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FAQs on Parasitic Marine Worm Diseases: Causative
Mechanisms/Prevention
Related Articles: Marine Parasitic Disease,
Parasitic Worms, Roundworms,
Related FAQs: Fish Worm Diseases 1,
Marine Worm Parasites 2, Marine Worm
Parasites 3, & FAQs on Marine Worm Parasites:
Diagnosis/Symptomology, Cures
That Don't Work, Cures That Do Work,
Products/Manufacturers...
Flukes/Trematodes,
Tapeworms/Cestodes,
Leeches/Hirudineans, "Other" Worms
and Worm-Like Parasites...
Paravortex/Black Spot Disease, Anthelminthics/Vermifuges...
De-wormers (Piperazine, Praziquantel...) &
FAQs, Yellow Tang Disease,
Parasitic Disease 2, Parasitic Disease
3, Parasitic Marine Tanks,
Parasitic Reef Tanks,
Cryptocaryoniasis, Marine Ich,
Marine Velvet
Disease Biological Cleaners,
Treating Parasitic Disease,
Using Hyposalinity to Treat Parasitic Disease,
Roundworms, Yellow Tangs,
Tang Health/Disease, |
Many "thinning" syndromes, anomalous losses can be traced to the
debilitating effects of worm parasites, external and internal.
What can be done then to prevent or exclude these parasites?
Prophylactic treatment mostly... in the quarantine/acclimation
process... |
Re: was UV/skimmer, now Tang parasite... 3/6/07
Bob et al.,
Well, some small progress on the BGA situation. It seems to be
slowing down. Friday it was going through one of it's
let-go-and-float-to-the-surface phases, so I picked as much out as I
could. It seemed to be more cohesive and pick able than usual. It
has been regrowing slower than usual since. So the UV and/or the
water changes with homemade RO/DI water may be helping slowly.
<Yes, likely>
Another siphon attack and water change tonight
and see what happens.
The new problem of the day is that I am
concerned about my yellow tang.
I added a yellow tang and a baby
purple tang about 6 weeks ago.
<Mmmmm>
They had been in
quarantine after purchase, and did develop ich. I treated with
hyposalinity (1.009) first,
<For how long? Tangs don't like
reduced salinity...>
that didn't work and the next wave of the
parasites was pretty bad. I ended up treating with copper
<Nor
much copper exposure>
and the ich resolved and they both were
symptom free for 4 weeks before going in the display tank. The
yellow tang had gotten pretty thin, as he did not eat well in QT,
the little purple was a pig and seemed to always beat him to the
food, and I tried to be conservative about the feeding, as the tank
was small and so quickly polluted.
<Good>
I assumed he was
thin because he was too stressed to eat much.
<Yes, likely so>
He was not thin when I purchased him, but lost weight during the
quarantine.
So right after adding him to the main tank, I
noticed an apparent cyst in his muscle just below his dorsal fin, on
the left side. It was not visible in QT with normal lighting, but
only under the reef lights. You can only really see it as a shadow
when the light comes through him. You can't see it from the right
side. It is about halfway between the skin and the bones on the
left side about 1/4" below dorsal fin. There is no visible skin
lesion, but if the light hits it just right, an opaqueness in that
spot, about the size of a sesame seed. I did not worry too much
about this, as he seemed fine, and it could have been some scar
tissue or something. He began eating well right away, and his
behaviour has been very normal. He has the typical night-time color
change with a dark spot and a white stripe when the lights go
out. He is not quite as aggressive as the others at feeding time,
but seems to be eating well. He does not show any interest in the
Nori, so he only eats when I feed flakes or frozen, but I worry he
is not grazing enough.
Their new favorite food is Formula 2 with
garlic. They all seem to love it.
He is still thin, and I am
worried that this cyst is a tapeworm or nematode. His guts do have
a lumpy kind of appearance, and he could have worms of some
sort. But this could just be the normal intestinal appearance that
is visible because he is so thin. I have not seen any abnormal
protrusions or worm-like excrement. I have tried to get a picture,
but he is not cooperating with that of course. If I don't have a
camera he poses very nicely right in front of me. All the other
fish are fat, and he is not gaining weight. He is not losing more
weight, he is just not improving.
In reading all I could find
here on cysts and intestinal parasites, it seems there are not a lot
of answers without a positive ID on a parasite.
<Not possible
w/o necropsy... microscopic examination>
I found a few with
identical descriptions but no one knows what to do because of
unclear identification. I can't find any similar pictures or
descriptions on the external links. And I have not seen this
particular intra-muscular cyst described in any of my books. It
seems it would be impossible to ID without a biopsy anyway.
<Yes>
The purple tang who was quarantined with him is doing
great. He is fat and growing. I will need a bigger tank soon if he
keeps it up. He had some stress lines on his face after QT, but he
is beautiful now.
<Good>
Should I try to get the yellow tang
out and put him back in quarantine?
<I would not. I'd leave in
the main display... and hope for the best>
I don't want to
infect the whole tank if it is something that doesn't need an exotic
intermediate host.
<Not likely to spread>
I don't want to
overreact since he doesn't seem ill. I am just getting more
concerned because he is still so thin, and the other references to
this mysterious cyst involve fish who expired suddenly. The only
choices I see are to quarantine and treat as worms and try to get
his intestines cleared out and feed him without competition for a
while -or- leave it alone and watch to make sure he does not go down
hill. He is so thin I just worry that he doesn't have much reserve
for additional stress. He seems fine otherwise. Fins are good,
behavior seems very normal. Even in quarantine, I wouldn't know
what to do about the cyst. It is deep in the muscle, so would be
unaffected by fresh water dip. Without an ID it seems futile to
throw medications at it.
<There are purposeful anthelminthics...
covered on WWM... that one could try...>
Some of your writings
suggest that these parasites may not be a problem if the other
stresses are low, so may not be a plague if the other fish are
healthy?
<Yes>
Very much enjoying reading "Reef
Invertebrates"!
Thanks so much!
Your website is so
addictive.
<Methinks you may be coming up to being a
responder...>
I am wondering how I survived 12 years of
fish-keeping without it! (or how my fish survived anyway! :-))
Seriously, it is great to have somewhere to go for current and
trustworthy answers.
Alex Miller
75 gal, Instant Ocean,
Aqua-C Remora, Emperor 400 filter, 9 W UV sterilizer, too-small
refugium/sump, 2 powerheads, Coralife Deluxe PC 4x96W.
Aragonite substrate, plenum, live rock.
Fish: Sailfin Tang,
Purple Tang, Yellow Tang (LFS convinced me 3 different tangs would
work, but am expecting to have to get a bigger tank soon -
<Good... Zebrasomas can become real tussles at times... stress
levels escalating respectively>
I really wanted the purple tang,
already had the Sailfin, the yellow was to make it an odd number),
maroon clownfish, watchman goby, yellow-tail damsel, flame angel.
Inverts: emerald crab, Lysmata cleaner shrimp, pistol shrimp, a few
hermits, a few snails.
Corals: Xenia (going crazy), Euphyllia,
mushroom polyps, Zoanthids.
pH 8.2, NH3 = 0, NO2 = 0, NO3 = 0, P
= 0, Ca = 360, KH = 8, temp = 75 F,
SG = 1.025
<If it were
me, mine, I would not medicate here... Bob Fenner> Re: was
UV/skimmer, now Tang parasite... and new WWM Crew member! - 03/06/07
Thanks Bob!
<Welcome Alex>
I agree, the yellow tang is
probably better off in the main tank. Watching him more closely last
night and this morning, I think the appearance of his abdomen is
only due to his thinness and it even seemed slightly better. I
tried again to get pictures, but cannot get any of it to show up in
a photo. I will keep trying to get him to eat more.
He is just
not as good at grabbing the food as the others, so I will try to
sneak him extra while the others are distracted. Hopefully this
cyst will not develop into something more sinister.
<Mmm, not
likely>
I will keep an eye on it. Stressing him further right
now does not seem indicated.
<Agreed... that this may be
embedded Metacercariae for instance... would it help the host to
have them die, dissolve? How might this organisms complex life cycle
be completed w/o a requisite predator consuming it? Perhaps this is
simply a "twisted muscle" sort of injury/growth...>
I will work
on convincing my husband that we need a bigger tank!
<Ahh!>
Wow, your comment "<Methinks you may be coming up to being a
responder...>" is very nice! Weird, actually, as I was thinking the
same thing last night. You read my mind.
<!>
I begin to
wonder if I might have some value to add here at some point. My
background is somewhat eclectic. I am certainly not an expert, but
I have learned from mistakes and struggled with and overcome a lot
of the standard problems over the years. I understand the basic
mechanical, chemical, and biological processes. My weakness is
probably in pathology and taxonomy. I am a mechanical engineer, so
could address pumps/head/flows/siphons/gravity, etc.
<We have
plenty of these... all are encouraged not to answer anything they're
not comfortable with>
I have done my fair share of DIY projects,
and am pretty handy with plumbing in general. I have not had a
full-blown reef yet, but grew up with freshwater fish, and have had
a FOWLR for a decade, moving toward a reef in the last couple of
years.
So I have seen the evolution in the best-practices and
have tried to keep up. I had a short stint cleaning tanks as a
part-time helper at an LFS, and have seen local businesses come and
go. I appreciate their challenges, and the challenges of hobbyists
who get varying advice from their LFS. I like to keep it simple,
and do appreciate your emphasis on natural sustainable
approaches. I also am picky about spelling and proper English,
<Heeee! Yay!>
and appreciate your efforts on this front. I would
be glad to proofread anytime. I am also a diver (I am the one
floating upside down looking under things to see the details that
everyone else swims right by), although haven't been able to go in a
couple of years.
I am a life-long aquarist, captured by the
challenge, the beauty, and the serenity (in-between crises) offered
by our own little piece of the reef.
<All good
traits, experiences... It is obvious you have good command of the
written word, a positive approach, are desirous of aiding others...>
So, I will keep reading for now, and maybe I can help out one day.
Thanks!!
Alex
<Mmm, please do make it known when you have
the sensation that you have suitable/sufficient "free time" for
joining us. BobF> Re: was UV/skimmer, now Tang parasite...
and new WWM Crew member! - 03/06/07
Hi Bob,
<Alex>
Yes, on further reading I see that you have a wide range of
experience levels and backgrounds making up the crew. I would
indeed like to help if you are in need of more responders! I do
enjoy sharing/communicating and can continue to learn on the
job. It would be an honor to be part of your team.
<Ahh!>
It sounds like the responding is done through your webmail system,
<Yes>
but I should probably set up another personal email for
contact,
<Please do send this along>
since this is my work
email (although it is certainly the quickest way to reach me for now
- we have no access to webmail at work due to virus threats &
productivity issues). Actually, my blackberry email may be the best
backup for contacting me directly (copied above).
<But hard to
respond on... is this an address/system you would like to use just
the same?>
But if most of the communication is handled through
logging into your site, then that may not be necessary. I will be
available in the evenings and weekends, as I do work days. Let me
know what I do next.
<Respond to the last question, or make it known how we can reach
you... You are welcome to have an address... Alex@WetWebMedia.com if
you'd like. But the mail does come/go through a webmail svc.>
Oh, and I am 99% sure that the cyst on the Z. flavescens is a
Metacercariae. I may have lost my appetite for sushi for a few days
after reading up on that. Yikes!
<Mmm, yes... Anisakine
("Green" "Herring") worms are not my faves... I do like the sushi
bar experience, but find myself "candling" fish flesh more and more
as the years go by>
He seems even better tonight, and I think he
will be fine. He is just still recovering from the QT stress and is
not as piggy as the others and needs more food and time.
Thanks!
Alex
<BobF> |
Naso Tangs
Hello Bob,
<Hello Sanjay>
I'm unsure if you
remember, but approx 3 months ago I wrote to you regarding Naso tangs
and intestinal worms.
My plan was to investigate intestinal worms in
Naso tangs as a reason for their decline in captivity.
<Interesting
possibility>
I purchased a healthy six inch Naso and introduced it to
my QT system. It settled in well and after a week or so I began my
experiment.
To half a cube of frozen food I added approx 20mg of an
anti-thelmic preparation called Mebendazole. I obtained the liquid form
which sticks to frozen food.
I fed this twice a day for two days
without any ill effects to the Naso. However I did not see any worms.
<Have you taken a look to and through the scientific literature on
issues involving such worms and Surgeonfishes?>
On the third day, hey
presto, hundreds of tiny round worms (confirmed by the local vet) about
1 cm in length. Nasty looking organisms might I add.
<Have any pix?>
The QT tank had a little live rock, which proved to be a great
mistake. Many worms sought refuge in this rock. At the same time the
anti-thelmic agent seemed to dislodge the worms, but did not kill
them. I tried to remove as many as I could.
The tang re-ingested
the worms and began to decline in the same manner as my previous Naso
did in my main system.
The Naso became increasingly thin over a few
days.
Eventually the tang died from what I suspect to be an over load
of worms.
I decided to discard the live rock, but as I was about to
do so, I spotted a very large round worm about half an inch thick and
six inches in length.
My conclusion from the above may provide a
reason for why Naso tangs decline for no apparent reason in captivity.
<One hypothesis... how will or might you go about devising experiments
to prove, disprove it?>
I am not repeating this exercise as I do not
want to be responsible for another Naso death. However I believe that
importers of these beautiful creatures may find my studies interesting
and take on the responsibility of de-worming these fish before they are
passed on to retailers, (in an Ideal world).
<... better to have a
larger sample size... and more "cures" folks can attempt>
I also
conclude that those who read this post and decide to de-worm a fish in
QT, must do so with either a more effective anti-thelmic drug or a
greater concentration of Mebendazole. Ensuring the tank is devoid of
live rock is also essential.
<Okay>
Hope this has been of interest
to you, thanks in advance for taking an interest.
Regards
Sanjay
Patel
<And thank you for writing. Bob Fenner> - Parasite
Problems -
Hello guys/gals I have a problem with one of my tanks
and wanted to see if you guys could help me.
I have a 75 gallon tank
in the garage with about 80 lbs of live rock with a blue dot puffer, a
clown trigger and a Hawkfish that is my holding tank until my 375 gets
in. Well everybody was doing fine for the longest time then about a
month ago I noticed that my blue dot puffer was getting very skinny but
he would still eat a lot therefore I went from feeding every other day
like I've always done to feeding every day even though the other 2 guys
were very fat.
Well even with me feeding every day the puffer kept
getting skinnier and skinnier until he died a few days ago and now my
Clown Trigger is starting to look skinny. Is there some sort of disease
or parasite that could cause this or am I just not feeding them enough.
<Yes, I'm afraid so... nematodes and Cestodes are the most common
culprit - like tapeworms, they can out-compete for nutrients.> I had the
blue dot puffer for over a year and he was a nice size for the longest
time. I feed them all sorts of stuff such as Mysis Shrimp, Blood Worms
and Squid.
Thanks for your help.
<Do try to get a hold of some
Fenbendazole from your local veterinarian. Your best bet is to put this
fish in quarantine for about three weeks and treat the quarantine tank
directly with the Fenbendazole for that entire time. The Noga book of
Fish Disease recommends 2mg/liter or 7.6mg/gallon of tank water. This
should give your fish the upper hand against these parasites.
Cheers,
J -- >
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