Signs of a Parasite?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Squareheads

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
May 7, 2009
Messages
106
Location
Ontario Canada
Hi guys, im new to everything about aquariums... just got a 20 gallon one recently and bought 4 swordtails with 3 different types of em.

But I am alittle worried about my black female swordtail...

Close her her tail is a clear spot which appears to slowly get bigger over time, i dont know if i this is a parasite or not. someone please enlighten me!

Also, I'd like to know other signs of parasitic infestations and how to prevent and eliminate them for the safety of the fish or fishes./
 
do you have any pictures i have kinda the sa me thing happening in my tank but i'm not sure if it is just an over aggressive fish or a parasite
 
External parasites generally will irritate the fish & the fish will scratch the body against some object (flashing). The slime coat might be thickened as well.

Internal parasites might show up as fish getting thin, lethargic, or just living a shortened live.

It is difficult to ID a parasite without seeing it. Some are big enough to see with a magnifying lens, others will need a body scrape & a look under the microscope. However, the description of a clear white spot at the tail (is it raised?) is more in keeping with a blister/cyst. This may be viral ... in goldies Carp pox will give spots like that. Lymphocystis (another viral disease, also seen in tropical fish) might also look like that, although the spot is more white than clear. A close up pic certainly will help in the ID.
 
well, she has a wounded tail, at about the middle of her tail, it seems cut up and it is slowly discolouring her back part.. :S
 
You mean the tail is getting ragged & disappearing? That is more like fin rot, prob a secondary infection from a cut or something. Generally, you need clean water, maybe a bit of salt or malafix & the fin should heal. If there is fuzzy looking stuff or other signs or symptoms, then more aggressive treatment may be needed.
 
Daily water changes can help tremendously with fin rot and other viral problems. It may be a pain but it is often better than medicating especially if you don't know exactly what the problem is. Good luck to you. :)
 
Daily water changes can help tremendously with fin rot and other viral problems. It may be a pain but it is often better than medicating especially if you don't know exactly what the problem is. Good luck to you. :)

A voice of reason, thank you.
 
Back
Top Bottom