i have anchor worm in my 4' tank of rainbow fish/gold fish/ sword tails etc (just nusance fish while i get the hang of this aquaponiocs thing - growing asian greens OK )
- i don't want to kill or contaiminate my grow bed with copper -any ideas how to get rid of them?
ian
I never heard of Anchor worms Morrie but a quick search on Google reveals its not a pleasant task to do:
"Adult anchor worms that are attached to fish must be removed carefully with a pair of tweezers. Hold the afflicted fish firmly in a damp soft cloth and then carefully withdraw each worm, gripping it near the point of attachment to its host."
More info
Didn't someone on this forum remind people that you should be very careful about buying fish from Pet shops?
i was hoping i didn't have to do that :-( ! i was wondering i there was a systemic treatment for the free living stage that didn't affect the aquaponic side of my set up???? the extra info you sent said these are based on metrifonate - is this safe?-doesn't sound safe!,
the problem is entirerly my fault -not pet shops -i have never had anchor worms from pet shops (i think they tend to fill their tanks up with "treatments")
the rainbow fish and sword tails are wild caught- that'll teach me won't it.
cheers
ian
If you are looking for a non- chemical biological control, simply remove all the fish from the infected tank for at least 7 days. The life cycle will stop without a host.
The infected fish can be treated individually a few ways;
- either as suggested below, just watch for a secondary infection,
- or brush the copepod directly with a strong mix of potassium permanginate,
- or worst case scenario a prolonged submersion (treating the tank water) with 0.25mg/L with an organophosphate every 7 days for 28 days.
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