HELP! Fish lice! How to de-louse my tank?

[The Jones Camp]

Awful timing. I've just gotten back into the planted tank hobby over the last two months. I brought home my first ever pair of apistos (agassizi) today. While I was watching the tank so closely as they acclimated I noticed that one of my oto cats had a funny lump on one side. It turned out to be a fish louse (argulus). :frown: I removed it successfully and the fish seemed to be fine afterward.

But what I'm concerned about is that this louse is likely not the only one that has found its way into my tank. How would you recommend I treat the tank and its inhabitants?

(Yes, I know I probably should have posted this under the "Health" section, but I wanted the highest number of eyeballs to see this plea for advice.)

My 20g tank currently houses:

2 apistogramma agassizi
5 otocinclus
3 red cherry shrimp
1 amano shrimp
1 brass tetra (a tough old chap, who really does deserve a school to lead)

Ludwigia
Cabomba
crypts
some Vals
and some other stem plant I can't remember

 

[fishgeek]

treatment with organophosphates formalin or potassium permanganate should be effective against adults

more recently chitin inhibitors like lufernn have been used

andrew

 

[The Jones Camp]

Having been out of the hobby for several years, can you point me toward the correct procedure for the administering of such treatments? ratios? amounts? duration?

I need all the help I can get.

Is the permanganate still available as Jungle's "Clear Water"?

 

[STOKER]

Remember that any treatment that contains COPPER is poison to the invertebrates , and also if you have active carbon in your filter that this will remove ANY treatment that you give.


Mike

 

[Mike Wise]

Clout is an organophosphate that is effective against arthorpods like fish lice. Just follow the instructions & remove any invertebrates that you want to save.