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Parasites on my pumpkinseed?


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#1 DissidentMantis

DissidentMantis
  • NANFA Guest
  • Illinois

Posted 17 October 2019 - 01:33 PM

I started my journey into Native fish keeping a month ago.  After cycling my 75 gallon tank and adding some plants, rocks, and driftwood from a local creek, (Salt Creek) in Northern Illinois, I decided it was time to add some fish.  Two weeks of hunting yielded me with my desired species, a Rock Bass, a Green Sunfish, and what I think is a Pumpkin Seed.  I landed my Pumpkinseed today after a tip from a member of this forum and I was extremely excited.  It seems like it could be a Pumkinseed/green hybrid, but nonetheless it is a beautiful fish and it fought well on my micro Tenkara rod.  After acclimating the fish and introducing it to my tank I realized that I have a big problem.  The gorgeous little fish had a worm/leech attached to it's dorsal fin.  I also noticed that it had white spots that look like egg sacks on it's fins.  In the attached picture these sacks look like sparkled specks but on closer inspection they seem like puss filled boils.  I netted the fish and pulled the worm/leech off with a pair of tweezers but I am unsure of what to do about the other spots.  I do not have a quarantine tank and I do not want to harm the fish. Do you have any suggestions for dealing with this issue?  I have added a stress coat solution to the tank and am willing to purchase any additional medications.



#2 DissidentMantis

DissidentMantis
  • NANFA Guest
  • Illinois

Posted 17 October 2019 - 01:39 PM

https://imgur.com/a/d7XxKoT



#3 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 18 October 2019 - 05:47 AM

Yellow grub. Cannot spread to other fish. Needs a bird host to complete life cycle. I am not certain of treatment.


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#4 DissidentMantis

DissidentMantis
  • NANFA Guest
  • Illinois

Posted 18 October 2019 - 10:31 AM

well I decided that it would be best to cull the fish in order to avoid a potential outbreak.  It was sad, but i couldn't take any chances.



#5 minorhero

minorhero
  • NANFA Guest
  • Maryland

Posted 18 October 2019 - 02:03 PM

You should treat all future fish with the quarantine med trio. I use it on wild and store bought fish.

https://youtu.be/LiPsTVtW77I

#6 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 18 October 2019 - 07:09 PM

Now that you are aware, you can be selective on the stream. I think fish collected in late winter or early spring might have an overall lighter parasite load.


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#7 DissidentMantis

DissidentMantis
  • NANFA Guest
  • Illinois

Posted 21 October 2019 - 03:21 PM

I realized that it is quite difficult to see these worm parasites on the fish when they are out of the water, this makes the selection process difficult.  I have purchased a small view case for the fish that I catch.  Again after introducing a green sunfish to my tank, I noticed one of the parasites hanging off of it's caudal fin. It's just very difficult to recognize these things in the field.  Seems like these parasites are quite common in my area.



#8 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 21 October 2019 - 06:53 PM

Sluggish water with lots of snails= parasites= pumpkinseed habitat.


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#9 Betta132

Betta132
  • NANFA Guest
  • San Gabriel drainage area

Posted 09 February 2020 - 07:48 PM

Try a saltwater dip. Freshwater fish float uncontrollably in the increased density of saltwater, and you only want them in there for a few minutes, maybe 5, but it'll kill a lot of external parasites off. Used it on a warmouth with some small leeches. Pulling leeches can cause them to squirt saliva and general filth into the body, so may not be the preferable method unless it's your only option. A general parasite treatment is generally a good idea for wild-caught fish, and a quarantine period. 

 

Yellow grub doesn't spread to fish from other fish. It wants to be eaten by a bird, and spreads from the bird, into snails, then into fish. Unless your fish are eaten by birds, the other fish aren't going to get infected. Bigger concern would be not feeding them wild-caught snails. 



#10 NotCousteau

NotCousteau
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  • Minnesota

Posted 11 February 2020 - 05:01 PM

Good luck with your tank. Be careful of that green sunfish when introducing new fish. You will need to rearrange the tank before you add new fish. Greens are super territorial.






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