RE: Strange looking fish

["gooch" <gooch@tznet.com>]

Here is info from my Axelrod Handbook

" Black-spot Disease(Diplostomiasis)

In fishes with little pigment, the spots may be brownish instead of black.
The spots contain a light-colored cyst of binding tissue in which a slowly
moving worm lies rolled up. The cyst is surrounded by an accumulation of
pigment cells, which causes the black spot to be seen from the outside.
The worm in the cyst is a larvae stage of a sucking worm, known as
Neodiplostomum cuticola. The adult parasite lives in the intestines of water
birds. The eggs reach the water with the excreta of the bird, where they
hatch. A further part of their life cycle takes place in aquatic snails. The
parasites then infect fish. If an infected fish is eaten by a water bird,
the larvae penetrate into its intestine and the cycle starts anew.
As the life cycle of the parasites rely on aquatic snails, the absence of
snails from tanks and ponds removes the possibility of black spot disease
occurring in fishes. All species of Limnea must be suspected in cases of
infection. There is, of course, always the possibility of fish being
introduced to new quarters after it has been infected; in this instance the
disease may manifest itself after a short time even though snails are
absent.

TREATMENT


Picric Acid. Stock solution: 1 gram in 100ml water. For use: 7 to 24 ml per
gallon or 2 to 7 ml per liter. Fishes are bathed in this for about ONE HOUR,
unless they show signs of distress, when they must be removed from the bath
at once.""

I hope this helps.
Phil


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-apisto@admin.listbox.com
> [mailto:owner-apisto@admin.listbox.com]On Behalf Of Mike & Diane Wise
> Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 1999 9:35 AM
> To: apisto@majordomo.pobox.com
> Subject: Re: Strange looking fish
>
>
> Kathy & Gabi,
>
> The black blotches I had on my fish were not discrete spots, but more like
> irregular edged blotches of black pigment anywhere from 3 to 7 mm
> in diameter.
> Perhaps a melanoma?
>
> Mike Wise
>
> alex pastor wrote:
>
> > Kathy Olson Wrote:
> >
> > >It is a parasite.  Don't recall the name off the top of my head. (will
> > >look it up if I get a chance)
> > >
> > >Comes in on fish, but requires a bird in the life cycle so
> usually doesn't
> > >spread to other fish.  Doesn't seem to harm the fish either.
> > >
> > >Kathy
> >
> > There are two things that can appear as black discrete blotches
> about 1mm in
> > diameter on the skin of fish.  One of the is
> Glochidia-producing freshwater
> > bivalve molluscs.  The larvae attach to the skin and gills of fish and
> > incite a hyperplastic response in the fish's epithelium.
> Eventually, the
> > parasites are shed when they metamorphose into adult clams.  So
> it's a time
> > limited thing.  Not unusual on either wild caught or pond raised fish.
> > Unless they are super infested, the fish behave totally normally.
> >
> > Then there is another one that looks very similar and may be
> the one Kathy
> > is writing about with the multiple hosts, but I can't remember
> for the life
> > of me what it is.  Neither parasite is, as Kathy writes,
> dangerous to the
> > fish.
> >
> > Then of course, fish get bruises when they get into their
> territorial snits
> > with one another.  It's not that unusual to see darkish, small
> blotches on
> > apistos where they've 'bit' one another.  Females fight for
> spawning site,
> > and males fight for females.  These clear up in a few days, and then are
> > replaced by new blotches when they are in the 'mood' for
> spawning and there
> > are limited spawning sites.
> >
> > Gabi Kadar
> > Toronto
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > This is the apistogramma mailing list, apisto@listbox.com.
> > For instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe or get help,
> > email apisto-request@listbox.com.
> > Search http://altavista.digital.com for "Apistogramma Mailing
> List Archives"!
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> This is the apistogramma mailing list, apisto@listbox.com.
> For instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe or get help,
> email apisto-request@listbox.com.
> Search http://altavista.digital.com for "Apistogramma Mailing
> List Archives"!
>



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the apistogramma mailing list, apisto@listbox.com.
For instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe or get help,
email apisto-request@listbox.com.
Search http://altavista.digital.com for "Apistogramma Mailing List Archives"!