Symptoms:

• Visible worms hanging from fish
• Fish darts and scratches against glass or tank ornaments

What is it?

Anchor worms are another form of parasitic crustacean.

How did it get there?

These crustaceans are free swimming when young and then burrow into your fish's skin and may take several months before they are large enough to show. They then release eggs and die. When the worms die they leave behind holes that may become infected.

Treatment

The worms may be removed with tweezers, but they may be deeply embedded in the muscle of the fish. If there is too much resistance when trying to remove the worm, a 10 – 30 minute bath in 10 mg of potassium permanganate per liter can be done. Entire tank can be treated with 2 mg per liter, but will dye the water and is a mess.

Prevention

• Using aquarium salt every 3-5 water changes will prevent against many forms of parasitic infection on your fish.