[double3fd]

Hi, i have a 55g tank. i had a puffer fish, not sure the exact name, but it lived for about a month and a half. by the time i found it dead, i estimate it was dead for about 12 hours. when i took the fish out, there was two white things on it. the best way to describe it is like this: they were about half the size of a dime. they were white, with several leggs, and it looked like they were eating the flesh of the puffer. i never seen them in my tank. i have severarl other fish who apear to be normal. i have no idea how those "bugs" got in the tank. it might be a parasite but i have no idea. can someone identify and explain how it got in my tank, and are my other fish engangered??!! plase help thank you, louis....

[leebca]

WELCOME TO REEFLAND!

Without photos and more information it is hard to say what they are. However, if your system has live rock, they could be bristle worms or other worms or hitchhikers from the rock, that feed off dead and decaying matter. In other words, they may not be parasites, but they could be things that eat the dead.

A true parasite usually lives off a living organism (fish) since it needs the organism's circulation (blood) to supply it with nutrients. When the fish dies, most parasites will either die or try to find another host (that is living).

Things that eat the dead usually don't bother the living. Your other fishes should be relatively safe. Still, I cannot make a positive identification from the information provided. Keep alert and watch things carefully.

[double3fd]

i feel better now, cause i just bought a bunch of new live rock about two days before the fish died. thanks for your time!