Anchor worms in community tank with pleco and RCS

[kimmisc]

I see anchor worms on the fins of 2 fish so far, so I'm sure there are more and the tank needs to be treated. I have API General Cure on hand. The problem is there are some RCS in there including babies. There's no way I can catch all those shrimp.

Should I remove all the fish and treat them seperately? Will the anchor worms survive in the community tank with only inverts left?

This isn't my main shrimp tank. I just moved a few berried RCS into it a few weeks ago. Should I catch all the shrimp I can and risk some being left behind to endure the treatment (or die)? Will the shrimp carry the anchor worms to another tank when I move them?

 

[Lupin]

What are the ingredients of the API General Cure? I tend to forget.:headshake2: Try to catch as many shrimps as you can. If you cannot carry on, you'll have to sacrifice the remaining ones. What can kill the anchorworms can indeed kill the other invertebrates.

 

[kimmisc]

What are the ingredients of the API General Cure? I tend to forget.:headshake2: Try to catch as many shrimps as you can. If you cannot carry on, you'll have to sacrifice the remaining ones. What can kill the anchorworms can indeed kill the other invertebrates.

250mg Metronidazole and 75mg Praziquantel per packet.

Will the shrimp carry anchor worms with them?

I assume the General Cure will be okay for the pleco... it doesn't warn about it on the package. (Nor does it warn about shrimp, but I'm pretty sure it would kill them..)

 

[Lupin]

Metro and Prazi are not effective against anchorworms. Neither will the combo kill the shrimps and pleco. How about using potassium permanganate? Instructions can be seen in sticky thread in Equipments section.

Remove the anchorworms from the fish using tweezers. Remove them by their head sunk in the skin. Treat the wounds afterwards before they become infected.

 

[kimmisc]

I have some potassium permanganate I can use. I've read that it will sometimes kill plecos though. What should I do about her?

 

[kimmisc]

Oh you mean use the pp on the worms to loosen them...

What about the other worms and/or eggs in the tank?

 

[Lupin]

I have some potassium permanganate I can use. I've read that it will sometimes kill plecos though. What should I do about her?

I thought you were going to separate it as well? You should actually.

 

[kimmisc]

Was only going to seperate her if necessary because I want to make sure to get all the anchor worms and not have to sacrifice any baby shrimp again later on. Maybe if I remove her now she won't have any worms on her yet.

 

[Lupin]

She won't if you check her body thoroughly for more parasites stuck so they won't swim away in another tank where you will locate the pleco.