flat worms in my fish...please help.

[Luis]

This morning my fish were wierd, swimming a lot and pretty nervous, I took a look and I saw small transparent flat worms in their body, I put my fish in a fresh water dip and the "flat worms" felt down, some of this worms still attached to my fish but they look dead, Can you tell me what am I dealing with? I'm sure is not ich thou.
Can I put something in my water to avoin an infestation of this parasite? Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like it could be a parasitic isopod or fluke. How long have you had the fish?
Have you added anything to the tank recently? What type of fish? Are all the fish infected?
The freshwater dip would be a good start.

mario

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Did they look like this?

 

[Anonymous]

That's a evil lookin' critter!

 

[Oceans Ferevh]

Boy I'd be real "nervice" and frantic if I had that thing on me

 

[SnowManSnow]

do you have a cleaner shrimp in there?????

 

[Luis]

I can not see the image(???)but they don't look scary, they look like regular brown flat worms, same size, same shape but they are transparent ... yes, all the fish were infected but I did the fresh water dip and the parasites died like flies but I'm afraid if the eggs still in my system. I add a yellow tang a week ago. can the parasite can spread that fast?

I would like to see the image thou.

Thank you guys.

 

[Luis]

I can see the image now, yeah they look like that but I'm not 100% sure because the image has been amplified 100 times (I guess) but I have a microscope at home I will take a look later .... what creature is that and how can I get rid of it?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

but they don't look scary, they look like regular brown flat worms, same size, same shape but they are transparent ... yes, all the fish were infected but I did the fresh water dip and the parasites died like flies but I'm afraid if the eggs still in my system. I add a yellow tang a week ago. can the parasite can spread that fast?

Trematodes (parasitic flatworms/flukes).

Yes eggs are in your system and your Yellow Tang will probably become infected also.
Unfortunately these critters can also live on an intermediate host such as a mollusc or arthropod until jumping to their primary host (fish).
Keep up with the freshwater dips.

Oops, I see you also say they look like the picture of the parasitic isopod too.

mario

 

[Luis]

I think my tank has trematodes...

can I put something in my tank to kill the egg parasites? What if I put my fish in a hospital tank how can I cure them ? is there a medication? I have a UV sterilizer in my system do you think it's going to take care of this problem?

Thank you for any advise.

 

[Anonymous]

I think my tank has trematodes...

can I put something in my tank to kill the egg parasites? What if I put my fish in a hospital tank how can I cure them ? is there a medication? I have a UV sterilizer in my system do you think it's going to take care of this problem?

Your best bet is a freshwater dip and putting your inhabitants in a quarantine tank. I would not use medication in your main tank but let it go fallow for 6 weeks to kill the cycle of the flukes. An UV sterilizer will have no effect on flukes.

mario