Description

Symptoms: the fish scrapes itself against objects, clamped fins, visible parasites are visible on the body of the fish.

The carp/fish louse is a flattened mite-like crustacean about 5 mm long that attaches itself to the body of fish. They irritate the host fish which may have clamped fins, become restless, and may show inflamed areas where the lice have been. They bore into the fish to suck blood. The puncture can lead to inflammations and infections. In the case of a severe infection, the fish can also become emaciated. Carp/fish lice predominantly occur in fish in garden ponds, less so in warm water fish in aquariums, where they are primarily found on imported wild catches or offspring from outdoor facilities.

Treatment

With larger fish and light infestations, the lice can be picked off with a pair of forceps.

(Aquarium)

Remove any activated carbon from the filter for the duration of use. Switch off any UV-C appliances and CO₂ fertilizing appliances. Please also ensure that skimmers and ozonisers in saltwater are switched off. Change 50 % of the water prior to application of medication. Aerate the aquarium using a diaphragm pump with air stone during the treatment. We recommend cleaning the filter prior to use of medication.

You can apply a 10 to 30 minute bath to the fish in 10 mg per liter of potassium permanganate. Or treat the whole tank with 2 mg per liter, but this method is messy and dyes the water.

(Pond)

Prior to use of medication, remove any activated carbon from the filter, switch off UV-C appliances, ozone devices, copper and hydrochloric acid dosing devices if present. Feed the fish sparingly during the treatment. Filter during the treatment. We recommend cleaning the filter prior to use of medication. You can apply a 10 to 30 minute bath to the fish in 10 mg per liter of potassium permanganate

After treatment

(Aquarium)

After the treatment, please filter the aquarium water for 24 hours using activated carbon to remove the residues of medication. Afterwards the activated carbon should be duly discarded. The addition of a bacterial starter to the aquarium water helps to replace any purifying bacteria which may have been affected. Please check the ammonium/ ammonia and nitrite values during the treatment and daily in the first days after the treatment. With nitrite values of over 0.5 mg/l an immediate water change of 50% should be carried out and a bacterial starter added.

(Pond)

After the treatment, please filter the garden pond for 48 hours using activated carbon to remove the residues of medication. Afterwards the activated carbon should be duly discarded. After that please change 30 % of the water. Never dispose the pond water into open water or let it trickle away. Always discharge it into the sewage system. The addition of a bacterial starter to the pond water helps to replace any purifying bacteria which may have been affected.