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

[Jannika]

He's alone in the tank. I had one platy in there that died a while back, and another tank with sub-adult Bolivians and platies that was infected as well. Two deaths in that one, but it's been worm-free since, as far as I know. I'm going to treat them again just in case. Good luck to you too!

 

[Jannika]

It may be too little too late, but this bout has really advanced quickly. Just days ago he appeared to be healthy with no signs of worms. Today he will barely move, won't eat, and is rapidly losing weight.





I don't know how he can pass that mess, but he's amazed me before.

 

[Kaosu]

...keep trying, cant hurt at this point..dose and re dose him..hope he pulls threw!

 

[Kaosu]

5 days with out seeing worms in the tank! and i seen my male danio poop a solid brown poop today!!!! :nilly:

I have been alternating between two types of food from Angels+ both the levamisole flakes and the flubendazole flakes..they get fed only those two types of food every day...one type one day one type the other.( sens i got the food almost a month agoe..took a bit to get them on the food)

down side is the food has killed all my MTS snails been doing bit water changes as they have all surfaced and died.


I wanted to put in that when i first started seeing the worms i started power feeding my fish..as much as they could eat of any food as many times a day in hopes to not lose any to loss of apatite..seems to work, all losses so far have been for most other reasons.

1 maccullochi rainvow..but i found her floating on top of some surface plants..so she might of jumped and could not get back in the water..she had worm coming out of her.

1 Madagascar rainbow to wasting and now apatite (this is when i started power feeding everyone..few weeks before i got the flakes)

lost a few other fish in the tank but it was due to other reasons.

 

[Jannika]

Yeah, they'll often succumb to bacterial infection from intestinal damage afterwards, so glad to hear yours is healthy! I thought Bo was a goner for the last day or so, he hid behind a plant facing the back and was unresponsive. Today he swam toward me, even though it's a struggle, and took a little food. Here's a pic of the worms I found in a book.

 

[Jannika]

Good news and bad news - Bo is up off the bottom, eating, and the worms look dead and colorless!



The bad news is it looks like he's got a prolapsed intestine. I've seen these pop back in though. Now I have to watch for infection, and and I see another white pimple on his face which means his hole-in-the-head is acting up again, probably from the stress.

 

[Kaosu]

oh no poor guy , He really is lucky to have such a dedicated owner!

if it is a prolapse It does not look so bad..maybe just from the swelling of so much worms..and they do indeed look dead!

sens I have been treating Iv been tending to over feed and over clean my tank at this point..Im so afraid of them stopping eating that i just gut load them every time they get fed...seems to be working ..almost a week with no sign of worms for me..keeping my fingers crossed and continuing to feed the medicated food. Im probably going to dose with the dog dewormer again next month just to be 100% sure.


keep up the good work with him!

 

[Jannika]

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, Kaosu. I'm particularly fond of this fish, he's been through a lot and is a fighter. I guess he's pretty old for a ram too.

My plan was to power feed him, as you say, nothing but good high protein food this week to get his strength back, but he's not eating much and looks a little gray. Never been a fan of adding antibiotics to the water, but now have no choice. Kanaplex is supposedly readily absorbed by the fish in water, so I'm trying that.

 

[ManEatingShrimp]

So is it better to treat the water or to feed medicated flakes to the fish? I want to add some new fish to my community tank but plan to quarantine and treat them for worms first. Also will these medications treat for all worms and parasites or just camallanus worms?

 

[Jannika]

The fenbendazole is a broad spectrum anthelminthic that targets parasitic worms (and apparently snails) but is relatively safe for fish. I think you'll need to treat both the water and the feed to be thorough. You can buy medicated flakes separately, or just use some of the powder to make your own feed. The Safeguard 4 is available at most pet stores (in the dog section) and on Amazon. Costs about $7-10 for 3 packets (of 1 gram ea.) which should be more than enough unless treating big tanks.

Here's what I plan for all new fish in quarantine (10-20 gallon tank).

Day one: Dissolve 1/2 packet in a little water.
Soak bloodworms in the meds and pour in entire contents.

For pellets:
Dissolve remaining half in 3 tablespoons water with a little garlic oil.
Add 2 tablespoons pellets, mix thoroughly, and let air dry for a day or two. Any leftovers can be frozen.

After 4-5 days, vacuum and water change. Repeat treatment in two weeks time.