Anchor worm... how long should I wait?

[fish_gal77]

So... I had an anchor worm outbreak in my 5 gallon guppy tank - my fault for not QTing the new fish :duh:

I was treating with CopperSafe and antibiotics but the remaining 2 fish died over the weekend. My question is, how long should I wait before cleaning the tank and adding new fish? Should I completely strip the tank down and bleach it? I was planning to replace the gravel anyway but I'd rather not completely destroy the cycle in this tank if I can help it. It has a bio-wheel filter and has been well established for something like 5 years. Any experience stripping a tank but keeping the bio-wheel 'alive'? Seems like this should work if the bio-wheel is doing what it is supposed to do...

I added an additional dose of coppersafe after the fish died just to make sure all the critters die. As I understand it, the 'worms' need to find a host within a few days after hatching or they die...

I am heading on vacation for a week - should I just leave the tank empty and running until I come back then do a 100% water change? I have been adding some flakes so that there is some debris for the bacteria to feed on... would that be sufficient?

I'm thinking of going back to a betta in this tank... I've had nothing but trouble finding healthy guppies

 

[Lupin]

Fish_gal, I am sorry for the lack of responses here regarding your issues. Have you read one of the sticky threads here about the anchorworms? Could you find dimilin powder within your area?

Anchorworm (Lernaea elegans)
Description:
The crustacean Lernaea is often called "anchorworm" by aquarists as it anchors deeply in the fish skin with its branched suction organ and has an elongated body without visible limbs. At the back end, there are two sac-like outgrowths where eggs develop.

It takes the eggs between several days and and two weeks to attain maturity. Then they fall off and the larvae hatch. The mother crustacean dies and is repelled from the fish tissue after the eggs have fallen off. The larvae are also parasites and go to the gills of the fish to suck blood. As larvae, they attain sexual maturity there. After mating, the female larvae leave the fish and swim around as planktonic organisms for a short time. Then they find a host and bore their way into its skin.

Treatment:
1. Dimilin Powder
The only known method of killing this parasite, without killing the fish is DIMILIN POWDER which can be used safely at any water temperature and has an action of sterilizing the adult and larval stages of this parasite which insures that all eggs produced, after the application of Dimilin, will not hatch.

Method: Dimilin Powder at the rate of 1 gram per ton of pond water. Measure out the quantity required and mix in a plastic bucket with pond water ensuring that the powder is dissolved then add to the pond in the previous manner. A second dosage may be needed to ensure that the life cycle of the anchor worm has been halted. After this second application the dead adults, which will still be hanging from the fish, can be removed using tweezers but making sure that the hooks, as well as the tail of the anchor worm are removed and then apply a proprietary topical dressing to prevent a secondary infection.

2. Potassium Permanganate
There is another way of removing anchor worm but more care has to be taken when removing all parts of the anchor worm which is to mix a strong solution of potassium permanganate crystals of 1 gram into 25 mls of hot water. Mix well until dissolved and then dip the tweezers into this solution prior to the removal of the anchor worm, once the solution touches the body, the anchor worm releases its grip immediately and it can then be lifted clear of the fish and the water. Wipe the end of the tweezers on a clean tissue to remove all traces before attempting to remove another anchor worm.

3. Sera Cyprinopur
Follow the instructions accordingly. Use Sera Baktopur to treat the wounds of the fish after the anchor worms have been pulled out. When pulling anchor worms out of the fish, firmly grasp the tweezers near its base where it is burying to the skin and quickly pull it out.

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[fish_gal77]

Thank you Lupin. I just got back from vacation so I haven't done anything yet. The tank has now been empty for over a week... I'm thinking that if I just do a thorough clean it should be ok. I will try to locate some dimilin to have on hand in case something like this ever happens again!

 

[GEV83]

I know when I was still feeding feeder goldfish to my Managua I use to see anchor worms on some of the goldfish I ended up just pulling them off with tweezers. But yeah so you going back to owning a betta again or are you undecided?

Hope you had a good vacation.

 

[fish_gal77]

Yeah I'm pretty much decided I'm going back to a betta... my Dad has successfully kept betta's with a couple cories and sometimes other fish too - might give that a try since I can always put the others into my main tank if they don't 'get along'