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Parasite problem
Aaackk.... we just discovered a worm of some sort on one of our apistos...
and I've been accumulating plants in that tank for the big move up to the 75
gallon.
The LFS recommended that we treat the tank he was in, in addition to the
hospital tank he's in now. Since the treatment includes a temperature
increase up to the mid-90's, the plants have to go...
Since these apistos are a whole lot more expensive than gourami fry, the
quick solution was to move all the plants to their tank, which allows us to
treat the apistos. I tried to confine the floating riccia, so the swords
get the light from the single bulb above the ten... not a great solution,
but it's the best I could do.
There's a very thin layer of gravel in that tank. I'll add more tonight,
plus an additional light strip, and probably go buy some fertilizer pellets
(hygro and ambulia were doing fine, but I don't think dead gourami fry and
accumulated frozen brine shrimp are enough fertilizer for a whole bunch of
small swords).
Here are the questions --
How serious is the risk of carrying a parasite worm when you move plants? I
was playing musical tanks with these plants a few weeks ago, before we
noticed the worm (I think my husband discovered it a few days ago). Could
all of our tanks be infected? How high is the risk?
When I move these plants, should I give them a bleach or copper dip? What's
the best balance between effectiveness and shock to the plants? (Many of
the smaller swords have recently been rescued from poor tank conditions, so
they're just starting to grow new leaves to replace the outer ones that I
stripped).
Any advice on treating 'butt-worms' would be appreciated, too. I'm leaving
the treatment to my husband, who discussed it with people that we trust at
the LFS, but as I understand it, they weren't sure exactly what kind of worm
it was, and they gave us a product (no label, they gave it to us from their
supplies, my husband would know what it was) and told us to raise the
temperature to the mid-to-high 90's, and to treat the tank for two weeks.
If anyone has less drastic suggestions for treating my community tank, in
case I did infect it by moving the plants, I'd appreciate that, too.
Thanks so much for any advice --
Alysoun McLaughlin
Wheaton, Maryland