Skin and gill trematodes

Skin and gill trematodes are worms parasitizing on the body of fish, not visible with a simple glance (the size of adults rarely exceeds 1 mm), but through a magnifying glass they become clearly distinguishable.

For skin and gill trematodes, the fish is the only host; the entire life cycle from the larva to the adult parasite passes on it, this is due to the high rate of infection spread when sick fish enter the aquarium.

Symptoms:

The fish behave restlessly, try to scratch on objects, the fins are often pressed, redness can form on the body and a large amount of mucus is released. The behavior clearly indicates itching and skin irritation.

The reason for the appearance of parasites, potential dangers:

Trematodes are brought into the aquarium together with new fish, or are initially present in already acquired fish, so if parasites did not manifest themselves earlier and once an infection occurred, it means that the conditions in the aquarium worsened, which reduced immunity and provoked a numerical increase in the parasite population.

Severe infestation can lead to severe injuries, especially to the gills, as well as secondary infection with pathogenic bacteria or fungi.

Prevention:

It is extremely difficult to prevent infection with trematodes, at present they are ubiquitous and live on fish in small quantities, without manifesting themselves in any way. Quarantine allows you to identify only those fish that do not have acquired immunity, and they have recently been infected, in which case there will be characteristic symptoms.

The universal way to avoid infection (especially if the fish are already carriers of parasites) is to maintain the necessary conditions and high water quality in the aquarium.