[Aqua_mania]

i notice my tank was inveded by some tiny white worms wringling swimming freely in the tank...i was advise by the fish shop assistant to buy anti-velvet/slime/white spot treatment to treat the cichlid. i notice one of my cichlids had a pinkish patch on its gills and looks a bit yellowish and dusty too. one side of the grills looks dented too.....is it a infected by the gill disease and did i use the right medication? I notice on the second day after i have change water and add the treatment the tank became infested with the wringling white worms length abt 10 mm. i have also raise the temp to 32c.....pls advise

is it infected by gill fluke and how should i go abt medicating them...?

was told to change water and put treatment daily? advisable??

[Frank M. Greco]

The white worms you are seeing are not parasitic, and will not bother your fish. They feed upon the detritus in the gravel bed. Using a gravel cleaning siphon when doing water changes will help reduce their numbers by reducing the amount of pollutants in the gravel.
As to the dusty appearence of the fish, what type are they? Some cichlids are normally dusty in color. Are they breathing fast and hard? If not, chances are good it's not gill flukes.

Frank M. Greco
Professional Aquarist
http://www.frankmgreco.com
http://www.franksaquarium.com