Parasite or disease? can help? PIC updated

[limsteel]

For sometime now, I notice my cardinals often got a white worm like stuff attached to it. A layer of slime then covers it.

What is it? Doesn't seems to be moving. It can attached to anywhere Mouth, Body, Fin, tail anywhere... My Black Tetra got it in the EYE! Is it really a Worm/parasite or fungus/disease?

My tank water should be well maintain as I change 1 - 2 pails every other day (used to flush toilet) and weekend 3 pail (wash toilet). Other then Anti Clorine And Fert by Dr Mallick, I don't add any chemicals to my tank. I will try to take a picture but My Digicam is weak, doubt I can capture a clear image of the worm like stuff...

Pics as seen, notice within the slim, there is a white string which FROM "MY VIEW" looks like a worm. BTW this fish is gone...

[JT]

Its a parasite. U need to get some of those medicate stuff to kill it. It seems to be associate with cardinal tetras and emperor tetras more. You should get those medicated solution to kill it.
If you are daring and careful enough, you may want to perform some 'surgery' on the fishes. I use to use a pincer to pull the white worm out from the fishes and the fishes does every well after that in blue solution. However I only did those which 'anchor' itself to the fins and NOT the body and eyes.

[lorba]

This is anchor worm.

if you keep a planted tank and have difficulties catching it, a slower but effective method is to keep changing water, and add a little bit of salt if you wish.

What I did was changing 30% every 2 days. The fishes recovered fully in about a week or so.

Anchor worm usually occurs in high bioload tank. The parasite may be introduced too.


How much is 2 - 3 pails of water and how big is your tank?

[limsteel]

20+ cardinal, 8 Cory, 5 Black Tetra, 3 pencil, 2 Golden sucker, 1 SAE, some Oto. I seems to have Oto Babies, as a few very tiny ones about 1cm long are seen in the tank and I didn;t buy any this size...

I got a 3ft tank. pail size is about 1.5 times size largest guppty tank.

[lorba]

I am not sure how big a guppy tank is, but will that volume amount to 30-50%? How have since you have clean your filters? What do you feed and how much per interval?

Cardinal tetras seem very vulnerable to anchor worms.

[ms]

'I got 20 mid-sized (about 1.2") Cardinal about 4wks ago, after about 3 days, some got the same problem at the base of the dorsal fin.

Now I'm left with 8, these have survived for about 3wks already without problems.

How can I prevent these parasites from attacking? I changed 40% of water every week in my 4ft well planted tank.

MS

[JT]

There are medicated solutions which can kill the anchor worms...get those. These are solutions to your immediate problem. If you are considering long term, get some of the 'cheap prawn' with the claws and put a couple in your tank. They help to 'clean' your tank of worms as well.