I cant find anything about the parasite some of my fish have. the parasite seems to be common to crappie and bass and is only visible in the mouth. it appears to be a very small leach about 3mm in length and can be as few as two or as many as ten. does not seem to affect the health of the fish but I am sure if enough are visible it would.
I've had those too, James - right inside the mouth area. In my case it was BG and YP - and as soon as I stocked FHM and crayfish into the pond they quit showing up. I'm assuming that I needed smaller fish able to prey on such small leeches. Didn't seem to be causing the fish any issues I could determine, but I didn't like them messing with my babies.
Several parasites can exhibit that pattern. Can you post a pic. ?
I meant to take a picture but forgot I will get one this week and post it. The parasites are not in the meat of the fish but only in the interior of the mouth. they look like very small leeches about 3mm long. I am trying to identify what they are so I can try and control them.
http://i46.tinypic.com/of8thc.jpg here is a picture of the parasite on a bass on the internet
I am still trying to find out what it is and how to control it. Most fish that I saw had only one or two but some had as many as six.
That picture sure looks like a leach...you can also see other "rings" where it fed on the inside of the bass' mouth.
They sell leeches for bait, so I would assume a healthy population of forage fish would be one control measure. Maybe that is how your fish is getting them. While eating them some don't make it all the way down.
I am for sure they are leeches since i popped one today and it was like a bloated mosquito full of blood. I stocked 500 red ears today to try and control them? I thought about the coffee can with liver in it but decided it was too labour intensive. Any other ideas?
I don't think you have to attend the cans that much. The leech go in the holes and don't come out right away. Liver or kidneys are cheap and you could just pull the can, dump and put more bait in and put them back out.
For individual fish you could dip your fish in a salt water solution in a five gallon bucket until they turn on their sides and then release them. In the least it should cause the leech to release from the fish. One pound of non iodized salt in 5 gallon bucket filled to the 4 gallon mark. Or a cooler of water filled at 1 lbs. per 4 gallons.
And you don't have to weigh out the salt each time. Once you have the required 1 lb of salt in a measuring cup after weighing, just remember the line it comes up to in the measuring cup for future reference.
How is your bluegill population? Seems like bluegills and other fish should be hammering those things.
I have done some looking James and found no mention of a viable system wide cure. Salt water bath as CB1 notes can work but some leeches are more saltwater tolerant than pond fishes. I will keep my eyes open for more info.
The koi folks have been doing the salt dip for koi with a lot of success. Of course their ponds are s small they have the option of draining and sterilizing the entire pond.
CB1 what you noted was the main , IMO , non-viable option for James due to the size and nature of his lake. Much to big and way to many excellent fish for that approach.
