One thing after another!

tetramoon13

tetramoon13

AC Members
Jun 14, 2006
280
0
0
54
Milton, NH
An issue here....sorry if this is a long post!

Just realized tonight I have planaria issues (I think), there seems to be quite a bit of the stuff near and on the substrate, some on the glass, some of them seem to swim as well. These things are no bigger than 1mm, maybe less, and they quickly move in a "inching" sort of way. I have read the best way to deal with this is through water changes and gravel vacuuming, but most of the substrate surface is planted, so has accumulated a fair amount of waste in the time I have set it up. I have been doing 30% w/c twice weekly. If I do daily water changes, should I not even worry about dosing ferts until the problem is under control? I am pretty sure these things arrived on the plants.
Should I remove all the plants so I can do a thorough vacuuming? I have been doing my best to remove uneaten food, and suck up whatever junk I can with a turkey baster. I am diligent about removing decaying plant matter, as well.

tank specs are: 10 gal. moderately planted,
inhabitants are 5 neons (one in QT), 2 platies (one in QT), 2 otos and 1 ADF (who is getting his own tank if the cycle ever is completed!)

water parameters are:
ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 7, pH 7.6, KH 5, GH 9. temp 78.
 
Last edited:
While doing a water change tonight, I noticed the tank has worms as well. the worms vary in length from 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch. I think one (or both) of the otos is infected, he had a long white poop earlier, I was just hoping it was the broccoli he munched on yesterday. When I was siphoning the water, I noticed a huge amount of waste, and a bunch of the icky things as the water was coming up into the tube. I think it would be wise to remove all the plants and vac the heck out of the substrate, and start fresh. What should I do about medicating the fish?
 
I just looked at the other thread about internal parasites a few topics down, and what my tank has is nematodes, apparently. A suggested treatment from on of the links from that thread is:

Short of destroying the fish, which is easier, two treatments have been suggested. First treatment; soak the food in parachlorometaxylenol and give the fish a bath or treat the aquarium with 10 ml per liter. The bath should last for several days. Second treatment; find special food containing thiabendazole as a nematode (threadworm) cure and hope the fish will eat it.
Click to expand...

Has anyone heard of this? My QT tank is already being used....I can just get a big rubbermaid container, I suppose.

Is this something that can infect a person?
 
Last edited:
are the worms swimming spastically in S-shapes? If so, those are nematodes. Nematodes are also tapered at the ends (pointy ends). These can be parasitic, but some are free-living. Are you sure it's coming out of the oto's behind?

Planaria are rounded at the ends, and they move by inching along (like you described). Those are generally harmless and can be controlled by frequent water changes and gravel vacuuming. They thrive on excess food and waste in your tank.

The same treatment above (no meds needed) would also work on free-living nematodes.

I don't think you need to worry about fish parasites infecting you. Parasites are very host-specific, especially the internal ones.
 
thanks for responding! I didn't think anyone was still awake!

My tank, it seems, has both of these ailments. the tiny, inching along things, and the nematodes, which are long and threadlike, and squirm in an "S" fashion.
I found this link all about nematodes and treatment. I am worried about killing my fish, and my ADF. I have neons, platies, and otos. There was definitely a threadlike poo coming from the oto. All of the fishes' behavior has seemed normal......Very frustrating!!!

http://www.thekrib.com/Diseases/nematodes.html

I didn't realize anything was wrong until the things are practically taking over!
I'm gonna have to remove the plants and vac everything really well. Oh, and should I throw out the plants....or treat them with potassium permanganate?
UUghhhhhh!!!!
 
Last edited:
This drug will not affect your biological filter, nor the snails or anything
else. It is very specific in that it is a broad-spectrum anti-helminthic.
It is actually safer to use than any other anti-helminthic on the market.
You can overdose by 400% and your fish won't die. (tried it) Even the
literature re: human overdoses indicates that death has been very rare and
only when it was consumed in absolutely extraordinary quantities. (My CPS
is at work, but I read up on it. and can't remember the exact mg/kg dose)

In addition, this drug will actually assist the immune function of your
fish. So, it's A-one.

G. Kadar
Click to expand...

This is a quote from the above posted link, regarding the use of nematode treatment. So if I can find the stuff....I will probably try it.
 
oh, boy, it sounds like you've got quite a handful to deal with! An anti-parasite med that you add to the water would kill both planaria and nematodes, but can be harsh on your fish (as it is a chemical) and especially your frog since he doesn't have scales to protect him. If it also contains an antibiotic, it'll probably wreak havoc on your biological filter.

I think if you're sure it's an internal parasite, medicated food seems to work better, as you're delivering it straight to the problem. But since I've never dealt with parasites other than ich, I can't recommend a treatment with certainty.

By tomorrow, hopefully somebody with parasite-eradication experience can recommend the best course of action. It does sound like you have multiple infestations happening.

Maybe for tonight, if you can, try to do a water change with gravel vacuuming to remove as much of the critters in the gravel as possible. This is something that I know for sure is safe, and will help reduce the infestation in the gravel.

I'm sorry all this is happening to your tank at once!
 
oh, just saw your last post. "Anti-helminthic" means it works against worms. So I hope it won't hurt your good bacteria. It's always hard to say, because your biological filter is a living thing, so it can be hurt by a chemical same as you or me or your fish. Anytime you change anything drastic (including adding meds), you have to monitor your water quality carefully, though, and be prepared to do water changes. This is in case your biological filer gets disrupted, and to help prevent stressing your fish out (thru exposure to ammonia/nitrite) anymore than the treatment itself.

Also, it might not be very effective against the internal worms because your fish's bodies will protect them from the meds in the water. That's why I think medicated food will be the best way to deal with internal worms.

It's late at night, I'd say just do a water change if you feel up to it. Wait until someone can give you more definitive advise tomorrow morning. You probably wouldn't be able to buy that medicine tonight, anyway :)
 
all the antiparasite treatments I have seen are generally specific to the parasite whether it is nematode or trematode.

none of the treatments readily available will harm the biological filter(bacteria) the treaments are not anti bacterial treatments.

the problem with parasitic nematodes and trematodes is that they can infest a tank. some of the parasites use secondary host in their life cycle.(worms are a common host) I believe that when treating for internal parasites you should treat the whole tank. more than one treeatment may be necessary since the parasite may have infected possible hosts other than the fish.

you should vac heavily after treatment to remove parasites that have sluffed off.
be prepared to retreat the tank in 3-4 weeks as the parasite may reappear.

there are some meds that will kill the eggs..most will not(hence repeated treatments.)

one reason I do not like to introduce live foods ..live foods may carry parasites. tubifex worms can be a secondary host to some parasitic nematodes.

in general..many fish we get may carry some parasites but they are healthy enough to keep the parasites at bay. stress can weaken a fish and allow parasites to get the uppper hand. the best delivery method of treatment is through treated food..if the fish is not eating(typical of infected fish)if the fish is taking the food in but spittong it out it will still pick up some of the meds.
treatment can also be administered to the water and absorbed through the gills.
not as effectie but it still works.
common treatment include
metronidazole(metro)
Praziquantel(prazi)
Levamisole(pig wormer)

jungle parasite clear has prazi and metro
jungle anit parasite food has prazi, metro and levamisole.

there are other meds available but these can be difficult to get ..
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom