ChickenMan
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| Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:58 am Uronema Marinum |
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Uronema marinum
Symptoms: Skin scraping, pale discoloration, loss of color, weight loss, dehydration, flashing, and rapid breathing
The saltwater parasite, Uronema marinum, is a free-living ciliated protozoa that can cause fatal infections in marine fish. It is an opportunistic feeder that normally eats on bacteria, but when the immunization of a fish is low it will attack, invading the fish's muscles and internal organs. This infestation often the result of the introduction of a new fish, overcrowding, and poor water quality resulting from a high organic load in the aquarium. This parasite is difficult to identify as the symptoms can also be indicative of other parasitic and bacterial problems. However, it can be debilitating and ultimately fatal to a variety of marine fish including Tangs, especially the Yellow Tang, Angelfish species especially those in the genus Centropyges, Seahorses, many species of Butterflyfish, yellow headed Jawfish, and others.
The best way to avoid the problem is to keep your current tank free from infestation. Quarantine all new fish for a period of three weeks, improve the water quality of the tank, and reduce the stress level in the aquarium by reducing the number of fish and incorporating places for fish to hide and rest.
There are several types of medications that can be used to treat infected fish as well as treatments.
* Medications such as Malachite green, Copper Sulfate, or Methylene blue. Use caution and be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions.
* Freshwater bath - place infected fish in the freshwater bath for a period of three minutes or until the fish shows signs of stress.
* Low salinity (hypo salinity) treatment - lower the salinity in the quarantine tank to a specific gravity of 1.011 and maintain at this salinity for 21 days. Do not use this treatment with invertebrates or especially sensitive fish such as sharks and rays.
* Nitrofurazone - an antibiotic that has some antiparasitic action, and can be helpful when used along with formalin dips. |
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