Help with a worm issue please   8/22/09
My Husband went home today and found our Goldfish dead. There was a worm that was working it's way out from inside of the gill. It was as wide as a pencil eraser, It was white with reddish orange, maybe an inch long but it was coming out of the gill and then going back into the fish through his side. VERY nasty!!! What is this? I have 3 other fish in the tank. A catfish and 2 black goldfish. Do you think they are infected???
<Possibly. You will need to use a proprietary anti-helminth medication since there's a chance the other fish are carrying worms as well.
Medications that contain Levamisole, Piperazine and Praziquantel are often recommended, but they don't work reliably, so if you can, use medications with Fenbendazole or Flubendazole instead. Do also be aware that some crustacean parasites, such as Anchor Worms and Gill Lice can look worm-like at first glance, and nothing you have said here helps me identify the problem either way, so you should use a search engine of your choice to find photos of these, and then act accordingly, since different medications will be required. Do be aware that some medications can be toxic to catfish, and do also remember that parasites often become problematic only when the fish are stressed, so review environmental conditions. Three Goldfish would need 40 gallons or more, and big catfish, such as "Plecs" (usually Pterygoplichthys species) can't be kept safely in tanks less than 55 gallons in size. So if you have a small tank, less than 55 gallons, poor
environmental conditions could easily be part of the problem. Cheers, Neale.>

Worms, Constipation or Dropsy?  6/9/09
My 13 year old son has a Columbian Tetra
<Is a very social species... not well kept singly... needs to be in a group... but in a larger system as well than I read you have below>
with some problems. We are fairly certain he is a male. A few days ago we noticed it looked as if he swallowed a marble as he bloated up very quickly. He is acting almost normal - a little lethargic, tends to swim away when approached, breathing a little more heavily. He was on a diet (almost entirely) of flake food.
<Ahh! Likely at least a good part of the issue>
I suggested feeding some shelled, green pea,
<Look to Brine Shrimp, Daphnia...>
thinking he might be constipated. He did eat a little. He has continued this way, neither growing slimmer or fatter for 5 days now. We have halted the flake food, and are only offering pea, which he does not have too much interest in.
<Would you be? Not I>
He does not appear to be pineconing, but yesterday I noticed he had a bright red "tread" coming from his anal area. It is quite long and stringy - with no stiffness to it (ie: free flowing - like a polyester thread as opposed to a hair). At first I thought it was a constipated poop, but it hasn't changed (dropped off) in a day. He's in a 10 gal tank with another Columbian Tetra, 2 harlequin Rasboras and a shrimp. Everyone else appears o.k. I hope my descriptions help as I'm not entirely sure we're dealing with worms here. Any thoughts or ideas?
Thanks very much,
Glenna Hauck
<Again, the crustacean food/s (frozen/defrosted is fine) are your best route here to mix in regularly... as laxative. Bob Fenner>