Tank disease

Question
Hi, Every few months I have an outbreak of these tiny ( they are so small you really have to get right up to the tank to be abled to see them.) little white worm looking creatures. They do not move and they multiply very fast.They are only on the Glass and a few "fake" plants though, They do not attack the fish except for when I scrape them all of and they float up to the top. They covered a hatchet fish that I had -I treated with Melafix but it does not kill them and it did not help the fish it eventually died. The only way that I have been able to get rid of them is to keep scraping them off each day and then they float until they stick back on the side or get sucked into the filter. They will be scarce for a few months then I have another outbreak and the cycle starts over. I have not been able to find anything on line and my local pet stores they do seem to have any idea. Thanks!!!

Answer
Hi Steph,

I'm sorry to hear about your tank!  And I'm also sorry to say I can't fully answer your question without a little bit more information.  I can, however, offer you some general cure advice to help you get rid of what sounds like an external parasite problem.

There are two ways to help your fish (and tank) get through this:  The first is a little bit longer, but is almost guaranteed.  The second may sound harsh (but really isn't) and may need to be repeated.

Here's how I would do it:  Step 1 is to set up a "hospital tank."  If you're not familiar with a hospital tank, it's basically a cheap little 10 gallon tank with a light and hood and heater and a few plastic decorations for the fish to hide in.  For nearly every type of tropical fish to heal from disease better, it's best to keep them in water around 78-84 degrees (we usually do around 80-82).  Instead of using a standard over-the-tank filter, use a sponge filter with a power head or airstone.  (These are usually pretty cheap, around $5-10.)  After letting the water establish for about two days (including adding about half of your existing water), add the fish and a chemical called CopperSafe.  This is a wonderful chemical for treating parasites, but since its main ingredient is a special type of copper, it is really best to use in a hospital tank and not your main tank.  It can also damage or kill invertebrates like snails, crabs or crayfish.  The dosage will need to be repeated for about a week.  I have had nothing but wonderful experience with CopperSafe, it's helped my fish out a number of times.

Here is a link where you can read more about CopperSafe -- its uses, diagnoses for diseases it treats, etc.: http://www.petco.com/product_info.asp?familyid=5967&sku=8494211330&tab=3&dept_id...

The other way to do it is by doing salt dips and using a product called Jungle Parasite Clear Tank Buddies.  These are little fizzy tablets you can drop right into your tank and they will clear up most external parasites fairly quickly.  Salt dips are, basically, letting a freshwater fish swim in a small bit of saltwater (with sea salt, not aquarium salt) for a while, then putting them back into the freshwater.  The fish can handle this for up to 15 minutes -- just watch them and make sure you remove them from the salt when they start really struggling for breath.  They will start to move rapidly or breathe heavily, but this is normal.  The reason salt dips work is that the parasites cannot take the rapid change in osmotic pressure and die and fall right off the fish, while the fish only struggles for a bit and is fine once he's back in the fresh water for a minute or two.  (Works the same way with saltwater fish being dipped into freshwater.)  If you decide to do it this way, I would get some aquarium salt AND some sea salt from your local fish store, as well as what's called a Specimen Container.  This is a little clear bucket, the same they use to catch fish in, so that you can monitor the fish from all sides while doing a salt dip.  Use the aquarium salt in the tank as well as the fizzy tabs -- 1 tablespoon for every 5 gallons -- to help speed up recovery.  Use the sea salt to create some mild saltwater (your pet store can help you mix it to a salinity of around 1.017) and dip one fish at a time into the saltwater, using new saltwater water for each fish, for about 8-10 minutes or until they start having breathing problems.

Either way would work, it's just a matter of how much time and effort (and money!) you decide to put into it.  As far as getting the parasites out of the water in your tank and not just off the fish, I would probably go with the Tank Buddies and the salt.  That may work out better for you in the long run.

I hope everything I've said was clear enough, as long-winded as it was...  If there is anything you need me to clarify for you or if you just want me to walk you through it a little better, please let me know and I'll be glad to help.  And let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.

Good luck, and I hope this all clears up soon!

-Lindsay