What is the difference between white nematodes and protein worms?

As we all know, there are all kinds of creatures in our world. Of course, humans are the most powerful creatures, so it is sometimes easy to ignore other creatures. For example, white nematodes and protein worms, both types of worms are human parasites, but I believe many people do not know what they are and what the difference is between them. Today I will briefly introduce to you white nematodes and protein worms.

White nematode

White nematode is a soft-bodied parasite, similar to the roundworm in the human body, with pointed ends and milky white color. The adult body is about 2 cm long, moves very slowly and has no crawling ability. It attaches to the surface of fish, destroys the surface tissue, and then drills into the subcutaneous tissue or fin membrane to parasitize, and survives by sucking blood.

symptom

There are no hard scales on the abdomen and under the gill cover of the diseased fish. When pests parasitize, dot-like red spots begin to appear, resembling the shape of boils, and gradually bulge and swell to form dot-like lumps. As the pests move around inside, their excrement causes the inside of the lump to become inflamed and rotten, turning into a pustule. When it parasitizes on the inner membrane of the fins and tail, there are no abnormal symptoms as mentioned above, and it is often mistaken for fin ray tissue and can only be discovered through careful observation. It forms channels in the fin membranes, within which it wriggles slowly, feeding on the blood of fish. Because it sucks blood or opens new channels at the base of the fins, the fish feels pain and rolls and swims rapidly.

Pathogens

It is a white nematode, a soft-bodied parasite that resembles the roundworm in the human body, with pointed ends and a milky white color. The adult body is about 2 cm long, moves very slowly and has no crawling ability. The larvae live in water and reproduce in summer. The pathogen is brought back when flea bait is collected, and it is difficult to find when feeding because of its small and transparent body. When it gets the chance, it will attach itself to the surface of fish, destroy the surface tissue, and then drill into the subcutaneous tissue or fin membrane to parasitize, and survive by sucking blood.

Prevention and treatment methods

This pest parasitizes on the body of fish and cannot be found until it becomes an adult, usually in the fall, especially in late fall and early winter, when the pest has grown and is easiest to find. At this time, you should pay special attention to the tail fin. If you find slightly protruding linear objects on the tail fin, you should observe it carefully. If you see tiny red blood threads wriggling in the white lines, it is the worm body. Use a sterilized needle to push open the fin membrane, and then use tweezers to remove the worm body. Disinfect the wound with saline to prevent infection.

Protein worms

A worm is a kind of worm, an annelid. Some fish (such as mantis shrimp) will eat this kind of worm. The cause of this type of insect is excessive abundance in the water. If there is only a small amount, you can ignore it, but if there is too much, you must remove it.

It is best to change the water in the entire tank immediately, and be sure to pay attention to the temperature and water quality when changing the water for the fish. Clean the fish tank thoroughly with salt water, yellow powder or gentamicin solution, and then let the fish tank soak in salt water for a while.

Take all the fish to another tank or basin, and soak them in 0.3% salt water or gentamicin for 5-10 minutes. This can kill many parasites on the fish. After soaking, you can put the fish back into the fish tank.