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Thread: help needed identifying parasite
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16-04-2021, 01:27 PM #1
help needed identifying parasite
The fish have been in for around 3 weeks now, gradually they have been congregating at the bottom in the corners and have started to flash quite regularly.
Water tests didn't throw anything concerning, so i knew it was time to get the Microscope out for the first time.
I found quite a few of these roundish things on one single scrape.
they seem to spin a bit, flip around and move around the slide.
I struggled to get a decent pic with the phone, but i am hoping one of you eagle eyed pros can help identify this.
magnification was 150.
thanks.
IMG_1035.jpg
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16-04-2021, 02:35 PM #2
i scraped 3 more fish and found nothing.
I did notice a few marks like this on some of the fish.
IMG_1052.jpgIMG_1045.jpg
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16-04-2021, 02:50 PM #3
I'm struggling to see anything on that image but if they are circular and rotating slowly then, trichodena. If very small shaped a bit like a comma and dashing about, Costia.
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16-04-2021, 02:55 PM #4
The white marks on the fish look like carp pox to me which will go once the temperature increases, although difficult to see in the picture, from what you have described it sounds like tric
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Gburgess22 Thanked / Liked this Post
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16-04-2021, 04:10 PM #5
The image really isn’t in focus enough to say, so I would rather not guess wrongly.
Its worth repeating scrapes on a different fish or two to see what you can find.2016 new 6000 gallon pond
https://www.koiforum.uk/pond-construc...ghlight=feline
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17-04-2021, 12:43 PM #6
At 150 magnification if that is a parasite it is too big to be Costia.
It might not even be a parasite but if it is then Trichodena or Chilodonella would be the things to look out for.
Maybe spend a few hours doing a few scrapes in different locations on different koi just to get the hang of it and to be as thorough as possible because if you do have parasites it will save you a ruined summer by getting it identified and treated before summer temps cause a population explosion.
Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
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dshaw63, Gburgess22 Thanked / Liked this Post
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18-04-2021, 08:45 PM #7
thanks for all the comments and suggestions thus far.
I do apologise for the image, finding it hard to show in pictures or video what I am actually seeing.
I woke up today and gave it my full attention for most of the day.
Reading all the stickies on this forum as well as watching a bunch of youtube videos about using microscopes and the different types of parasites.
Fascinating, scary and quite ghastly what is to be found under the microscope.
Firstly, I checked the water params again, Chlorine was at zero as well as Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate barely registering, ph was at 8.
The small white blobs I am seeing on a couple of the fish is certainly looking like carp pox as suggested and as I understand it will likely go on its own as it warms up.
With that done I set up the microscope and got everything prepared.
First scrape done, magnification set at 15 x 4 (60), light adjusted to give a clear view, there it was clear as day a skin fluke, totally unmistakable. I watched this little fellow for 5 mins under the 15 x 10 (150).
Feeling quite pleased with myself I carried on looking, I noticed a couple dead flukes and only one other that was still kicking.
I then noticed the same more circular parasite:
They are not completely round, they seemed to morph shape from circular to teardrop to more elongated almost like a fluke stretching out to burst out (don’t laugh)
They rotated slowly.
I read up more about flukes and it appears they do not hatch on the fish rather in the pond water and then attach to the fish. I had convinced myself that these little unidentified morphing shapes were flukes hatching.
Is this possibly what I saw or shall I let that one go?
I have ruled out:
Costia - to large at 150 magnification as mentioned by RS2000
White spot - I looked at a lot of videos showing white spot, they seem quite circular with a maggot like thing inside them.
That really leaves me with Trichodina or Chilodonella at this magnification.
I have ordered some Kusuri Fluke M as I think I should treat for flukes anyway, anybody disagree with that?
As well as some PP as that looks like the stuff for trick. I won’t use this unless the fluke treatment does not clear things up and I am still finding these unidentified parasites - unless in the meantime I do manage to identify them with your help.
A few of them are sitting on the bottom in the corners and not swimming around, they do come up for food though.
Hate to see them like that.
I captured a video, its not very good but you can see them moving around when played on full screen and at full squint.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wys...ew?usp=sharing
Also a couple pics
IMG_1062.jpgIMG_1063.jpgIMG_1065.jpg
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18-04-2021, 09:49 PM #8
If you suspect you have a parasite problem I definitely wouldn't put any treatment in unless you have a confirmed ID.
Many reasons behind that but one is that some treatments must not be mixed so if you treat for the wrong bug and the fish suddenly go down hill and you discover it's a different bug you won't be able to treat for it and could lose fish very quickly.
Those images are still too poor to make a confirmed ID, but they are very similar in shape to Chilodonella so if they are parasites that's likely what they are.
Re flukes hatching, Gill flukes lay eggs that hatch to free swimming flukes, skin flukes give birth on the fish and are not free swimming. When you look at skin flukes on the scope you can often see the baby fluke moving about inside it.
If you are sure you have identified flukes and also can get confirmed those other things are Chilodonella then Chilodonella should take priority to be treated as they are more harmful than flukes but also where there is Chilodonella there is usually also Costia which are a fast killer.... Same treatment used for both which is FMG. Kusuri do a good FMG premix.
Sent from my Pixel 4a using TapatalkLast edited by RS2OOO; 18-04-2021 at 09:54 PM.
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20-04-2021, 11:06 AM #9
Your description of the parasite does sound like chilo, so yes I agree with the above that should take priority over the skin flukes for treatment. FMG should work for this, although I would generally recommend buying the formalin and malachite green separately because the strength of the two in the pre mixes is not optimal. But if you already have some fresh FMG in stock I wouldn’t delay getting it in there.
2016 new 6000 gallon pond
https://www.koiforum.uk/pond-construc...ghlight=feline
Every day feeding container?
Good shout, I'll have a look at Takazumi :)