Re: "Salt grains" on wild rams.

[Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>]

Bailin,

The worms I'm familiar with usually aren't found in large numbers, maybe 10 - 20
at most. If you have more than this you probably have something different. About
the smallest fish I've ever taken them off are small platys, about 1½" (35 mm)
TL. I know of no chemical medication that will remove them. Potassium
Permanganate will not touch them because the worms are not exposed to the water.
The fish's body actually makes the cyst around the worm to prevent it from
attacking the body. These worms need a warm blooded host to reproduce, if I
recall correctly. The infected fish needs to be eaten by a bird. The worm
reproduces in the bird's digestive tract and the eggs are released in it's
droppings. Fish then get infected by worms when they swim near the droppings. If
they were my fish I would open one of the cyst just to see if there is a worm
inside. If there is, just leave them alone until the Rams get bigger or carefully
go about taking a few off each fish every month or so. Hope this helps.

Mike Wise

Bailin Shaw wrote:

> Mike,
>
> Seems like it would be pretty hard to get all of the spots.  They are
> covering some of my fish but are not on other rams.  When you treat the
> spots, have you done this on fish that are smaller than an inch?  Are there
> alternative methods of treating the spots for the medically clumsy.  I'm
> afraid that I'd poke and kill the fish.  What exactly are these worms and is
> there an intermediate host that you know of for them to reproduce?  I've
> thought of using a KMnO4 dip to try and get rid of these spots, but I'd have
> to put them right back into the same tank.  I'm out of room and don't have a
> seeded filter to transfer them to.  Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Bailin
>
> >From: Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>
> >Reply-To: apisto@majordomo.pobox.com
> >To: apisto@majordomo.pobox.com
> >Subject: Re: "Salt grains" on wild rams.
> >Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 09:03:23 -0600
> >
> >Bailin,
> >
> >I don't know if they are the same, but I have seen similar large white
> >"pimples"
> >on fish - mostly pond raised livebearers. They are less like angular salt
> >grain
> >than smooth dome shaped pimples. They encapsulate a small worm. These worms
> >do
> >not kill the fish unless there are many, many of them. These worms usually
> >require 1 or 2 other hosts to complete their life cycle so it is next to
> >impossible for them to infect other fish in the tank. I remove these worms
> >by
> >using a sterile needle to open the pimple and remove the worm. This is done
> >while
> >the fish is covered in a wet cloth. After removing the worm I disinfect the
> >wound
> >with a little alcohol and return the fish to the tank.
> >
> >Mike Wise
> >
>
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