Treating Camallanus

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OisteinHH

Registered Member
Jul 6, 2013
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I have discovered a Camallanus infection in my planted community tanks, and would like to treat the tanks without harming my well established populations of cherry shrimps. However, the medications for Camallanus that are available where I live do harm invertebrates including shrimps.

My questions: First, is there a safe way to transfer shrimps (and snails) between tanks without also transferring the Camallanus parasite? Alternatively, if the fish is transferred to a quarantine tank and treated there, and the community tank is kept untreated and without fish, how long must I wait to be certain that the Camallanus worms in the community tank have died out? Months or years? Is it at all possible to get rid of Camallanus in a tank by removing the fish and waiting?
 

constevens

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Sep 7, 2011
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Conway
I have discovered a Camallanus infection in my planted community tanks, and would like to treat the tanks without harming my well established populations of cherry shrimps. However, the medications for Camallanus that are available where I live do harm invertebrates including shrimps.

My questions: First, is there a safe way to transfer shrimps (and snails) between tanks without also transferring the Camallanus parasite? Alternatively, if the fish is transferred to a quarantine tank and treated there, and the community tank is kept untreated and without fish, how long must I wait to be certain that the Camallanus worms in the community tank have died out? Months or years? Is it at all possible to get rid of Camallanus in a tank by removing the fish and waiting?
You can cross contaminate any tank with as little as a drop of water from the known contaminated tank. They can be especially cross contaminated by snail's and some other inverts. Just dipping a net from one tank to the other is enough.

You could treat the main tank and all in it with Levamisole. Remove all your shrimp and snails.


Its a 48 hour treatment. First do a huge water change. Be sure to vacuum substrate very well. You will need to remove all carbon. Treat some of the food you feed to your fish with garlic and the Levamisole. Do this by soaking food in a solution of water and the medication with smashed garlic dump it into the tank. Be sure to turn all the lights off and make the tank very dark by covering it if needed. The medication is effected by light. Treat the tank for 48 hours. Do water change and repeat in the 1 week do this 3 times.

If they persist you may need to treat fish in a hospital tank and add Epsom salt along with medication.

Sometimes the parasite can be resistant to various meds. But this is the one I would start with. You may have to see your vet to get it. Or i've had luck online through ebay for Levamisole. One issue is that some

As far as how long can the tank go without fish before the parasite dies off? Indefinitly as the life cycle of this parasite does not need a fish only coppeopods.

Here's a great article I've read on the parasite and treatment.

Hope this helps

http://www.zebrapleco.com/articles/4_treatment_camallanus_worms.php

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OisteinHH

Registered Member
Jul 6, 2013
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Thanks for the advice. So if I understand you right, wherever I put the shrimps and snails and whatever precautions I take, there will be a risk of Camallanus-infection if I later add fish?
 

Rbishop

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Dec 30, 2005
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For me, the choice is simple...nuke the whole tank and all species in it.....
 

authmal

Pseudonovice
Aug 4, 2011
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Yeesh. Sounds like quarantine before introducing new fish is a good idea to avoid this plague. :jaw-dropping::thud:
 
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