Parasites...yuck!

[Myka]

So I was inspecting my Jawfish which arrived DOA. I notice that there are "rice grain" things under his skin near his tail, so I give him a little slice and pull them out. They are ALIVE!!! Little worms shaped like sperms (rice grains with really long tails, like 1"). Any idea what they are?

And on that note...I bath all my new arrival fish in PraziPro as stated on the back of the bottle for 15 minutes. Thing is, those dosages are for treating a QT or tank, and are designed to have the fish in it for much longer. Do you guys know how strong you can make that solution to use for a 15 minute bath and have it more effective?

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/Myka82/DeadJawfish.jpg

[Keri]

They kinda look like parasitic copepods (definately different than your regular 'pods)


I don't kno the answer about the Prazi tho.

[mseepman]

Hey have you spoken to J&L about the Jawfish? With those monster parasites, I would think they would have something helpful to say about your situation.

[Myka]

They kinda look like parasitic copepods (definately different than your regular 'pods).

Copepods would have an exo-skeleton wouldn't they? These guys were soft bodied.

Hey have you spoken to J&L about the Jawfish? With those monster parasites, I would think they would have something helpful to say about your situation.

I sent an email off a couple hours ago, so I haven't heard back yet. I'm in a hurry to get ready to leave tomorrow morning!

[fishoholic]

Yikes! I wouldn't want to find those on my fish. I hope J&L has some answers for you, they're usually pretty good about things.

[Myka]

Yikes! I wouldn't want to find those on my fish. I hope J&L has some answers for you, they're usually pretty good about things.

The parasites weren't on the fish, they were IN the fish. Fish get parasites in the ocean, it's pretty natural. I don't look to J&L for answers, just credit. ;)

[fishoholic]

The parasites weren't on the fish, they were IN the fish. Fish get parasites in the ocean, it's pretty natural. I don't look to J&L for answers, just credit. ;)

Good point :biggrin:

[Alberta-newb]

...I bath all my new arrival fish in PraziPro as stated on the back of the bottle for 15 minutes. Thing is, those dosages are for treating a QT or tank, and are designed to have the fish in it for much longer. Do you guys know how strong you can make that solution to use for a 15 minute bath and have it more effective?



Not sure on maximum dosage but I was facing a similar problem of not wanting to treat my display with PraziPro (I do use it in the QT tank). Found a product called "Ultra Cure PX gel-tek" made by Aquarium Products. It is designed to be fed directly to fish and contains praziquantel @ 0.0057% (the active ingredient in PraziPro). I like it because it also contains flubenol @ 0.03% and metronidazole @0.30% for a "multi-pronged" approach to internal parasites. My fish don't like to eat it directly so I mix it in with a few mysid shrimp to make sure they are getting treated.

Francis

[Myka]

^ Thanks for the advice. I will take a look into that. Although I would like to find a reliable option for giving the fish a bath before putting them into my tank as I don't quarantine.

[karazy]

there's always the freshwater dip..

[Myka]

there's always the freshwater dip..

Good call. I tend to not think about freshwater dipping because they always look so stressed when I do it, and it's such a pain in the butt to match pH. works great for external parasites though, including Ich. I wonder if there are any short term (less than an hour) baths that are effective against internal parasites? I really have been noticing a lot of parasites on fish in the last few years. I think really it's just that I'm more aware... lol