# Life after anchor worms



## jenifoto (Oct 24, 2012)

I'm new here - I just joined yesterday, so apologies if this post is in the wrong place or has been covered already.

I used to have a 55 gallon tall freshwater tank. It ran for almost 20 years with no real problems. This summer it gave out and started leaking. I was down to 4 fish, and it was too big for the living room it was in, so I replaced it with a 20 gallon. Since then everything has been fine. I have 2 pink kissers and 2 brown gourami with golden/orange markings. 

I have not added anyone or anything to the tank for months and months. I got talked into taking on a rope fish. I love them and I had one who lived for years and years, but since then the few times I've tried I have Ph issues and they never make it. The day I got the rope fish I also got my first live plant. A few weeks later Rope grew listless and before I could figure it out, died. A week later I started noticing snails. A few weeks after that anchor worms began appearing on my gourami.

Two died. My pink kissers are hanging in there. Last night I did a salt dip and tweezed the worms out of them as well as I could. Today I replaced almost all of the gravel and decoration. The gravel I did keep I washed in boiling water (returning it to the proper temp before adding to the tank). I'm treating the water with Tetra's Parasite Clear, and adding in PimaFix and using a food that is medicated against secondary bacterial infections.

Have I missed anything?

I know I have to deal with the tank cycling again. Later, when it's stable, I'd like to add 2 more fish (making the total 4). How long is until I can be sure that we're anchor worm free?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

kissing gouramis can become,well massive(large).Along with large size comes large amounts of waste.In my opinion the 20g is a little cramped for even two kissers.You should be doing large(30-50%) water changes weekly,and without infection of many kinds are possible.Sorry for bad news but in your 55g they had more than twice the;room,water and possibilty to accept error(water quality,or fewer waterchanges).To keep them healthy they'll need larger quaters or more maintenance.Unfortunately anchor worm is diffacult to "cure".All treatments I,ve read were of potassium permaganate(not readily available and semi dangerous{in dosing} to use.Fish Disease and Treatment


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

My advice would be water changes to minimize stress, and to keep the tank clean. Anchor worms are nasty, but killable. You have to beware of skin infections.
Kissers are huge fish, but they will stunt in dirty water. On Asian fish farms, they are fed by pouring pig manure into the water, so they tolerate dirt few other fish will. It is really difficult to keep other fish with them - it's like tossing gazelles into a pig pen. They are one of the few fish that will stop growth with no ill effects, and people keep them for years and years in tanks technically too small for even one of them (like yours). They'll be fine with water changes of 40% weekly, although I would change more in the period til you are sure the worms have cleared.
Really, you have one of the filthiest fish alive (along with goldfish and koi), for all its charm, and for that reason, no tankmates are possible. Your tank is too small and your fish are too big.


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## jenifoto (Oct 24, 2012)

Thanks guys!

The kissers are pretty small, and I've had them for almost 4 years so I'm not really worried about the space. One is less than 2". the other less than 3". I was almost worried that they'd have a growth spurt since they're now alone in a tank, even though it's a 20gal.


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