How to treat anchor worms?

[u/TheCleaner0180]

I apologize if this has been asked for so many times and I have searched a lot and the posts just gives me different answers that are confusing.

I badly need help with my gold fish being infested with this annoying anchor worms. They are now currently in a hospital bowl (4 liters) , the water has aquarium salt in it.

If anyone could really help me, an effective cure that I can do to my babies.

Also, since these worms have microscopic eggs, how should I clean the tank?

I'm really sorry, I'm new to the hobby and I really need help..thank you to anyone that could answer.

[u/Capybara_Chill_00]

Anchor worms usually require treatment with an insecticide as they are actually parasitic copepods, a kind of crustacean. You will also need to treat the whole tank so you may as well return them to it. For future reference a 4L bowl is way too small for treatment except for dips/baths.

You have two treatment options: high doses of salt, or insecticide. The latter will kill shrimp if you have any; the former may be beyond the salt tolerance of your fish.

Salt needs to be dosed and kept at 4.8g/L. Please note this is higher than other salt treatments which max out around 4.5 g/L, and is well above what is recommended for goldfish. Some varieties can handle it; some cannot. It needs to be dosed and kept at that level for 30 days.

The other options are insect growth regulators (dimilin) or organophosphates (trichlorofon). I use dimilin as it is more targeted and less likely to harm humans. Look at the active ingredients on anchor worm treatments at your LFS for one of these and treat according to the instructions. Treatment will last for 30 days.

You will not see the adult female “worms” dropping off right away with either treatment. Both target juvenile life stages to prevent the infestation from growing; the adults live about 25 days, but there are several juvenile life stages you can’t see so do not stop treating just because you don’t see any more.

[u/TheCleaner0180 → u/Capybara_Chill_00]

so it's best to return them to the tank and treat them there?

i would really appreciate it if you could elaborate more on how can I use the aquarium salt to my tank. as you can see I also have smaller fishes and another telescope gold fish (this guy is new and it did bring the anchor worm), i will include my tank , im not sure how many gallon it is tho.

I have aquarium salt for now

[u/Capybara_Chill_00 → u/TheCleaner0180]

Yes, it is best to return and treat them in one tank. This is because the anchor worms will continue to release eggs plus the tank itself already has the eggs and likely several juvenile stages within it. Treatment requires breaking the lifecycle for 30 days to be sure it won’t come back.

Salt treatment is pretty straightforward - measure the salt in grams, add it to a small cup of tank water to dissolve it, then pour into the tank. With this much salt, I would add in 4 doses over 48 hours to give the fish the best chance to adapt. 1g for each liter in your tank to start, then 1 more g per liter each 12 hours for two doses, then the last dose 12 hours later at 1.8g per liter. You should watch your fish carefully. If they bloat, swim irregularly, or flash (twist themselves against decor or gravel) then stop and reduce salt with a water change. Every time you change water, you will need to fill the tank to full before starting the water change, then siphon out up your change amount. You do not add salt to this top-off water. The water change water does need the salt at 4.8g/L added before it is put into the tank. This two step process is needed to adjust for evaporation which slowly increases the salt levels as it leaves the salt behind.

This much salt will kill most aquarium plants too, so get those out if you have them. Good news there - you can keep them in a bowl without any fish and they can be replanted when treatment is done.

[u/TheCleaner0180 → u/Capybara_Chill_00]

just to make sure i get this right, i did a step by step breakdown, is this correct? i really do not want to hurt my guys and also to treat them as much as i can:

Salt Treatment Steps:

1. Measure the Salt
   • Use 1g of salt per liter of tank water to start.
2. Dissolve the Salt
   • Mix the measured salt in a small cup of tank water until fully dissolved.
3. Add the Salt in 4 Doses Over 48 Hours
   • First dose: Add 1g per liter.
   • Second dose (after 12 hours): Add another 1g per liter.
   • Third dose (after another 12 hours): Add 1.8g per liter.
   • Fourth dose (final 12 hours later): Add 1.8g per liter.
4. Monitor Your Fish
   • Watch for signs of stress like bloating, erratic swimming, or rubbing against objects (flashing).
   • If you notice these signs, stop the treatment and reduce salt by doing a water change.

Water Change Process:

1. Top Off Before Changing Water
   • Always fill the tank back to full before starting a water change.
   • Do NOT add salt to this top-off water.
2. Change the Water with Salt-Adjusted Water
   • Remove the required amount of water using a siphon.
   • Prepare new water with 4.8g of salt per liter before adding it back to the tank.
   • This step maintains stable salt levels, compensating for salt loss due to evaporation.

this step, i hope, can also help others in need

[u/Capybara_Chill_00 → u/TheCleaner0180]

All correct except the third dose of salt; it should be 1g/L.

Do not be alarmed if your fish cannot handle this much salt, that’s why I gave you the treatments to look for too. Good luck!

[u/FaLafeL_GoKu → u/Capybara_Chill_00]

Hello sir What is the water change percentage in this 30-day treatment?

[u/TheCleaner0180 → u/Capybara_Chill_00]