The Puffer Forum

Hi everyone,

just was wondering if anyone can identify this parasite?



it was removed from our Palembang's eyelid, and had been moving around ontop of his eye since we got him. we tried a mild dose of an external parasite removal, but i think it was just too big, and we didnt want to hurt our puffer so we stopped.



thats what it looked like a couple of weeks ago, it had grown a good 25% larger since. i used the info on the "teeth trimming" for clove oil, but i upped the dosage just a bit due to his size, and put down the puffer while i removed the parasite. it was attached pretty good, but i got it off. theres a very small wound where it was, so i put in some melafix, and some bio coat, since his skin didnt handle the affair to well. his got a bit of ich also, which is why we didnt do this sooner. his eye was starting to show signs of irritaion tho recently.

so, any additional things that i might due to help the healing process would be helpful.

thx

Looks like one of those face huggers fromt he Alien movies...

Poor thing, he's not looking too good. I think you're doing all of the right things though.

Pandora114 wrote:Looks like one of those face huggers fromt he Alien movies...

I agree, that has hr giger written all over it.

You are right to go with melafix for the wound, adding some aquarium salt and upping the temp a little will help to eradicate the pesky ich. Hopefully he will have a speedy recovery.

Looks like a Monogenetic Trematode fluke of some discription... i see these on marine fish occasionally.Like your puffer they attach to the eye,perhaps the easyest place to get a grip with no scales or mucus protection?I would normally freshwater dip the marine fish and this has an effect within three mins...but i realise you have a differant scenario.

Looks like argulus, a fish louse. Easily removed with tweezers or a fingernail.

Salt and high heat with supplemental oxygenation should be enough to help the puffer to heal. Good luck!

J

well.. as it would turn out.. ive now had to remove 3 more of them, one of which was just smaller than a dime.... and theres another out break... of at least 10 on one fin. anyone recommend any treatments for this??

One of the medications for external parasites?

we tried one, i dont recall the name off hand, but it listed "lice". they are infact argulus we found. we took everything out of his tank, soaked the wood and clay in high salinity water and the plants in a less, but still high, salinity water for over a week, changing the water every 2 days.. and he still had an out break. we think they are in his gills...

Dimilin/diflubenzuron - a chitin inhibitor that kills arthropods by stopping chitin formation, thus killing the parasite. It takes time, as the parasite must molt its hard shell and then be unable to form a new one. A minimum of 2 10 day treatment cycles - without water changes - are recommended when using this. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals markets it under several names, one of which is Dimilin. I think Jungle's Parasite Guard uses it as well as a main ingredient, as does their Anchors Away. I've had excellent results using this on goldfish and koi - but I would be very careful when using it on any puffer, as I am not certain of any negative interactions on Tetraodontidae. It should be safer than several other medications, if that helps.

Another easier option would be airdrying all of the accessories, gravel, and ornaments in the tank while treating the puffer in a QT, removing all visible parasites manually.

J

great advice

Jungle Parasite Clear does have the ingredient you mentioned. Just checked my box. I've fed food soaked in Parasite Clear to my puff for IPs, but have not dissolved tablets in her tank for treatment of external parasites.

If you want to avoid using chemicals, or if the treatment doesn't work, here's what Axelrod and Schultz have to say:

"If there are many of them [fish lice], they can be removed by gently rubbing over the skin of the fish, always from the head to the tail. Parasites that are sucking so fast that they are not removable in this way may be paralyzed by touching them with a small pencil or brush dipped in a strong solution of ordinary table salt," (Handbook of Tropical Aquarium Fishes, pg. 127)

I would be especially careful if you do this because puffers have scaleless, delicate skin.

Also, they mention that the minnow, Phoxinus laevis, will eat fish lice. And then the puff can eat the minnows, I suppose. Palembangs are partly piscivorous, arent they?

PuffTheMagicFishy wrote:
Also, they mention that the minnow, Phoxinus laevis, will eat fish lice. And then the puff can eat the minnows, I suppose. Palembangs are partly piscivorous, arent they?

That's an idea! Not very rewarding for the poor minnow, though ... and I don't know how "patient" the palembang will be

J

I think they meant that minnows will help with an infestation in the environment, not necessarily pick lice off the fish.

Flubenol 15 would have killed that, hope the fish recovers ok