How to Treat a Freshwater Puffer with Anchorworms
The name “anchorworm” is actually a misnomer of sorts because the “worm” isn’t 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. 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 – our Red Congo Puffer (Tetraodon miurus) [...]
Categories: Puffer Care, Puffer Problems Tags: anchor worm attached to puffer, anchor worms, anchorworms, feshwater pufferfish, free swimming anchor worm, freshwater puffer, freshwater puffers, how to get rid of anchorworms, how to treat anchor worms, puffer with anchor worm, puffer with parasites, puffer with worms
How to Pick Out a Healthy Freshwater Pufferfish
Aside from researching your chosen species beforehand, picking out a healthy freshwater pufferfish will largely determine whether or not you are successful keeping the little guy alive. Unfortunately, many puffers for sale in pet stores are stressed, battling internal parasites and starving – which is quite the laundry list of health problems, especially if you’re new to keeping pufferfish. Here are first five things I look for to determine how healthy a freshwater puffer is before I make my purchase: 1. Bright coloration. A healthy fish, regardless of the species, is brightly colored – obviously, this is relative to the quality of the specimen, but the colors should not be dull or faded. However, a washed out coloration does not necessarily break the deal [...]
