# Vorticella parasite, neocardinia, the white wig



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

In one of my tanks, the nano. Water is 150TDS, No3 0-5ppm, Po4 0-0.5ppm, no ammo. 4-6 dGH, 0-2 dKh, PH 6.5

I have sick ones I guess, they have this white hairy "crown" stuff growing from their heads, I had one death so far from about 3 yellow neos affected by it. When I found the dead one, the whole thorax section was browned like if it was a CBS "SSS" almost. WEIRD, 



















This neos are the only shipped shrimp I ever had, about 4 of them were DOA, I have other yellows (fire neon yellow) I bought locally that are healthy and thriving ( I hope those locals stay ok)


----------



## cookymonster760 (Apr 30, 2011)

you should quarantine them as soon as possible from what i have seen and dont quote me on this is that this is a parasite that starts eating the shrimp i saw a video of this on youtube where you could see the white thing move


----------



## gtu2004 (Feb 17, 2010)

I had good success with Paraguard. Others have used the salt dip method, during which process people were amazed how tolerant neos are to salinity. I can't recall the correct spelling of the parasite, but it's Vacilli- something. Dosing Paraguard for a couple days should clear up the issue. 

It doesn't eat away the shrimps, but it may grow on shrimp's mouth and causing it to die from not being able to eat and that leads to starvation.

Sometimes the shrimp will molt and get rid of parasite that way, but the molt needs to be taken out asap as it's infectious if other shrimps eat it.


----------



## cookymonster760 (Apr 30, 2011)

from what i have seen
how it started
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGxqARvkoJQ
after still alive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CuxSveJdzY


----------



## Bananariot (Feb 28, 2012)

I saw someone with this before. Crap gotta find that thread. They solved it with some sort of meds.


----------



## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

I also read that a salt dip would work for this parasite. It's commonly fun on the nose and burrow in.


----------



## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

yeah there are a couple threads on here about this just dont member what it is


----------



## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Could the worms be planaria?

What about using No Planaria from GLA?


----------



## gtu2004 (Feb 17, 2010)

Nvm, to clear it up for all of us, I went back and looked for the parasite's name. It is Vorticella. 

Again, follow my directions in the #3 post. If you can get Paraguard, that's safer. But if you are adventurous/on a budget, look up this parasite and see the dosage for salt dip.


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

Thanks guys, I'm glad I didn't put them in my main tank.

Pm for more questions in regards to the source.


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

cookymonster760 said:


> from what i have seen
> how it started
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGxqARvkoJQ
> after still alive
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CuxSveJdzY


Oh my hood! Dude! That second video almost made me cry.


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

There is cardinias, CRS SS babies, is paraguard safe for them? Where do I get it?


----------



## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

pejerrey said:


> Oh my hood! Dude! That second video almost made me cry.


It looked pretty bad in the second video. What a sad ending to a beautiful shrimp.


----------



## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Carlos,

Plamski had a recent thread of his shrimp having the same worms. They were able to rid the pest with a plain aquarium salt dip. You might want to try that out. If you can't find that thread Lmk. 

Good luck bro, and I'd segregate the affected immediately or you can always cull them too.


----------



## Alpha Pro Breeders (Jan 26, 2010)

Paraguard is the way to go, a salt dip is only going to treat the ones that you can see instead of the entire tank.


----------



## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

This is vorticella parasite. It's only on the outside of the carapace and will be remedied by a salt dip, don't even need medications. http://www.shrimpnow.com/content.php/260-Vorticella-Parasites-on-Shrimps


----------



## ravensgate (May 24, 2012)

This is a crazy coincidence but last night I noticed one of my cherry shrimp had a little thingy coming out of its head. About 20 minutes later I saw this thread. Today I was looking at him and saw the thing moving. So I searched and found the thread that had the salt dosage here

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/s...andom-shrimp-deaths-shrimp-cannibalism-2.html

Post # 17

I basically did about a cup and half tank water with a teaspoon and a third of aquarium salt (was nervous of a heavier dose). Dipped him for 45 seconds, dipped him in a cup of plain tank water with no salt for a rinse, then put him back in the tank. Whatever that thing on his head was is completely gone and it's been probably an hour and half since I did it and he seems ok. Great time for this thread to come up though, I would have never known what that was or that it was anything bad until it was probably too late.


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

Two more deaths today, I havent been able to go et paraguard.


----------



## ravensgate (May 24, 2012)

If you've just got a few infected do the salt dip while you wait on the paraguard to come in.


----------



## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

ravensgate said:


> This is a crazy coincidence but last night I noticed one of my cherry shrimp had a little thingy coming out of its head. About 20 minutes later I saw this thread. Today I was looking at him and saw the thing moving. So I searched and found the thread that had the salt dosage here
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/s...andom-shrimp-deaths-shrimp-cannibalism-2.html
> 
> ...


Glad it worked for you. It seems to infect neo's for some reason, good thing they can take the salt good.


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

I don't have aquarium salt, an I do it with table salt?


----------



## ravensgate (May 24, 2012)

GeToChKn said:


> Glad it worked for you. It seems to infect neo's for some reason, good thing they can take the salt good.


Yes and big huge THANK YOU from me and my shrimps for that post!:bounce:


As far as table salt I have no idea if that will work. I'd be reluctant to use anything but aquarium salt but I am just extra paranoid. Hopefully someone with more experience and knowledge will chime in.


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

speedie408 said:


> Carlos,
> 
> Plamski had a recent thread of his shrimp having the same worms. They were able to rid the pest with a plain aquarium salt dip. You might want to try that out. If you can't find that thread Lmk.
> 
> Good luck bro, and I'd segregate the affected immediately or you can always cull them too.


 I killed one that was agonizing, found one dead. There is two left with the parasite. I hope I can get to the petstore soon. 

Your banana racers are fine, it's the previous batch I got from someone else that has the disease. So, please don't worry.
I will just isolate them for now and maybe treat the tank before I replenish the losses with more banana racers from you. 

---

Is this going to spread to my baby CRS?


----------



## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

pejerrey said:


> I don't have aquarium salt, an I do it with table salt?


NOOOO. No table salt, no sea salt, no reef salt, no epson salt. Aquarium salt. It's a few bucks for a medium milk carton size of API Aquarium salt.


----------



## zergling (May 16, 2007)

Carlos, PM'd you with my number. I have paraguard at home!

Anecdotal experience -- dosing paraguard as instructed did not harm my CRS tank, nor my main tank that had RCS.


----------



## lipadj46 (Apr 6, 2011)

pejerrey said:


> I don't have aquarium salt, an I do it with table salt?


yes though you might want to get a box of pickling salt or kosher salt. For the $5 you will pay for "aquarium" salt you can get a 50 lb bag of Morton's solar salt from walmart which is the same thing as aquarium salt.


----------



## thechibi (Jan 20, 2012)

Er, I'd still be really careful using something besides aquarium salt.


----------



## AWESOM-O (Apr 12, 2012)

I have this too on pfr. How long would you use the paraguard for?


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

I didn't find paraguard, and online I only found the "T" lol!
I found aquarium salt and when I came home there was no more of that stuff in their heads. 

Before I left to get the medicine I changed some water and fed them with Ada bee food. 

What a heck, is it gone?


----------



## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Hope that it is, chances are its still there :\


----------



## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

If it comes back and you still can't find ParaGuard locally, you can order it online. Here's one example (can get it really fast with Prime shipping):

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=seachem+paraguard


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

I ordered it from eBay, from the closest seller to get it ASAP.

I was watching my main tank, and bad news... My blue velvets have it too.

I scooped out two of the ones I saw with it and dipped them in a saline solution 45 sec as posted above. Stuff was gone. 

I'm more concerned about this stuff affecting my cardinias, in that tank I have about 600+ bucks in shrimp.

Does this affect only neos?


----------



## etane (May 14, 2012)

Oh man I feel for you and your beautiful shrimps...


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

etane said:


> Oh man I feel for you and your beautiful shrimps...


Thanks, I really hope this is a neo disease and that it's not going to affect my cardinias.


----------



## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

If this is a parasite, all are vulnerable.


----------



## lipadj46 (Apr 6, 2011)

thechibi said:


> Er, I'd still be really careful using something besides aquarium salt.


Er salt is salt, iodized, kosher, solar, pickling, ice cream, aquarium, with or without anticaking agents it does not matter they are all safe.


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

I got API salt, I've been bathing the ones with a white wig. So far it works.

Now I see the pita of having a planted shrimp tank. Luckily I have "frenzy" food, they all come and then "hippy bath time"! Lol!


----------



## ravensgate (May 24, 2012)

Having gone from fish tanks to planted shrimp tanks I can tell ya, parasites and tank bugs are all new to me! And haha on the Frenzy, I just got a sample in and my shrimp are going nutty over it.


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

I did salty baths for the ones that were the most affected. then I dosed Seachem ParaGuard for 3 days.

Its gone in both tanks!


----------



## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

pejerrey said:


> I did salty baths for the ones that were the most affected. then I dosed Seachem ParaGuard for 3 days.
> 
> Its gone in both tanks!


congrats man, just keep an eye on it!


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

h4n said:


> congrats man, just keep an eye on it!


Bah! Sure enough I just found one more yellow with the white wig. Bath and gone.


----------



## ravensgate (May 24, 2012)

I'm actually tickled this thread popped up when it did and I heard about the salt bath. That really seems to get rid of the little suckers. I went ahead and bought some Paraguard just to have on hand though. Hope you're rid of the little nasties!


----------



## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

ravensgate said:


> I'm actually tickled this thread popped up when it did and I heard about the salt bath. That really seems to get rid of the little suckers. I went ahead and bought some Paraguard just to have on hand though. Hope you're rid of the little nasties!


 Yeah, I think I will dose paraguard once more tomorrow and the. I will let it be for a few days before I place purigen in and do some water changes. 
It seems gone in my main tank, just the small tank still showing up some.


----------



## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

eck! at least the salt baths are working good!
no deaths right?


----------



## ohbaby714 (Feb 23, 2011)

Salt bath...is that what turn people in to zombie?
Zommbie shrimps?


----------



## Caleb19 (Sep 27, 2010)

I too had these white little parasites on my pumpkins/PFR's and did the salt bath/paraguard 3 day treatment. Worked great for me with no deaths. All shrimpies are parasite free and swimming happily


----------

