Parasite Treatment

Hi guys,

I have a Ram which has some sort of parasite which I'm trying to ID in order to treat.
I have an established tank which is kept clean. It mostly houses Discus, Rummynose, Cardinals & Rams. I have seen this parasite before in my tank on the Tetras, but this is the first time a Ram has been infected. The Discus have never been infected.
From my experience with the Tetras I know the fish will die if left untreated. More than that, I'm worried about the Discus getting infected, so am keen to find a cure.

Description of the Parasites:
They look like small (+- 5mm), threadlike, white worms which are visible just under the scales of the fish. They appear on the body, fins and tail of the fish.
After a few weeks they form a bump and (I assume) emerge from the fish. I have seen the bump, but never seen them actually emerge.
I have only ever seen one or two on my Tetras, but this Ram has about 20.

I'd love to isolate the Ram and medicate him, but I think I need something to treat my whole tank as well.
It is a 750l planted tank housing Discus, so I obviously have to be careful what I medicate with.

Please help!

Thanks,
Gordon

 

Sounds like anchor worm, i have never dealt with this myself, but I think Paragaurd is effective against it, and you will need to treat your entire tank. I'm not sure if any if your fish would be sensitive to Paragaurd, so I suggest you Google for treatment and search the Seachem site.

 

Thanks Jwh.
I did see Anchorworm while I was searching online, but what I have looks a lot smaller, and they are fully under the skin of the fish. Anchorworms look like rigid sticks attached to the fish's scales. Mine look like coiled pieces of thread under the scales.

 

Have a look at this site: Tropical Fish Disease Identification with pictures and cures.

post a photo if possible

 

Dermosporidia ????

 

YES!!! It is Dermosporida! Thanks so much!
The consensus seems to be that there is no cure, but it is generally harmless unless the fish's gills get infected. Guess I'll just wait it out and hope for the best.

Thanks again for your help, @DoubleDutch

 

You're welcome !!! I am familiar with them on cardinals and rummynoses but untill now not on rams !!!
Your description (under the skin) pointed me that way though.
Indeed untreatable !!

 

At least I know what it is now... as disgusting as it looks

 

Yeah that's right !!!