White string coming out of bristletooth tang skin

[crispyreef]

Hi all,
just noticed this morning that my bristletooth tang has a white string coming out of his skin. Fish has been fine and is eating well and swimming around normally. I am worried that this could be some sort of parasite. Nothing new has been introduced into the tank in around one month. Other fish are all healthy and eating.
Does anyone have an idea what this could be and how to treat it?
Thanks in advance!

 

[chipchipbro]

Sorry, but with the blue lights and this pic quality it will be hard.
Make sure to provide a white light picture please

#fishmedic

 

[crispyreef]

Hi, sorry for the pic quality. I have taken some more that are hopefully better for identification.

 

[crispyreef]

After taking a closer look and doing some research, I think this might be an anchor worm.
Can anyone recommend a treatment? FW dip and try to pull the worm out, or treat with some chemicals?

 

[Dburr1014]

Hi all,
just noticed this morning that my bristletooth tang has a white string coming out of his skin. Fish has been fine and is eating well and swimming around normally. I am worried that this could be some sort of parasite. Nothing new has been introduced into the tank in around one month. Other fish are all healthy and eating.
Does anyone have an idea what this could be and how to treat it?
Thanks in advance!

Theres a fish in the pic?
String out of skin or poop?
Yes, think your right.
Worm.
@fishmedic

 

[crispyreef]

String is coming out of the skin

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Pics under white light. Can't see much of anything!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

String is coming out of the skin

Anchorworm is a freshwater copepod parasite. There are some marine copepod parasites but they look different.

What we need is clear photos taken under white light, or sometimes, a short video has better focus.

To me, it looks like the dorsal fin is split. That implies this is a physical injury. What other fish are in with it?

Jay

 

[I never finish anythi]

Why do people take pics under blue light see it time and time again

 

[crispyreef]

I think the split fin is from the fish rubbing the area against rocks.
Other fish are 1 coral beauty angelfish, 2 clownfish, 1 diamond goby, and 3 damsels (I have not noticed any aggression)
More pictures and a video attached

 

[Labridaedicted]

Looks like anchor worm. Actually a type of crustacean. Copper would be my reccomended treatment. Pulling it off could cause damage to the fish.

It is parasitic.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

It could be a copepod tail (egg mass), but I've never seen a tang with that. Also, if that what it is, it would have grown slowly over days and not overnight like that. I still think it is a skin tag related to whatever caused the fin damage. You may never see tankmate aggression - it is over in a split second and may not be associated with chasing.

If it is a copepod, physical removal is the only treatment, as any treatment in the water strong enough to kill an adult copepod will kill the fish. Catching a fish up and pulling off the parasite is tricky, if you haven't done it before, I would be careful.

Luckily, these copepods have complicated life cycles that don't get completed in captivity, so the issue goes away on its own in time.

Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

Im thinking skin tag also and looking at the tail which is shredded suggests this fish has been subject to fighting or aggression and may have damaged its mouth with a piece of skin hanging there
Its Not an anchorworm nor will copper help this fish.

 

[MnFish1]

Curious - does it 'flow' in the water - or does it look firmly attached to the fish. Agree with @vetteguy53081 and @Jay Hemdal. If this were some kind of external parasite (@Jay Hemdal ) would a freshwater dip help? vs. trying to remove it?

 

[crispyreef]

Thanks for all the advice so far!

It does flow in the water, you can kind of see it in the attached video

 

[vetteguy53081]

Curious - does it 'flow' in the water - or does it look firmly attached to the fish. Agree with @vetteguy53081 and @Jay Hemdal. If this were some kind of external parasite (@Jay Hemdal ) would a freshwater dip help? vs. trying to remove it?

Most worms typically would dislodge with a freshwater dip although hit and miss, but there are no characteristics of a worm evident in videos. While a couple of isopds may display a tail, most worms such as trematodes and Piscicolidae Worms end up by the anal area

 

[MnFish1]

Most worms typically would dislodge with a freshwater dip although hit and miss, but there are no characteristics of a worm evident in videos. While a couple of isopds may display a tail, most worms such as trematodes and Piscicolidae Worms end up by the anal area

Thanks - the problem - my browser does not support the mov format. So all I can see is the pictures. Clearly there is a split in the dorsal fin - and a small split in the tail. I wondered whether the injuries could be from flashing against rocks, etc - trying to remove whatever the white thing is.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Curious - does it 'flow' in the water - or does it look firmly attached to the fish. Agree with @vetteguy53081 and @Jay Hemdal. If this were some kind of external parasite (@Jay Hemdal ) would a freshwater dip help? vs. trying to remove it?

Parasitic copepods are pretty touch. I've killed them with high dose formalin dips (150 ppm for 45 minutes) but FW dips may not dislodge them.

I haven't gotten a clear enough view of this issue yet. The last video was too fleeting....


Jay

 

[MnFish1]

Parasitic copepods are pretty touch. I've killed them with high dose formalin dips (150 ppm for 45 minutes) but FW dips may not dislodge them.

I haven't gotten a clear enough view of this issue yet. The last video was too fleeting....


Jay

Unfortunately - I cannot see it at all - perhaps to the OP - could you upload your video to YouTube -and post a link?

 

[MnFish1]

Parasitic copepods are pretty touch. I've killed them with high dose formalin dips (150 ppm for 45 minutes) but FW dips may not dislodge them.

I haven't gotten a clear enough view of this issue yet. The last video was too fleeting....


Jay

Additionally - are there nematodes/roundworms/other external parasites that this could be - I tried looking it up - did not see any.