Why do my fish keep getting lice and how can I stop it permanently?

Question

Hi, I know it's late but I've just discovered them in my fish tank... again.. I have had problems with fish lice for a long time now, and we tried it all: medicine, complete cleaning of the tank (moving the fish to a hospital tank, emptying the tank completely, and washing everything. We even got a new filter and used bleach in the tank. I was fish lice free for a while, but I just feed the fish, and there back. They're back with more of them than I've ever seen before. Please help!

Miranda Sadar, DVM, DACZM · Accepted Answer

I am so sorry that you have had so much trouble with this! I didn't see that you included the type of tank you had (freshwater vs. saltwater) - the treatments can be different depending on the type of tank that you have. I also didn't see if you had definitively diagnosed that it was fish lice - there are not a great deal of parasites that are similar to fish lice, but if you haven't been able to have someone identify these parasites, I would recommend that it be a place to start. I am not sure what medical treatments you have attempted, but there are several that can be attempted. Some of them are oral treatments and some are treatments for in the water. Manual removal of the parasites is also possible. Given all of the things you have tried already, I would recommend evaluation of one or more of your fish by a veterinarian. They will gather information from you about your husbandry, and then will perform an examination on your fish. This will include evaluating samples of the gills, the skin, and of the parasites under the microscope. Your vet can then assist in helping to guide treatments and decide what is best for you and your tank.

Why do my fish keep getting lice and how can I stop it permanently?

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