Tiny white leeches on small stingray
- Thread starter Skywalker
- Start date
jjmoneyman
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Wish I could help you, but I have no clue.
They are def some type of leech i pulled him out w a net and placed him on a large dinner plate and was going to attempt to pull them off w tweezers but once i got him on the plate i realized how slimy and slippery he was and that i was never going to be able to flip him over and pull them all off. So i just slid him back off the plate back in the tank. I hope i didnt harm him he seems to be swimming normally. Anyways i looked at the plate and one had fallen off. It moved like a leech and was hard to smash w my fingers and kill. Too tiny to get a picture of of course.
if its squishy, its a leech. Use forcips and pull em off. they are parasitic, and will weaken the host. Once you pull em off, swab the site with iodine. I'd keep him in QT so he wont be exposed to anything from the water in the DT. I assume the QT has some freshly made SW, probably bare bottom or thin layer of sand.
Bad news on several different areas:
1. The stingray is not a suitable home aquarium fish. Their care is beyond hobbyists, not to mention the fact that they require open ocean for proper thriving.
2. As a potential lethal fish, their import is restricted in some areas, as are their collection.
3. Their underside is so sensitive that the common aquarium substrate will harm them -- even some sandy substrates.
4. The removal of the parasites will likely lead to internal bacterial infection, which complicates the matter.
5. The removal of the parasites is best done in a operating environment, the subject under anestesia, by a professional (vet).
6. The use of uncomplexed iodine on an open wound increases the likelihood of systemic poisoning -- we use betadine for this reason, which contains the povidone-iodine complex.
7. The extent of the described infestation is likely going to lead to the death of the ray, whether you can get them all off or not.
I'd return the marine life to where you got it, get your money back, and stick to making more sensible, 'usual' ornamental marine fish selections suitable for captive life.
1. The stingray is not a suitable home aquarium fish. Their care is beyond hobbyists, not to mention the fact that they require open ocean for proper thriving.
2. As a potential lethal fish, their import is restricted in some areas, as are their collection.
3. Their underside is so sensitive that the common aquarium substrate will harm them -- even some sandy substrates.
4. The removal of the parasites will likely lead to internal bacterial infection, which complicates the matter.
5. The removal of the parasites is best done in a operating environment, the subject under anestesia, by a professional (vet).
6. The use of uncomplexed iodine on an open wound increases the likelihood of systemic poisoning -- we use betadine for this reason, which contains the povidone-iodine complex.
7. The extent of the described infestation is likely going to lead to the death of the ray, whether you can get them all off or not.
I'd return the marine life to where you got it, get your money back, and stick to making more sensible, 'usual' ornamental marine fish selections suitable for captive life.
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+1 If your DT isnt 500g or better, the ray wont last long, assuming you can get the leeches off safely. They requre too much room and too much specialized care for even the advanced aquariust.