Strange parasite- please help
Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 10:06 pm
Hello,
I am having what looks to be an external parasite issue in my Tetraodon schoutedeni's tank. I have dosed the tank twice over a 45 day long period with Prazipro for 6-7 days each and also soaked her food in Prazipro and was able to get her to eat the soaked food once. The parasite is still in her tank, as I noticed it briefly on her belly the other day. It starts out as a tiny red dot on the outside of her belly and grows, hanging down from her belly. It is able to detach and reattach itself to her belly seemingly at will. I do not know what it is up to or where it is when it is not attached to her. It is like an alien in appearance and behavior and the strangest thing I have ever seen (please see photo below). It does not seem to be bothering her. Her appetite is fine, and she has not lost any weight. I am nonetheless concerned. Any suggestions on how to treat? Many thanks.
1) Your water parameters -
pH 8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 10-20
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants.
55g with one adult T. schoutedeni, 12 peppered corys, 7 serpae tetra, and two green dragon plecos. Tank is over-filtered with a canister filter rated for a 150g tank and also a large sponge filter.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank
Feed my puffer a varied diet including live blackworms, frozen thawed clams soaked in Vitachem, freeze dried krill reconstituted in water and Vitachem, and ramshorn snails that I grow myself. (She does not like shrimp or scallops, even with garlic added.) The corys get Hikari sinking wafers and tetras get Hikari micropellets. The plecos have plenty of algae and other leftover food but also get Hikari algae wafers occasionally. The puffer gets fed daily to every-other-day depending on her appetite. Tankmates get fed daily.
The only products I use on the tank are both Stress Guard and Safe when I do water changes (which are 50% weekly, every week, zero exceptions. I am strongly vigilant about this). We are on controlled well water, so there is no chlorine etc... in the water. That is also why the pH is on the high side.
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference.
No changes
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it?
It was cycled with 10 serpae tetras, 12 peppered corys, and Seachem Stability, and has been set up for 10 months.
I am having what looks to be an external parasite issue in my Tetraodon schoutedeni's tank. I have dosed the tank twice over a 45 day long period with Prazipro for 6-7 days each and also soaked her food in Prazipro and was able to get her to eat the soaked food once. The parasite is still in her tank, as I noticed it briefly on her belly the other day. It starts out as a tiny red dot on the outside of her belly and grows, hanging down from her belly. It is able to detach and reattach itself to her belly seemingly at will. I do not know what it is up to or where it is when it is not attached to her. It is like an alien in appearance and behavior and the strangest thing I have ever seen (please see photo below). It does not seem to be bothering her. Her appetite is fine, and she has not lost any weight. I am nonetheless concerned. Any suggestions on how to treat? Many thanks.
1) Your water parameters -
pH 8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 10-20
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants.
55g with one adult T. schoutedeni, 12 peppered corys, 7 serpae tetra, and two green dragon plecos. Tank is over-filtered with a canister filter rated for a 150g tank and also a large sponge filter.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank
Feed my puffer a varied diet including live blackworms, frozen thawed clams soaked in Vitachem, freeze dried krill reconstituted in water and Vitachem, and ramshorn snails that I grow myself. (She does not like shrimp or scallops, even with garlic added.) The corys get Hikari sinking wafers and tetras get Hikari micropellets. The plecos have plenty of algae and other leftover food but also get Hikari algae wafers occasionally. The puffer gets fed daily to every-other-day depending on her appetite. Tankmates get fed daily.
The only products I use on the tank are both Stress Guard and Safe when I do water changes (which are 50% weekly, every week, zero exceptions. I am strongly vigilant about this). We are on controlled well water, so there is no chlorine etc... in the water. That is also why the pH is on the high side.
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference.
No changes
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it?
It was cycled with 10 serpae tetras, 12 peppered corys, and Seachem Stability, and has been set up for 10 months.