How to Treat a Freshwater Puffer for Anchorworms

http://www.freshwaterpufferfish.org

Anchorworms aren’t
really worms…


• The name “anchorworm” is actually a
misnomer of sorts because the “worm” isn’t
actually a worm at all – the parasite is a small
crustacean, not an insect, which is usually
relatively rare with tropical aquarium fish
because it prefers cooler water.


Anchorworm attached
to Congo Puffer (Tetraodon
miurus)


• Typically, anchor worms are only seen in pond
fish and recently wild caught specimens –
goldfish are another frequent victim of this
pesky crustacean.
• You can also inadvertently introduce
anchorworms, both eggs and in their free-
swimming stage, by adding live plants to your
tank or feeding your puffer live foods.


• However, since the majority of freshwater
puffers are wild caught fish, you may end up
having to deal with an infestation of anchor
worms at some point.


What do
anchorworms look
like?


• The anchor worms that attach to your puffer
are female, and they carry their egg sacs at
the end of their body where the fork is
located.
• The sacs are long and shaped like a tube.
• Without a microscope they have the
appearance of little balls because they are
normally twisted or rolled up.


• As their name implies, the head is shaped like an
anchor, which makes it so that the parasite can
attach firmly to your fish – this is necessary because
the afflicted fish will often rub against rocks and
other objects in an effort to dislodge the
anchorworm.
• There are different types of anchorworms – they can
be found on the eyes, skin, and gills of fish,
sometimes burrowing deeply into the musculature to
anchor themselves on their host.


• Depending on the species, anchorworms can
be white, green, red, grey or brown.
• Sometimes, the females attached to your
puffer may appear threadlike, lacking the
forked body, because they are immature.
• They will develop the “Y” shape when they
mature and produce egg sacs.


What symptoms will
my puffer exhibit if it
has anchorworms?


• Loss of appetite
• Flashing
• Dull coloration/darkened belly
• Lethargy
• Swollen bumps on skin
• Difficulty breathing
• Unexplained “puncture” wounds
• Obvious anchorworms hanging off of body


What is the lifecycle
of an anchorworm?


• Like fish ick, anchor worms have a free swimming
larval stage, as well as an adult stage where they
are attached to the body of the fish.
• The larval stage burrows into the muscle of the
fish to develop, and will only emerge from the
skin when it’s an adult.
• As the anchor worm is burrowing back out of the
skin, you will probably notice your puffer flashing
and rubbing up against objects in an attempt to
get rid of the irritation.


• It takes the larvae several months to develop,
emerge and then mate – once the female
anchorworm attaches to the puffer, it will take
a couple of weeks for the eggs to develop and
hatch.
• When the eggs hatch, you will have a fresh
batch of microscopic anchorworms swimming
around in the water column searching for a
host so that they can repeat the cycle again.


Can anchorworms
kill my freshwater
puffer?


• Yes and no – if your puffer dies after being infested
with anchor worms it will probably be because of a
secondary infection or an overdose of medication.
• Technically speaking, a heavy enough infestation
could definitely kill a fish – but it would most likely
be the result of weakened state of the puffer.


• When an adult female anchor worm burrows
underneath the skin of your puffer, completes
its life cycle by laying eggs, and then dies, the
parasite will leave an open wound.
• This leaves your puffer susceptible to
secondary infections, which can be difficult to
treat because puffers are scaleless fish – in
conjunction with the fish’s weakened
state, medication can sometimes prove fatal.


How do I get rid of
anchorworms?


There are three different methods of getting rid
of anchorworms:

• Using medicine dips
• Dosing the entire tank
• Applying medicine directly to the adult
anchorworm


• The most common remedy for pufferfish with
anchorworms is a medicine called
Praziquantel.
• Although Prazi can be injected into food
items, like snails and night crawlers, to treat
internal parasites, I opt for treating the entire
puffer tank because unlike IP’s, anchorworms
have a free swimming stage.
• If you only dose the food with medication, you
will not eliminate any of the larvae before
they reach your puffer to repeat the cycle.


• If you’re having difficulty finding a pet store
that carries Prazi, then you can always look
online, as well – I buy the Jungle Parasite Clear
Tank Buddies (fizzy tabs), which contain
Praziquantel.
• You can treat 10 gallons with each tab, so a 30
gallon tank will need a little bit less than 3
tabs per dose. You will want to dissolve the
tabs before adding the medicine to the water.


• I also follow up treatment for anchorworms
with a dose of Melafix to help prevent the
wounds left by the dead parasites from
becoming infected.
• Melafix is widely accepted as a gentle enough
medication to use on puffer fish, just
remember to increase the amount of
dissolved oxygen during treatment as a safety
precaution.


• Always, always watch your puffer for signs of
stress when you add any medication to the
water – you may have to cut the dose in half
because they are scaleless fish.


Don’t forget the
water changes…


• In addition to treating your puffer with Prazi, you
will also need to perform large water changes for
the best results – when I treat my puffers for
parasites, I try to change 50% of the water at
least every other day.
• The instructions on the medication may have a
different suggestion for water changes – make
sure you read the container first.
• Doing so will not only help you maintain good
water quality so that your puffer’s risk of
secondary infection is lower, but the water
changes will also remove any free-swimming
anchorworms so they don’t have time to reach
their host.

• Some sources suggest manually removing the
adult anchor worms with tweezers.
• However, I don’t recommend trying to pull the
parasites out because you will most likely do
more damage to your fish than the anchor
worm is doing.
• The parasites that are visibly hanging off of
your puffer are very deeply rooted under the
skin, and possibly the muscle, as well.


• If you feel that pulling out the worms is the
best route for you, then you should at least
consult with a vet before attempting the
procedure.


Let’s do a quick
recap…


• If you wake up one day to see a Y-shaped worm
dangling off of your freshwater puffer – don’t
panic!
• Although anchor worms can potentially kill a fish
because they weaken their immune system which
leaves them susceptible to secondary
infections, the parasites are more annoying than
anything else in most cases.
• It normally takes a large number of anchor
worms to weaken a puffer to the point of death.


Want to learn more
about keeping
freshwater puffers?
Visit FreshwaterPufferfish.org!


How to Treat a Freshwater Puffer for Anchorworms

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