Seeing worms and other parasites in your fish tank is not an ideal situation. But as a dedicated aquarium owner, there is no need to panic because there are so many things you can do to rectify the issue. Do you want to learn how to get rid of parasites in fish tank? Please check below.
Step No. 1: Determine the Type of Parasite You are Dealing With
The initial thing to do is try to determine what parasites are infesting your fish tank. Doing this way will let you find the proper medication for the infestation. Different parasites need different ways to remove all of them away from the fish tank.
Knowing the parasite is important to avoid killing some fish during the medication. If you try to apply chemicals, your medication might kill the other species in your fish tank. So, you need to do your research when choosing the medication you need.
Step No. 2: Getting Rid of the Parasites the Natural Way
These parasites are often the result of you overfeeding the fish. So, one way to eliminate or at least minimize the presence of these parasites is to feed less and clean your aquarium more often.
Once you are decreasing the amount of food you are giving to the fish, it may affect the life cycle of the parasites. Then you can regularly gravel vacuuming your aquarium can help slowly reduce and eventually eliminate all of these parasites.
Another way to get rid of these parasites is to set up a trapping mechanism that reduces them in numbers. For example, there is a planaria trap available in the market which you can use to trap these unwanted worms in your fish tank. This product is also applicable to other worms of your aquarium as well.
Step No. 3: Treating the Aquarium with Chemicals
I personally do not like applying chemicals in my aquarium. However, if the natural methods will not materialize, the next method is to apply proper medications. Always remember that different parasites require different medication.
If you have already identified the parasite, you should be able to buy the appropriate medication from the pet stores. However, please be reminded to do some vital research on the medicine that will be used for the treatment.
For example, I used to have a hydra infestation in my aquarium, which prevents me from using the standard medication because of concerns of killing the other fish in the aquarium. I dig around for alternatives and discovered a dog dewormer, which is far better and a safer solution to my problem.
In this case, you need to be diligent when it comes to looking for some chemical treatment for these parasites. After all, chemicals can also be hazardous to your fish if you use the wrong one.
Step 4: Prevention is Better than Cure
The best way to get rid of those parasites in your fish tank is to prevent them from entering your aquarium. To do this, it will be better if you quarantine the new fish you want to introduce in your aquarium. Quarantine this fish in a bare bottom tank.
You can also have the option to deworm all your fish before transferring them to your aquarium. This method has been very effective to me and minimizes the expenses compared to adding medications to your aquarium using chemicals.
There is also another technique of separating infected fish into a “hospital tank” where they can be treated effectively. But isolating new fish before introducing them to your aquarium is one of the surest ways to prevent parasites from invading your aquarium.
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How to Treat Internal Parasites in Fish
Apart from your aquarium being infested with parasites, it is also possible for your fish to be infected with internal parasites. For its treatment, you need to treat the water and use the proper medication. We have listed the step-by-step process below.
Step 1: Cleaning the Aquarium
The initial thing to do is clean the whole aquarium for the preparation of the treatment process. You will also need to remove the chemical filtration and UV sterilizers if there are any.
Step 2: The Treatment Process
Fritz Paracleanse will help in taking care the worms ane flukes on your fish. It is also made to kills bacteria and protozoans. Just follow the procedure on the direction of the treatment process.
- Day 1: On the first day, you need to dose 1 packet of Paracleanse per 10 gallons of water. The amount of medication will be dependent on how big is the fish tank.
- Day 3: On the third day, you will need to dose another one packet for every 10 gallons of water.
- Day 5: On the fifth day, perform a 25% change on the aquarium.
Step 3: Feeding of the Fish
If you want to apply other medication, you will need to wait for about two weeks, before doing the treatment process. When feeding the fish, give them fish foods rich in fibers suc as algae wafers and the like.
Step 4: Repeating the Treatment Process
After another two weeks, repeat the same 5-day treatment process by following the first two steps.
Conclusion
Learning how to get rid of parasites is extremely important because these unwanted organisms may create havoc and destroy the peacefullness of your aquarium. It can also affect the overall health of your fish.