Lernaea,or more commonly known as Anchor Worms

     Keeping our finned friends happy and healthy has to be one of the hardest parts of our hobby.  There are so many different ways our fish can get sick, In this article the focus is going on Lernaea or more commonly known as Anchor Worms.

     As you can see from the picture on the left it is obvious how they got their name. The head is shaped like an anchor and the tail resembles a worm.

     The name though is a little on the misleading side, as Lernaea are actually a copepod crustacean. With that being the case Anchor worms are not something that will just appear in your tank, they have to be introduced from an outside source coming in on another fish or even dirty water.

"Anchor Worms can be seen easily with the naked eye"
Photo Courtesy of Andrew Clapper

      Lernaea hatch as free swimming larvae after hatching and females will burrow themselves into a fish. As they grow the anchor portion attaches to the muscles in the fish, they can live inside the fish for quite awhile before they begin to make their way out of the fish. During this stage is when your fish are at most risk. The Lernaea will not actually kill the fish, it is the open wounds that pose the most risk, these open wounds will invite other infections and diseases.

Symptoms

• Anchor worms (lernaea) can be seen with the naked eye, they look like little worms coming off the fish.

• Rubbing or "flashing" frequently.*

•  Any signs of inflammation or areas of redness on the body of the fish.*

• Small white, green, or reddish colored worms in wounds.

• Breathing difficulties or lethargic behavior.*

      *These behaviors and symptoms may be indicative of problems other than Anchor Worms.

What to do?

     There are a few options to choose from when you are treating for Anchor Worms.

• Manual removal

          One of the surest ways of removing them is to gently hold your fish, use a pair of tweezers to grab the Anchor worm being careful not to break the tail segment and leave the head embedded in the fish. Dipping a cotton swab in a solution of Potassium Permanganate and rubbing it over the Anchor Worm will cause it to release it's grip on the muscle tissues. While doing this you should dunk the fish in the water every few seconds so it can breathe. You can also put your fish to sleep during this to eliminate any pain or discomfort the fish may feel using an anesthetic.

• Medication/chemical treatments

          Potassium Permanganate can be used two ways as a whole tank treatment, or a dip. Treating the whole tank can get a bit messy and will color the water. But this method does ensure no other fish are affected and they don't return from a fish that was not showing signs of being affected. To treat the entire tank add 2mg Potassium Permanganate for every litre of aquarium water, or 7mg for every U.S. gallon. 

          Using it as a dip 100mg for every 2.5 U.S. gallons, allow the fish to sit in this dip no more than 30 minutes. As with any dip watch your fish carefully if you notice anything that doesn't seem right get your fish back in clean water immediately!

After treatment

        After treating and removing careful observation of the fish should be taken, The wounds from anchor worms can become infected. Adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of aquarium salt to your tank could help to prevent infections from open wounds. Dosing your tank with some stress coat would also help with a speedy recovery.

I hope this article was helpful, please feel free to share it with anyone who may find it useful. 

If you have any comments or questions please feel free to leave a comment below. 

Thank you for reading. 

The Common Goldfish....

"The Common Goldfish" 

"Carassius auratus"

The common goldfish where it all began. Fancy goldfish lovers and most all aquariasts look at this fish as nothing more than a "feeder fish" but few know of it's humble beginnings, it's royal standing, or what is truly owed to this simple fish. 

Beginning in ancient China various species of Carp were being domesticated and bred as food fish, apparently when the rivers would subside after a flood. Fish (mainly carp) would get trapped in small lakes, the Chinese would then feed their catch using nymphs and silkworm fleece. The normally grey/silver species of Prussian Carp had a tendency to produce red, orange, and yellow "mutations" in color. The first recording of the mutation was recorded during the Jin dynasty between 265 AD and 420 AD. Then during the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) it became popular to raise Carp in ornamental ponds or watergardens.

During this time people started breeding more for coloration, weeding out the silverish color of the Prussian Carp for the golden coloring we see today.  On special occasions, where guests were expected, the more beautiful fish would be moved to smaller containers for their guests viewing pleasure. By the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD) the domestication of goldfish was firmly established, and in 1162 the empress of the Song dynasty ordered the construction of a pond to collect the red and gold variety. At this time people outside of the imperial family were forbidden to keep goldfish of the yellow coloration. Yellow was the imperial color at this time.

"The lake of the clarity of gold"
A watergarden from the time of the Song dynasty

 
This could be the reason there are more orangeish/gold variations than yellowish/gold, Though the yellowish/gold variation is supposed to be easier to breed. The first recorded occurrence of colors other than red and gold was in 1276 AD. From 1368-1644 during the Ming dynasty, people began raising goldfish indoors. This allowed for mutations that would be unable to survive in ponds. The first recorded fancy tailed goldfish was in 1603. Unfortunately, not a lot of information is available on these early fish.

Sometime around 1611 goldfish gained popularity in Japan, where a beautiful variety was developed; the Tosakin. From there they made their way to Portugal and parts of Europe. During the 1620's goldfish were highly regarded in Europe because of their metallic scales, the goldfish also symbolized good luck and fourtune. At this time it had become tradition for married men to give their wives a goldfish on their one year anniversary, as a symbol for prosperous years to come. However this tradition quickly died out as goldfish became more widely available. Around the mid 1800's goldfish were first introduced to North America and quickly gained popularity in The United States. Which brought us the Comet variation of this humble little fish. Currently there is somewhere between 300-500 different variations globally.

Scientists believe the closest wild relative of the common goldfish is the Prussian Carp. Some sources claimed the Crucian Carp to be the wild version of goldfish. However they have quite different characteristics, the Prussian Carp has a more pointed snout. The coloring is a grey/greenish color. Prussian Carp also have fewer than 31 scales along the lateral line. However the snout of the Crucian Carp is well rounded, they always have a coloring of golden bronze. Juvenile Crucian Carp will have a black spot on the base of the tail which dissapears with age. This marking is not present in the Prussian Carp. Crucian's will also have 33 scales or more along the lateral line.

"Prussian Carp"

"Crucian Carp"

   








             
           Common Goldfish have a "wild" body type, similar that of wild Prussian Carp. The body depth should be about 3/8th the length of the body. The dorsal contour should be in a smooth arching shape. All of the fins should be single and slightly rounded except the pectoral and pelvic fins. The cadual fin however should be rounded and short about a third the length of the body or less.