How To Identify And Treat Fish Parasites

Parasites exist everywhere. Some of them won’t hurt a thing while others are harmful and make us sick. Like humans and other animals, fish are susceptible to ailments cause by different kinds of parasites.

What Are The Symptoms Of Fish Parasites

Flashing: This is an indication that your fish is being attacked by parasites like anchor worms, flukes and fish lice. As the fish feel the itch, they will start rubbing themselves against the sides of bottom of the aquarium or pond. Some may take a running start and dive out of the water and then down to the bottom of the pond in a single fluid movement.

Itching: This is only the beginning of the problems cause by parasites. Fish often injure themselves or lose their scales when flashing against the sharp edges of rocks or other objects. Some parasites will penetrate the skin of the fish and suck out their blood. And once the skin of the fish is broken, bacteria and fungi can enter the fishes’ body through the wound and cause illness from secondary infection. It is thus crucial to prevent this from happening by eliminating the primary cause—the parasites.

Parasites are usually attracted to the soft tissues of a fish’s gills, so this is another way to check for sighs that your fish may be infected with parasites. Gill flukes are a common problem arising from parasitic attacks. When infected the fishes’’ gills are likely to get damaged. They will then have difficulty breathing and may keep going to the surface and gasping to gulp in more air.

What Are The Treatment Methods For Fish Parasites

The best way to diagnose what parasites are present in an infected fish is by performing a mucus scraping. By identifying the parasites, appropriate treatments can then be administered.

Many kinds of microscopic parasites are treated with non-iodized salt while others such as flukes, fish lice, and anchor worm require a different mode of treatment. Fish hobbyists mainly “shoot from the hip” by administering a salt treatment fish and resorting to alternative treatments. If there is no improvement. However, this wastes valuable time and could result in fish deaths before the parasites can be eradicated.

Taking preventive measures is still the best way to keep parasites out of your aquarium or pond. Parasites are commonly introduced by new fish or plants, so do quarantine new stock before adding them to your aquarium or pond.

Should your fish become infected, medicating them may not solve the problem; giving your aquarium or pond and its contents a thorough cleanup may be the best way to eradicate the parasites completely.

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