# External Parasites. How to treat? Salt baths? What to do with the fish? ALOT OF Q'S!



## LyzzaRyzz (Dec 18, 2011)

Okay, so, i believe my guppies have external parasites. I had four originally, and bought nine more. 
I lost one the first night, the second one to what i believe was mouth culminaris.
I lost three last night to an excessive temperature rise, and after looking at the dead ones, i believe the temperature spike caused the external parasites that they had to kill them quicker? All i know is that prior to the spike, i hadnt seen anything wrong with the fish that died. and when they died, they had obvious signs of parasites.

Now, my problem is with one of the two new fish i added to my main tank. I know, foolish. They seemed to be the healthiest, and after two days, plunked em in there. The male, has what i believe to be two, maybe three threadlike tiny worms on his head. anchor worms? external parasites? This is not ick.

From reading, ive learned that external parasites like the one i think my fish have been dying from, probably came from the breeder themselves, or the pets store. And considering it was petsmart, i wouldent doubt anything.
Ive also read that if one of your fish has some, then all the fish do, of some stage or another, So treating the tank as a whole is a must.

Problem is, i have two tanks.

But all the fish are infected with what i believe is the same thing. they are seperated cause i didnt want my bio load to spike, and because i was watching the other fish.

All they fish have been showing symptoms at the same time, regardless of the tank, leads me to believe its the same parasite.

But could the parasites in my main tank not have already laid eggs?
Maybe the other fish havent gotten it, because its been less than one cycle of the parasites life?

The QT tank has been treated with 1.5 table spoons of AQ salt, because of the heat spike last night.
On member said maybe i cooked all the parasites in the tank, since it got to 96 degrees? is this possible?

Also, i read salt baths can help weaken, even kill off parasites attached to the fish. I did one salt bath on my male, since he was pacing the tank, and i scooped him, and looked really closely for about a half hour, and i definitely saw the parasites. I mix my AQ salt in a water bottle, a table spoon in each bottle. The cup the guppy was in was one of the betta cups they come in from the store. it was about half full, and i filled the other half up with the AQ salt water, and didn't notice any difference in the gup's behavior, except for the gills moving bit more. I kept him in there for about five minutes, and then scooped him with a net back into the tank. If any parasites did fall off, i didnt want them to get back into the main tank.
Is this the proper way for a salt bath? I couldn't really find any clear instructions online. As a note, the male guppy isnt pacing the tank anymore!




I am getting a 55 gallon tank tomorrow. My question is, if all the fish are infected with the same parasite, would i be better off putting them all in the same tank, and medicating, and waiting a whole cycle of the parasites life to make sure the parasite is killed, and set up the 55 gallon and let it cycle?
[they are all guppies, so the bio load can handle it in the QT tank.]
My other option is to wait til i am sure the parasite is dead to even set up the 55 gal [main tank is where the 55 gal will go]. Though ive read a cycle of the parasites llife can be up to six weeks! And i suspect the cycling of the 55 will take about six weeks too. And treating two seperate tanks for the same disease seems a bit redundant to me. 

So, id like your advice.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

Salt and high temps is usually a treatment for ich or whitespot not anchor worms. You would certainly have to do the entire tank too. My suggestion is to get a proper medication. Salt and high temps is not really the ideal treatment IMO, but lots of people still use it for ich. I think copper sulfate is effective against anchor worms and thats what I would recommend. Either aquarisol or coppersafe are the name brands for that medication. 

FYI when treating for any parasite its very important to continue treatment until long after the parasite is no longer visible.


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## LyzzaRyzz (Dec 18, 2011)

I am 99% sure this is not ick. Ive dealt with that before, and this is something else! I wish i had a good enough camera! Though im sure id never get a shot..i had to stare at the fish for a full half and hour before i was fully convinced there was something even there!

I am aware I have to treat the tank and the fish for a long time, which is why i am wondering if it would be easier, and more cost effective to house all the fish together? I am almost certain they are infected with the same thing. The other tank I would wash, scrub, sanitize and let dry out, as with all the tank decorations and gravel.

And im quite confused over a method of treatment. And specifics! AQ salt? Which medications? Whatre the ingrediants in the medications that are actually working?


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## marshallsea (Apr 30, 2012)

Some of those meds can kill plants and inverts, research problems on google and choose treatments carefully.


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## LyzzaRyzz (Dec 18, 2011)

Thats actually what ive been doing all day!:neutral:

Its why im so confused!
Ive gotten treatments such as up to 5 teaspoons of AQ salt per ten gallons, [some measurements are in table spoons!?] with water changes of 50% every day.

Some people swear by using certain medications with malachite green and formalin, another drug called methylene blue? but these are ingredients in a product, so whats the product name? Which ones are actually affective? Should i just go to the store, and grab whatevers the highest concentration?
[[ I know some of these medications harm inverts, but there arent any shrimp in these two tanks anymore, though it raises the question of what to do with my two apple snails? How are they with salt? Will they harbor the parasites if i dont treat them?]]

Also heard that raising the temperature would help, though my other tank is already 82 degrees. This would be the tank they would all be going into.

Ive been looking all day, and right now, i just know that i need to start treatment on all the fish. But whether to combine or treat separately is the question. Im really leaning towards combining the tanks...that way, when the 55 gal comes in, it has a place and i can begin setting it up to cycle. Plus, itll be easier to treat one tank, than two.and be less expensive. Plus the tanks are in two seperate rooms, and im running back and forth to check on them!


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## marshallsea (Apr 30, 2012)

Salt kills snails. salt dosage is not that critical, fish do well in salt.meds are harmful to fish so know what youre treating so they can work. heat works on ich, i dont know about other parasites. formalin and malachite green are in Quich cure at walmart.assuming they have same prob combine tanks.heat treat at 86 for 14 days


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