Parasitic copepods

[spotfin]

I just received this golden dwarf moray on tuesday and placed it in my display tank. Last night I noticed a few white "bumps" on its head, and today I looked more closely and saw several bug-like things on it. They look like copepods to me. There are probably a dozen or so on the eel. Are they anything to be worried about?

 

[spotfin]

Here is another picture:

The eel did not have these on it when it arrived; I'm sure these were already living in my tank. They are not on the other fish (damsel, arc eye hawkfish, and dwarf lionfish) in the tank. The copepods move around on the eel, and one appears to have a y-shaped body or appendage.

 

[alprazo]

Copepods can be genus or species specific. They are unlikely to kill your eel, but can be a site for a secondary infection.

I would treat. The treatment of choice is dimilin. It interferes with development and molting. It is radiply metabolized by animals and is considered very safe.

 

[spotfin]

Where can one find dimilin for aquatic use? I know it is used as an insecticide. Is it okay to treat the dt? Thanks.

 

[alprazo]

I wouldn't use it with inverts. I've treated my display tanks with it.

http://www.amazon.com/Dimilin-Pond-...DX2C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330730224&sr=8-1

 

[spotfin]

There are lots of other copepods/amphipods and a few hermits in my tank, as well as other inverts living in the rock. This will be interesting to fix.

 

[alprazo]

Yeh, I decided to use it in mine. It wiped out the beneficial amphipods and Copepods. Crabs may have problems molting, not sure.

 

[spotfin]

Does it affect any other inverts? There are numerous anemones, feather dusters, some bivalves, snails, etc living in the rock. Would hate to have lots of stuff die all at once.

 

[alprazo]

It did not kill the bristle worms, snails, of aptasia. By the mechanism of action, it could possibly kill or harm anything that molts or goes through a metamorphosis. Phylum Arthropoda - and class Crustacea.