# Anchor worm?



## omidod (Feb 25, 2012)

MY brother just got 5 guppies from Petco, and one of them doesn't swim around as much as the others and has an unusual thing hanging out from underneath him. It might be part of his anal fin, but I'm not sure. Any help is helpful!!!!!!


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## em1y386SX (Apr 10, 2012)

Make sure that isn't callamanus, I've read it can be bad news if it's in your tank


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I can't tell from the photo, but if it is hanging out of the anus of the fish, it is a serious, quick spreading and deadly parasite - as the post above said, a Camallanus worm.


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

I would QT the fish, I cant tell what it is from the pictures but it would make me nervous as well.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Sure it's not the gonopodium?


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

If you think it's camallanus, it's too late for QT - once the worm is out the eggs are flying. All you do with QT is infect two tanks.
Hopefully, it's nothing. The key is where or what it's coming out from.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

jrman83 said:


> Sure it's not the gonopodium?


Some guppies do have a particularly long or funny shaped gonopodium. Note the difference in some of these pics:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/upload/2006/06/gambusia_gonopodia.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/...ibbon/HBMosaicRibbonLongFinMalePic3Better.jpg
http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Livebe6.jpg


camallanus:
http://homeschoolblogger.com/wetpets/files/2011/08/Camallanus.jpg

some good pics of anchor worms:
Something Wrong With My Goldfish - Tropical Fish Forums


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

i read this really good article about these worms, it could be of help

Camallanus Worms: An Aquariasts Worst Nightmare


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

Looks like a boys parts to me, some of them are very well equipped for their size and yes sometimes the tips of the gono's do look worm like, Ive had many male gups that look like that and it wasnt a worm. Ive also noticed the longer ones do less breeding.

Usually an anchor worm will be near the gills or the scales themselves (i.e. anchored under a scale) if anything it could be a fluke or just gono finnage.


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