just pick up naladin at a LFS? like petsmart or petco?


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## Picklee (Feb 22, 2007)

I know the salt bath won't work with the cardinals. I meant to say it would do them good in that context. Cardinals, like any Paracheirodon, are very sensitive to water fluxuations. They are almost all wild caught because they cannot be bred in captivity, and they require a more acidic pH because of this. Improper pH will almost always kill any cardinal. 

Take great precautions when you're handling these fish, seriously! You should treat them like royalty even though they were probably only a couple bucks a piece. Keep the light levels dim around them, they are very skidish and stress easily when the light is too bright. You don't want a stressed fish when you're treating it with meds or otherwise.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

The Fluke tabs and also the Naladin should be available at most LFS's in the medicine section. If you can't find it, let me know and I'll see if I can find it online for you.

If there are eggs they would be in the water or on a hard surface such as decorations and glass. If on the fish, you should be able to see the parasite, but there will be no eggs on the fish. 

Because of the chance of eggs being in the bag/water with the fish, you'll want to be sure not to put ANY of that water into your tank, even quarantine. Once the fish are acclimated, use a net and scoop just fish into the tank. Dump out the water, throw the bag away, and soak the net in saltwater for 24 hrs before using again.

My biggest concern is about how sensitive the cardinals are to stress and water quality. Having been in a bag so long, stress levels have to be quite high, and water quality must, by now, be a real issue for them, as well as oxygen content in the water along with any temp changes it has gone through thus far. The more stressed and weaker the fish, the less the chance of saving them from something that would normally not be such a big deal. You'll want to keep a close eye on them and let them really settle into the quarantine tank for a wk or so before moving them again to the main tank.

Good Luck and if you need more help, let me know. I will be leaving in a few hrs and won't be back until Sunday sometime. If you need help between now and then I am sure someone here should be able to get you through the wknd til I get back. If you have questions about the meds, look on the packaging and find the contact number for the manufacturer, ask them about the meds. They will have the most info about it, and then it will be accurate info.
If you follow the instructions I posted above, you should be good until Sunday. I'll pop in as soon as I get back to see how everything is going


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