[quote=”helene” post=4845]I also keep small boraras in some of my parotanks, – mostly boraras maculatus, – and I had in one instance a terrible outbreak of something which maybe resembles what you describe. The boraras was infected with lots of small cysts, – I actually thought it was ‘ick’, – and I remember it came after a change in temperature as well.
It was a small tank, – in fact I had one paro in it and 3 boraras. I didnt medicate at all, mostly because I had no idea how to treat tiny fish like boraras, – I have not a lot of faith in medication for so tiny fishes, and I was worried about affecting the paro with medication.
So I didnt treat, – and I did loose the boraras, – but the paro was totally unaffected even the outbreak was very bad. The paro survived and lived long after and it didnt affect any other tanks later.
It was not of course ideal not to treat, but this is the only time I have had any experience of this kind involving both paros and boraras. Normally I do not see this kind of sickness with any of the species.
The paros can get odinium, this happens now and again, – but other sicknesses, – it seems very rare.[/quote]
How interesting.
I went on a long hiking trip not long after making this thread, which is why I have not replied until now.
I separated all of the infected B. uropthalmoides and treated them with the typical (at least in the US) formalin/malachite green solution so often used against protozoan parasites. All of them made a complete recovery by the time I left for my hiking trip, and when I returned, there was still no sign whatsoever of the cysts; they were also put into a tank already housing a few Oryzias fry, and none of the fry became infected either.
I wish my microscope was the kind with a camera, but it is not, and it is also very old (manufactured in 1946-48). Even with some of the upgrades I have given it, it cannot compete with a newer scope. The organisms I viewed under the microscope were very similar to “ich” in appearance, and did not have the golden-brown color associated with dinoflagellates. The cysts on the fish were also much smaller than those of ich; so small that at first I thought that I was seeing a piscinoodinium (“velvet”) infection.
The Paros were not infected, although they did not take kindly to the disturbances caused by my attempts to capture the boraras. I have moved the rest of the B. uropthalmoides into a different tank, and I am moving my B brigittae into that tank instead. I also bought some more ketapang leaves before I left and added them to the tank to help restore the correct water conditions.
So far, everyone seems fine. Also, no worries Deepin Peat: I’m fairly new to blackwater fish still (compared to the rest of you), so I appreciate the extra information.