The Metronidazole is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used to benefit fish and dogs and people in different circumstances. However I didn't want to use it in an aquarium established for 20 months, for fear that it would trash the nitrogen cycle.

About a week ago native killies in the living room tank swam by with these additional extentions hanging on just behind their dorsal and anal fins. Anchor worms! Really a crustacean, all I knew about them, besides the fact that the preventative treatment should have killed them, was that they dug into the fish and such fluids. Some sources have suggested taking tweezers and pulling them out of the fish, painting the fish with something to cleanse the wound (mercurochrome in the old books!)

That might work on a 10-inch goldfish out of a pond. I wasn't sure how much of a 5 cm/ inch and a half aquarium fish would be left after that procedure.

And I was still bugged about how they survived the preventative treatment. Naturally the four more modestly plant tanks with Missouri fish in them do not seem bothered. While the 40-gallon with them is not profusely planted, there's enough structure that I don't want to treat with an antibiotic combination and restart the thing - especially if we will be out of town.

A serious water change was suggested, before treatment, to remove organics and as many of the free swimming of anchor worm as possible. An additional power head and sponge might be put on the tank for added water movement.

Four days ago I began searching a few books on fish health and Googling for what the life cycle of Lernaea (several species) or anchor "worms" is.
It turns out that they lay eggs, sometimes on the fish. The young anchor worms go through a cycle, where they attach to the fish's gills and after that they grow some they relocate to the sides of the fish.

I'm guessing that there were eggs, which survived the prophylactic treatment. (Suddenly I miss the more easily treated Camallanus.) The more benign treatments for anchor worms include a product called Anchors Away which has something called Dimilin in it. Dylox, an organophosphate, is in Livebearer, Fluke Away, and Dyacide and while I try to avoid using those substances, times were getting desperate. I called a guy I know who has a shop which sells stuff from some of the manufacturers of those products. Nope he didn't have them. In fact his wholesaler doesn't even carry them!

Evidently anchor worms are not usually a big deal with aquarists. They are however, a concern with the pond crowd.

Also, not only did none of the shops I called or visited have those treatments, they didn't have straight Parziquantel either. Koi people use a product called Parzi, sold through a couple of Net sites. But none of the regular LFS in my sample had that.

By luck we visited a couple with a pond, more or less on (my wife's) business. He is a militant "ponder" and gave me a great tour and discussion of his pond. He also mentioned that his favorite place to shop for pond stuff was a garden place a mere 30 or 40-mile round trip from our home. That info was held in reserve because I don't know how much pond stuff is on the shelves this time of the year, when stocking for Christmas has begun (which means that we are nearing hallllllllloween.)

This morning I called up our favorite animal care place to see if they had room for one more schnoodle to be groomed. I also asked if, when we got there, I could speak to a Veterinarian about getting a medicine from them for my fish. The response was more along the line of okaaaaaaay.

The dog was dropped of with less separation anxiety (his) than usual. I pretended to leave and doubled back to wait for a Dr. Johnson. She patiently listened to my story and took a look at my print out of my on-line notes, with the yellow highlighted meds I was looking for.

After searching their supplies she noted that they didn't have the 8 grams of Droncit (which has Parziquantel in it). The good news is that it was a liquid (and easier to administer to a tank) and that a sales guy would be by this afternoon. She even offered to make the stock solution I would need for two treatments. With the stock solution, my fish sitters can simply dump it in on a certain day - nothing more is needed. More good news, as with Anchors Away, the fish could be treated and left for a week or two and likely there would be no problem. I'm not sure I would dare that with antibiotics or organophosphates!

Here's hoping that the stuff came in to the animal hospital. Maybe a follow up will be posted after a visit to the Vet's (probably should pick up the dog) and several zillion errands yet on THE LIST.

Oh, and I did began doing a little looking, vis-a-vis New Guppy Mamma's neon disease. That may be something else. Hopefully more on that later too.