Parasites in frogs?

[Insect Direct]

Every time the frogs spawn - these things turn up just after eggs have been laid ....

2mm? and crawl like little caterpillars on the bottom of the tank.

Any ideas on what they are exactly would be helpful.

No snails in tank . . . basically just the frogs doing their business ...

[aotealotl]

could it be something like this ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirostomum

[livingart]

if frogs are healthy and thriving may not be a problem

have treated frogs with Ivermectin or Levamisol which is found in Aviverm at a dose of 0.5 milligrams per kilogram in distilled water, place 3 drops onto the frogs' back

you can treat 3 x 10 days apart, use 0.2 milligrams per kilogram for the subsequent treatments.

[Insect Direct]

Thanks for the replys.

Interesting - I have used Aviverm in the past - frogs were all good with it. Would just be neat to raise a couple of batches without these present and see what the result is. Frogs themselves seem happy as so not too keen on nuking them unnecessarily.

Not sure if these are actually problematic however have suspected these little demons to be causing some interesting results in the past.

If one burrowed through genetic material i'm sure they could alter the genetic code for melanin production ever so slightly :nilly:

[livingart]

you could dose some as a control

[livingart]

most parasitic nematodes need an intermediary host

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3221896

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... t-mutants/

http://www.colorado.edu/eeb/facultysite ... #trematode

http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/5/1/208

this one done in nz

http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarl ... dy-d3.html

[Insect Direct]

to speed things up for repto Fast forward to 0:54, 2:15 and then 3:10 :lol:

[livingart]

you got a microscope?

what else is in the tank

have you tried spawning frogs in tank with just crockery or rocks in it , no wood or plants

[livingart]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/electronics-ph ... 221880.htm

[livingart]

http://www.thefastertimes.com/evolution/2010/01/08/199/

[Insect Direct]

I do have one of those usb microscopes but the one I have is not very clear. Will dig it out later and give it a try though.

Wood is dried in between spawns. not sure if ever gets dry enough to kill everything though.

Good idea ... was going to try more artificial .. ie no wood. will see what I can do. however both tanks full already. Juggling frogs and musical crickets - pretty much the story of my life.

[livingart]

best to have a control set up before you start assuming it is a frog parasite

get frog faeces and smear on glass under microscope

they may just be coming out to feed on jelly etc

[Insect Direct]

yeah not sure what part they have to play if any. but they are there and I have certainly seen limb deformities ages ago.

the tadpoles that did well last year were in troughs with just about every critter a pond can have though.

so sort of think captive care just not adequate.

parasites however could be opportunist and only infecting in captivity because of stressed tadpoles or other factors.

[Insect Direct]

http://www.thefastertimes.com/evolution/2010/01/08/199/

good read that :sage:

from the conclusion down the bottom

once the snail’s immune response blocked the development of Alaria marcianae, its only option was to gain what little it could from the mollusk and to then seek resources in other organisms, like the frog. Likewise, in time the frog’s body became incompatible with full maturation and, once again, the parasite was forced to expand its host range. The process repeated until one day the parasite infected the Florida Panther.

[livingart]

many things in nature are driven by survival

[aotealotl]

I just got an answer back from Christina, 'the' professor on the German Axolotl forum. they will not harm your frogs, they are the creatures mentioned in my first post, if you change the water or put an air stone in they will disappear. this little bugger do not like clean water but they like your frogs excretions.

Google translation (very poor):

Swamp worm, Spirostomum teres

The swamp worm, length up to 400 microns, is rarely encountered in the plankton of a nutrient-poor waters. It feeds on bacteria and therefore loves eutrophic waters, where he liked staying in the mud.

In Spirostomum it is not, as the name suggests falsely to worms, but relatively large ciliates, Ciliata., The entire body is covered with eyelashes that are visible on this recording quite well.

Tip: The water from flower vases you can discover one of the three types of Spirostomum often after a few days.

OT question, what are the plants you have in the tank with your old, half blind Axolotl ? (YouTube vid)

[Insect Direct]

Interesting I will have to do some reading. cheers.

Acorus variegatus - more a bog/marginal plant but does ok in cold water for a few months. I have a big clump floating, with leaves out of water, in a trough about 30cm deep outside. Can send you a little bit if you like? Otherwise go to a nursery and get a large one and divide it up. I use to get about 20-30 divisions from each plant then flick them off on tm

[aotealotl]

Acorus variegatus - Can send you a little bit if you like?

thank you for the offer, no need, I know where I can get them now I know what they are, cheers

[Insect Direct]

All good- Japanese rush is the common name.