Caribbean Sharpnose with worm under skin?
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Caribbean Sharpnose with worm under skin?
Ok, so I bought a caribbean sharp nose puffer about 2 weeks ago. He's been in quarantine all by himself and I was getting ready to put him in the big tank today when I noticed what looks like a worm under his skin. It is one long very squiggly looking something or rather that, for the most part, is on the fishes right side but does wrap around up near its mouth and over to the left side as well. Is it some type of worm?
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mrgreen
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Re: Caribbean Sharpnose with worm under skin?
Can you upload a pic?
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Caribbean Sharpnose with worm under skin?
Yup--nematode worm. Not good. Either you need to do surgery to remove it or leave it in there.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8298&st=0&sk=t&sd=a ... de+surgery
Do a search for further threads on this: *nematode surgery*.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8298&st=0&sk=t&sd=a ... de+surgery
Do a search for further threads on this: *nematode surgery*.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Re: Caribbean Sharpnose with worm under skin?
Is it possible for the Nematode to spread to other fish if I place him in the larger tank? Do you know if any surgeries have been successful and if so how was it done?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
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Mrs.Puff
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Re: Caribbean Sharpnose with worm under skin?
Ive never delt with nematodes before, but i was wondering if he leaves it in the fish, will it eventually kill him? Is the surgery something that must be done to save him? This is awful
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WELCOME! - 2 angelfish, and 1 upside down catfish
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2 Oscars 75g
R.I.P: Mrs.Puff, Mr. Puff and, Jumbo
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Caribbean Sharpnose with worm under skin?
Yes, yes & yes. Sorry it's late... 2am here.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Re: Caribbean Sharpnose with worm under skin?
So, is that a "Yes, the nematode can spread to other fish, ..."yes", Successful nematode removal surgeries have been performed, and "yes", it will kill him?Pufferpunk wrote:Yes, yes & yes. Sorry it's late... 2am here.
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Pufferpunk
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T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Caribbean Sharpnose with worm under skin?
Yes, it will eventually kill the puffer but they have been known to survive quite some time with the worms inside them. Certainly not as long as without one. How do you feel about surgery? Did you read the threads on this? I'm not quite sure how it transfers to other fish. You coudl do a web search on nematodes.
I found this:
http://nematode.unl.edu/
I found this:
http://nematode.unl.edu/
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Re: Caribbean Sharpnose with worm under skin?
I'm not sure surgery is much of an option. At this point, the worm is fairly large. It covers much of the right side of the fish and wraps around and partially covers the left side. I can't seem to find anything on a successful surgery. I would like to have some frame of reference before jumping into it. Would I be able to slowly pull the worm out lengthwise through a tiny incision or would it come out in bits and pieces?