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one of the 3 hatchets in my 30gal tank is carrying what looks like a pink/red sac near it's anus, i havent a clue if these are eggs or if the fish has some major issue, this popped up really out of no where, this tank is in my bedroom so i get a good look at these fish a lot.


here are two snap shots i tried to get of the fish:

http://photobucket.com/albums/d68/JamesSam/hatchets/

the pictures dont really do what is going on justice, that red sac is hanging below the fish, like a red balloon coming out of it (it's actually one bigger bubble and 1 smaller one, each seemingly on one half of the fish)

the water parameters are:
ammonia- 0
nitrite- 0
nitrate- 20
ph- 7.4

there is also a peppered cory and 4 rams in the tank but they are pretty calm now and i never observe them going high enough in the water column to encounter the hatchets. any ideas?

Yikes, that look slike some sort of lesion to me, but I've never seen a hatchetfish eggsack before either. Melafix may be a good idea now, to prevent whatever that is from getting infected. Hopefully someone with more experience with this sort of thing will come by....

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Back in the saddle!

it isnt a cut or lesion of any sorts, the picture doesnt do it justice as i said, it really looks much more like a pink balloon, it's 100% a sphere in shape

i think the smaller sphere dropped, im really thinking the fish is spawning now. anyone have any familarity with this

well after a lot of research it wasnt spawning that's for sure, it's a nematode "roundworm" and it has me pretty worried and desperately hoping it was only in one fish and didnt spread.

Hi Ghost, sorry to be negligent in replying to your posts...

And I'm sorry to hear about the infection. Are you sure it's nematodes? From what I've read on them they usually appear as a few worms hanging out of the anus of the fish, not erally a large red bulb as it appears on your hatchet. Anyway, here's some info on tem along with a suggested treatment:

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/nematodes.shtml

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Back in the saddle!

Definately looks like roundworm to me, the swelling is in the gut area, not quite where youd expect to see swelling from being gravid. Go with a good treatment like fenbendazole or jungle parasite clear if the fish is still eating.

Hatchets are like a lot of other fish- gravidity typically leads to a general widening of the fish making it seem more massive overall, this is caused by the hormonal weight gain associated with pregnancy, not just the mass of the eggs themselves.Rarely is the lump more ounced in a specific place with the rest of the fish looking so light in the other areas of the body as yours does.

While worms hanging out of the anus is common with callamnus, with your average roundworm it rarely happens unless things are getting really cramped in there, or a partial treatment like garlic has caused an unsuccessful flushing or the death of singular large worms. Most roundworm will be undetected for months, eventually causing swelling in the fish. Its unusual for them to show themselves unless something has gone wrong with their lifestyle.

Roundworm eggs get about though,by the time you see your fish is swollen , its inevitable the worms may have gone through a breeding cycle. There are literally thousands of species of roundworm, so sometimes their breeding will require an intemediary host (usually snails) and sometimes the reinfestation cycle can be direct. Worm eggs and cysts will be in the substrate in the fish poo, and some may be free floating. Treat the whole tank.

Last edited by longhairedgit at 24-Nov-2005 11:50