Shrimp surgery: removing a parasitic isopod

[DaJMasta]

I got a couple of shrimp today and noticed in the bag that one of them had a big bump on the side that looked like a color scheme match for the shrimp itself.  I ended up buying it anyways with the hope to treat it, though it's not something I had done before.

 

Looking under some magnification, you can tell that the bump is actually in the exoskeleton of the shrimp, and the parasite is under it, and thanks to the magic of the internet, there's a great short youtube video on the basics of removing such a parasite:

 

I bent over a pin to make a tool like pictured in the video, but it seemed a fair bit too thick for such a small shrimp as the white spot anemone shrimp I was working with, so I ended up using a needle threader instead.

 

I didn't have a good way to hold it down, so it took several attempts to slide the parasite out, it was probably uncomfortable for the poor thing and it took probably close to two minutes.  I had to be especially careful to go in behind (overtop) of the legs to make sure I didn't catch on them when sliding it out from under the shell.  But I managed to do it, and the shrimp seemed scared, tired, and with a new air bubble, but seemed to be ok:

 

I put it in the tank next to an anemone and let it settle in.  Meanwhile, I took a look at what came out from under there....

 

Nasty.  Also I think those are eggs.  They seemed to come off of it in a mass, so hopefully only after it was moved, but there's a decent chance there's still some eggs under there.  Luckily, it seems like their life cycle includes a couple free swimming larval stages, so while I will have to keep an eye on my shrimp in the future, I'm hoping the fish and pumps in the same system can pick the stragglers off before they can latch onto something else.

 

 

After a few hours in the tank, the shrimp seems to be acting normal again - the bump will go away with the next molt, and while I will have to keep an eye on it, I'm hoping for a full recovery!

[howaboutme]

Another amazing thread. Thanks for your contributions to wamas. You certainly own some of the most interesting and informative recent posts. Keep up the good work!

[lowsingle]

Really nice work, that is the first time I have seen someone remove an isopod from a shrimp….thanks for sharing 

 

Darren

 

[DaJMasta]

No problem, when I found out how potentially simple the solution could be I wanted to spread the word.  It seems like different species of these isopods can latch on to most kinds of shrimp and crabs, and that they're not so uncommon to see in the hobby, so hopefully people will better be able to identify and treat their little critters so they can live better lives in their tanks.

These isopods live by literally sucking the blood of their host (I say literally, but I don't believe it's technically blood), and that while on their own they generally won't kill the host, they have been described as effectively sterilizing the host, since they demand enough nutrition from the shrimp for gamete production not really to be viable.

[DaJMasta]

Did the same basic procedure on another shrimp, this time an Urocaridella antonbruunii, and got it on video.  He's doing well!

 

[lowsingle]

Thanks for sharing 

 

Darren