Worms of Concern
Young anchor worms are free swimming crustaceans that bury themselves into the fish’s skin. It takes several months before the worm becomes visible in form of holes or ulcers on the fish's body. After laying eggs, the worm dies off.
Since the worm can not be removed by hand, a potassium permanganate bath for about 20 minutes should cure it (dosage 10ml/l).
Thorny Headed Worm
Visible symptoms are white or green threads on the gills. The fish often scratches on objects in the aquarium.
The thorny headed worm is similar to the anchor worm, only smaller in size. It attaches itself to the gills. The cure is also a potassium permanganate bath for 20 minutes (dosage 10ml/l).
The symptoms are mucus covered gills and/or body, red spots on the skin, fins appear eaten away, as well as rapid breathing.
Flukes are flatworms and are similar in appearance as Ick and can be better viewed with detail through a
magnifying glass. Flukes will destroy the gills and kill the fish if left untreated.
The best cure is a potassium permanganate bath for 20 minutes (dosage 10ml/l).
Threadworms are internal fish that sometimes emerge from the fish's anus. This parasitic infestation can be fatal if not treated in time. Preferred treatment is parachlorometaxylenol soaked fish food and a bath in the same for several days (dosage 10ml/ liter).
These external parasites are visible on the skin, gills and fins of the fish and are similar in appearance to Ick.
Since they attach themselves to the fish, the best method of removal is a bath in a salt solution for 20 minutes (dosage 2.5 % salt to water). During the bath, most of the leeches will simply fall off; the ones remaining can be removed with a pair of tweezers.
Copper sulfate has been used to successfully remove and control less harmful worms. Over time, copper has been found to do more damage than good concerning the overall balance of the aquarium. The side effects of copper are rarely in relation with the possible benefits.
I have heard that you can build a trap for them...i dont know if it will work or not but anything is worth a try at this point
How to build a worm trap
Next to commercially available worm traps, it is fairly easy to make one at home. All that is needed is a plastic container or jar with a lid.
Using a razor blade or sharp knife, the lid is cut in X shape. The corners are then pushed slightly inward to form an opening in the lid. The size of the opening varies, depending on the size of the creatures to be trapped.
For the trap to work properly it is important that the worms do not see the "bait" but rather smell it. The container should therefore not be transparent.
For bait, clam and shrimp meat can be used as well as any fish meat available. The bait should be prepared in a way that is small enough for the worms but just short of being mashed up totally.
The container is then placed in the area where the worms are suspected and kept there over night. Adjustments to the size of the lid opening and the bait source can be made for optimum results.