[aaron5661]

I am slightly concerned about 2 of my barbs. They have some odd growths on them. I am concerned they are parasites but they do not look like anything on the web that I have found. The fish are behaving normally and do not appear sick. If this is something, I want to hit it early. Should I treat with an antiparasitic just in case? Any advice would be much apreciated!

(In my not so expert opinion, they do not look like anchor worms)

 

[Derby]

Fish lice? looks like they have legs.

 

[aaron5661]

I do not see any on the fish... I thought fish lice were larger. That black spot is actually coloration. All 4 barbs have it in the same location.

 

[Derby]

I thought the white spot on the middle picture looked like it had legs. I'm a newbie though

 

[Nordic]

I'm also seeing 6 legs...

 

[aaron5661]

I see what you are talking about. On the second picture, if you look closely, it looks that the "legs" that we are seeing are not attached to the fish. To me, it looks like the arms of an anemone or something like that.

 

[Nordic]

If the fish is big enough, you could catch it and see if it wont wipe off with a cotton swab with some methylene blue on, but there are probably more in your system now.
This would depend on your experience and on how firmly yet calm you can work. I know some of the barbs get quite big.

 

[aaron5661]

Ok... Update.

I have put my photography skills and camera to the test and I believe that I know what it is now... A scale. Call me crazy, but that is what it looks like to me. The longfin barb with the white spot surrounded by redness on its fin is now my biggest concern. Below are some better pics. What do you guys think?

As for taking the fish out, I would like to avoid that as the barbs have a tendency to spaz out in the water let alone outside the water. As a Paramedic, I like to think that I have the ability to work firmly and calmly. It is the patient's calmness that I am more worried about. Then again, I have never attempted a procedure on a fish.

 

[touch of sky]

I think it may be an immature lernaea (anchor worm).

 

[thedood]

I just pulled an anchor worm off of my sailfin molly. The molly now has popeye because of this nasty crustacean. I am going to start treating with paraguard.

I noticed a similar growth on my molly (new fish) and thought the same thing that it was a scale but I kept an eye on it every morning before work, every night after, and before bed. Come home from work to see that it was longer, thinner, and had branched into a y shape which means it was carrying eggs. I tend to think @touch of sky may very well be correct.

Edit: Here is my thread before I figured out what it was: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/21-fish/1005097-something-hanging-eye.html

 

[thedood]

@aaron5661 I was wondering how your fish is doing?

 

[Nordic]

His fish has cooties!!!!!!!!

 

[aaron5661]

I know this is incredibly late. I believe it was anchor worms. The fish ended up getting dropsy despite treatment and passing away. Fortunately it was the only casualty.