Camallanus Worms - now you see them, now you don't.

[Jannika]

Thanks for asking, guys. Sorry I haven't updated this thread, but I'm happy to report even though I lost two subadult rams, everyone else including big Bo has pulled through. He has since had other issues, http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?265651-Bolivian-Ram-now-with-Hole-in-the-Head but the scourge of this parasite has been eradicated (again).

Definitely will deworm any new fish in quarantine from now on, whether they look healthy or not. May be overkill, but I'm convinced these bloodsuckers are more common than we think. Either that, or I've just been incredibly unlucky.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

 

[Flannery]

So pet stores don't carry dewormer for fish? You'd think worms would be just common enough for stores to sell them. I had a ten minute window and ran into petco to see if they had any in the fish medication today, but there wasn't anything. Then I couldn't find the right section in the store to get the dog kind. ah!!!

 

[Andrewtfw]

Petsmart carries Jungle anti parasite food. The food has levamisol in it. They also carry a pellet for feeding turtles that also contains dewormers.

Sent from my DROIDX

 

[Kaosu]

Thanks for asking, guys. Sorry I haven't updated this thread, but I'm happy to report even though I lost two subadult rams, everyone else including big Bo has pulled through. He has since had other issues, http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?265651-Bolivian-Ram-now-with-Hole-in-the-Head but the scourge of this parasite has been eradicated (again).

Definitely will deworm any new fish in quarantine from now on, whether they look healthy or not. May be overkill, but I'm convinced these bloodsuckers are more common than we think. Either that, or I've just been incredibly unlucky.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

that is awesome..

sadly some how my main 65 got them..im putting in a order at Angel plus as we speak for the two types of flakes that are medicated...my poor little maccullochi rainbows are full of them... HATE HATE HATE

they are still eating well and look fat so the food should be here by Monday...i QT everything and this worm still gets in..*sigh* the fight continues

can you tell me again how you treated yours?.

 

[oo7genie]

Glad to hear that you were able to win against the worm!

When I was researching how to get rid of them, I read that it's standard practice for many fishkeepers to give new fish a levamisole treatment just to be safe. Considering the minimal negative impact it has on freshwater fish, your plan to begin doing that sounds like a good idea. I'd recommend doing it with more than just fish too. My first case was transmitted by ghost shrimp, who can't develop the worms themselves, but can carry the parasite & transmit them to other fish.

I also wanted to note for anyone who might happen upon this thread looking for a cure, that ends up trying to find the hard to obtain Lavamisole HCL powder, the seller from the link on the first page says that as of July 15, 2012 they have it available and ready to ship again.

http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/ItemsForSale.html

 

[Jannika]

Rick, that's good to know. Kaosu, I feel for ya, I HATE these things with a passion! Glad to hear you have the food coming, that's good. I believe you still need to treat the water in order to kill the eggs, however. I'm treating another tank as we speak "just in case", and I think I've found a way to make the meds more water soluble.
Here's what I use:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110867924757?hlp=false

Here's a pic of a little water and fenbendazole:



Then I added 1/4 teaspoon of vodka to the mixture:



There's still a few grains on the bottom but not nearly as much. I poured the mixture into my tank last night and the fish are fine. I researched before I tried this, and apparently a small amount of alcohol won't harm fish, but I'll keep you posted. For your large tank I would use a full gram packet.

 

[Kaosu]

Rick, that's good to know. Kaosu, I feel for ya, I HATE these things with a passion! Glad to hear you have the food coming, that's good. I believe you still need to treat the water in order to kill the eggs, however. I'm treating another tank as we speak "just in case", and I think I've found a way to make the meds more water soluble.
Here's what I use:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110867924757?hlp=false

Here's a pic of a little water and fenbendazole:

View attachment 200166

Then I added 1/4 teaspoon of vodka to the mixture:

View attachment 200167

There's still a few grains on the bottom but not nearly as much. I poured the mixture into my tank last night and the fish are fine. I researched before I tried this, and apparently a small amount of alcohol won't harm fish, but I'll keep you posted. For your large tank I would use a full gram packet.

alright!.

keep me updated for now im going to treat with the food..until i get paid again next moth and can buy that med to treat the tank as well.

let me know how it works for you.

 

[Jumko]

Ugh. Just noticed these worms and have been trying to do some research before I have to leave for work. I think I'll try the medicated flakes at angelsplus. My angels are still pretty fat and hearty eaters, so I'm hoping they haven't been affected much, yet. Do any of you guys know what kind of shelf-life the angelsplus food has?

 

[Jumko]

After doing a little research on the internet, I found this: http://www.jefferslivestock.com/prohibit-soluble/camid/LIV/cp/A2-PI/ in case anyone is interested. $22 for 52g of levamisole hc seems like a good deal. I already bought the flakes from Angelsplus, but I'd probably pick this up in the future instead.

 

[Jannika]

Sorry to hear that, Patrick. I might just order some flakes as well if I can keep them in my freezer. Let us know how they like the flakes. At least your fish are still eating and can recover.

Here's Bo when he hit rock-bottom, literally.



Today, he's worm-free, his color is back and he's feeling chuffed.