Parisites worms not sure

Question
My Ceylon Puffer is sick. Her fins turned yellow and are shredding (mainly tail) & she has some white spots and what looks like black scrapes. At first I thought it was ich so I have been treating for that with no avail (Quick Cure & Copper Safe) I just noticed in my tank there are little white worms wiggling around the water.  

Answer
Hi Erika;

I'm so glad you are aware and observant of your fish and his tank. It will help us get this problem fixed a lot quicker. It's possible your fish doesn't have ick at all. Ceylons have white dots on them as part of their natural coloration. Also, it's normal for their fins to be yellow. Ceylons are also a brackish fish so add salt to his tank. They actually need a full saltwater tank once they reach adulthood. Here are two web pages about them with pictures;

http://puffernet.tripod.com/ceylon.html

http://www.tropicalresources.net/phpBB2/fish_profiles_fluviatilis.php

The black 'scrapes' and white worms are not normal but are a very important clue as to what's going on in your tank. You have a water quality problem from overfeeding. The black on your puffer could be from ammonia burns, or simply stress from the water problem. Ammonia and the white worms both come from three main causes; Overfeeding, overcrowding, and too little gravel vacuuming.

The white worms are a planarian or nematode that is not at all harmful to your fish. Puffers usually eat them. The reason they are there is harmful though. They are thriving on excess waste in the gravel. There is no medicine or chemical that will kill them. You have to get the tank cleaned up and cut back on feeding to starve them out.  

To fix the water problem, make a 25% water change every day for the next 4 days, and vacuum the gravel at the same time. Cut back on food by 30% to 50%. After that, all tanks need a 25% water change and gravel vacuuming every week so keep with that schedule, watch feeding amounts and it should improve very quickly.

If you could tell me more such as tank size, filtration, how long it's been set up, how big your puffer is, are there any other fish in the tank, how often water changes are made, types of food, etc., I could give you more tips on getting him more healthy. If I am maxed out and you can't get a followup question through, write to me here;

AllExperts_Fish_Guru(a)yahoo.com

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins