Flashing? Should I be worried?

[TammyLiz]

That's insane. I wonder where they were hiding before you put the meds in. Can you describe the worms? Are they straight or do they have a little head, do they look flat or round? How long are they? Thin or wide? It'd be interesting to try to figure out what type they are. Have you done a search to try?

[pedzola]

They were very tiny. They looked round with no discernable head.

VERY SMALL.

I didn't save any for studying or anything. Maybe I should have? It's lights out now so I can't really see em.

[TammyLiz]

Uhh...if you are interested in saving some for later ID and you happen to have some formaldehyde around the house, put them in a bit of that. If not, the next best thing that you're more likely to have is some rubbing alcohol. I have no idea who would be able to help you. There are labs that deal with this sort of thing (parasites). I'm not sure if it would be worth it, though. Sometimes you'd be surprised how helpful people can be, sometimes, you'd be surprised how far out of their way they are willing to go to be unhelpful.

[pedzola]

Well regardless of what the things are, the prazi is obviously killing them. (Or at least agitating them enough to let go of whatever they were stuck to so they get sucked into my filter).

So........

I dunno if it really matters that I ID them... it just matters that they die or go away!

O_O

Like I said, since these things were so abundant I will probably do a second round of prazi in a week provided that none of the fish show any ill effects.

[TammyLiz]

Probably a good idea.

[Mark in Vancouver]

This has been seen before... I think it was Erik in North Vancouver who saw the same thing when he added the stuff to his river tank. The organisms seem to detach from the whole system. I believe he said that his hillstream loaches went nuts - eating them.

[mikev]

This has been seen before...

And here too.

The funny thing is that I've seen something like this in a *NEW* tank being cycled, without any fish or plant or even soil -- simply swimming around in the water. (Source of the infection -- system filter in a fs where I took some material from to speed up the cycle.) Almost certainly non-parasitic., probably indeed something small fish would love.

A couple of drops of levimisole into the tank killed them all quickly....

[Mark in Vancouver]

I'm not sure of the logic of killing the organisms if they are non-parasitic. Perhaps the prazi is useful in this situation, but how does killing off a bunch of non-parasitic invertebrates benefit the aquarium?

Lately I am of the mind that the freshwater tank should hope to develop an ecosystem as complex as the marine tank. There are critters living in my brook tank - tiny, but visible organisms moving through the algae - that I did not intentionally introduce. But they are obviously playing a part within a closed system and they have survived or recovered from treatments and medications of various kinds over the years. No new plants, no new fish, but there they are.

It would be worthwhile to collect the data on what actually happens with the introduction of prazi and which organisms are affected and to what end.

[pedzola]

Almost certainly non-parasitic

So you're saying this probably isn't what was irritating my fish? ;(

They were really too small to look like anything of food value to the fish I think.

Oh well... I'll keep an eye on them and see if anything changes. Like I mentioned before there is 1 yoyo loach that I am a little concerned about.

What pushed me to try the prazi was that when I got home yesterday this loach was practically dragging his belly on the ground he was flashing so much. His belly looks large too like he just finished eating. Not like dropsy, but like he had a big meal.

And he has been abnormally calm lately too. He will just sit around... he used to be the most hyper one. So... I read online somewhere that this is also a sign of parasites.

I hope that the prazi does the trick.

[pedzola]

So I'm feedin the loaches today and I see the biggest clown loach zip out of his hiding spot. He doesn't come out much, only at night to eat... so I barely see him. (cause he eats and then goes back to his cave).

So I saw him zip out of his cave to another spot and he's got a BIG WHITE BLOTCH on his head!!!!

What is this?? Some kinda fungus? Somethin else??

Should I do water changes/carbon to get rid of the prazipro parasite stuff, and start medicating the tank w/Maracin 1 and 2 instead?

And my yoyo is still flashing, and still has a big belly. And I saw my shark flashing when I got home.

The water is clear and all the numbers are great, why are my fish getting sick???

PLEASE HELP!

[pedzola]

bump. Anyone?

[pedzola]

bump again.

Little yoyo still flashing. plz help!