I have 1 flathead catfish in a 55 gal tank. Nothing else living in there but a few snails. I feed him earthworms/nightcrawlers mostly, and feeder fish rarely. I just noticed these "things" swimming in the water. They looks like "sperm", but w/o the body...just the tail. They are white, small and skinny, none more than a 1/4".
Is this some kind of parasite??
Thanks in advance.....
2007-02-20 05:19:06 · 6 answers · asked by Shay 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
These are NOT a parasite at all but just white worms. They are completely harmless and will most likely eventually get sucked up be the filter and cleaned from the tank. Be sure you clean your gravel very well at your next few water changes and that will get rid of them. No need to trat the tank with anything or even worry about it very much at all. They probably came in with some of the worms you have been feeding.
MM
2007-02-20 06:28:22 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No these aren't parasites. Chances are they are midge (a type of fly) larvae. You can tell these apart from worms if you look at them under a microscope - they will have an obvious "head" (http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/imagsmall/midgepolar.jpg), where worms just kind of look like - "worms". You will also probably notice small (~1/4" or less) dead flies on the surface of the water. Photo of adult: http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/images/midge2.jpg
Usually these swim just off the bottom and your filter won't get them out - you have to net them by hand with a fine mesh net (like a brine shrimp net). The will feed on algae and uneaten food, but also your catfish's slime coat. The adults will lay the eggs on either the water's surface or on the filter material if you have a hang-on-tank filter, so what you need to do to stop this from reoccurring is to use a tank cover (you can stuff cotton or filter floss in any opening to get some air exchange and put a very fine netting over your HOT filter.
2007-02-20 07:06:33 · answer #2 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had those and took a sample to the pet store; they told me they were internal parasites and gave me medicine (Gel-tek, but you might also try Metronidazole, which would probably work better for a catfish since it is a tablet that goes in the water, as opposed to gel drops which the fish have to eat), but were unable to hypothesize a cause for the infestation. I also ended up removing most of the water and boiling all of the gravel (this will kill them).
2007-02-20 08:29:13 · answer #3 · answered by succulentpope 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes they are a parasite,I had it happen to me when I bought some new fish.Just go to your pet store tell them what you got and they will give the medication to get rid of it.
2007-02-20 05:37:52 · answer #4 · answered by Cindy 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh god...its pretty bad its the worst thing that could ever happen to ur tank....the parasites have most likely already infected your catfish and if it has been more than a week your fish might die but if you find the right meidcine you could save it
2007-02-20 06:12:17 · answer #5 · answered by =Matt= 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
its just a parasite
treat the tank with melafix or anti parasite tablets
2007-02-20 06:12:37 · answer #6 · answered by Return of the Snatch 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋