Treating Anchor Worm Infestations In Koi And Goldfish
How Can I Tell If My Pond Fish Are Infected By Anchor Worm
Anchor worm infestation of pond fish may lead to the death threatening koi and pond fish bacterial ulcer infections, due to Aeromonas infection.
Koi and other pond fish species tend to flash (the fish swims slowly near the side or pond bottom then rapidly swims off by first rubbing its side against the pond wall) as they attempt to remove this obnoxious fish parasite.
Larger parasites like anchor worms (Lernea elegans), are visible with the naked eye.
Anchor worm parasites embed themselves through the scales of your koi, gold fish and other pond fish into and you will see a thread like shape protruding from the scale.
Click for All Fish Disease Articles on this site..
Growing up to 1cm in length these large fish parasites attach themselves to aquatic marine life via a series of anchor like hooks, hence the name anchor worms. If left untreated these parasitic worm infestations may lead to serious bacterial ulcer infections.
Anchor worms multiply at a phenomenal rate and their young will swim freely in your pond water, searching for their next fish victim. An often uninfected backyard pond will become infected by the introduction of a new fish or fishes, carrying the parasitic anchor worm ... USA visitors click Anchor Worm Parasite Treatments | UK Supplies
What Do I Do If I Suspect My Pond Fish Have A Fish Parasite Infection
You will need to carry out tests on the water quality within your garden fish pond. You will need to test for Ammonia, Nitrite, and pH. It would also be advisable to test for Total Alkalinity and water hardness, using a suitable pond testing kit ... For a review of Pond Test Kits click here.
A high level of ammonia in a garden pond environment can be catastrophic to the ornamental koi and pond fish; even more so when the pond pH level is high. Pond pH levels fluctuate naturally but can increase in only a few hours if your pond system looses its buffering capacity; a Total Alkalinity test would show this up. The worst case scenario is dead pond fish, which yet again will cause the pond ammonia level to increase further.
How Do I The Ammonia Level In My Backyard Fish Pond?
If your pond water ammonia test kit identifies that you have excessive levels of ammonia in your pond, the quickest way to remedy this is to systematically replace between 20 to 40% of the total pond water volume on a daily basis … A word of warning – Major temperature changes will have adverse effects on your pond fish and cause stress to your pond fish. Adding a small dose of salt will do more good than harm. The concentration level should be about 0.1%.
Click for All Fish Disease Articles on this site..