Camallanus worms

[Country joe]

I had a spur of the moment purchase in a fish store and purchased a male Bolivian Ram, I was looking up the fish on YouTube, where some posts said this fish can carry these worms, I have a a quarantine tank,but was not set up, the fish looked in good condition so I just put into my tank,
Is Camallanus common. And what is the best meds to get rid available in the UK?.

 

[Essjay]

It is often recommended to treat all fish for worms while in quarantine. Here in the UK look for eSHa ndx (levamisole) for round worms such as camallanus worms and eSHa gdex (praziquantel) for flat worms such as tapeworms; or NT Labs Anti Fluke and Wormer (flubendazole) which treats both types of worms but can't be used with shrimps or snails in the tank. (If you have Maidenhead Aquatics in Scotland, their AquaCare Anti Fluke and Wormer is the same as the NT Labs product)

Next time you impulse buy, get a few bunches of eloda as well and use those to instantly set up the QT. I gave up using mature media from my main tank after I did that and tested it with ammonia and it took a 6 week fishless cycle before it was ready. Now I use a lot of elodea left to float and red root floater from my main tank and I never see a trace of ammonia or nitrite during quarantine.

 

[Country joe]

Thankyou, I see Swell stock Esha Gdex, should I dose the main tank as a precaution, or wait to see any signs.

 

[GaryE]

Camallanus give their presence away by hanging out the anal vent of the fish. You will see threadlike red nematodes (they aren't technically worms) hanging out and laying eggs. I treat if I see them, which isn't often.

They are a nasty, tough, destructive parasite.

 

[Country joe]

7

Camallanus give their presence away by hanging out the anal vent of the fish. You will see threadlike red nematodes (they aren't technically worms) hanging out and laying eggs. I treat if I see them, which isn't often.

They are a nasty, tough, destructive parasite.

Yes Garry, I seen this on you tube, you have to treat tank then syphon all gravel then do a 50% water change, and repeat after 14 days., and no guarantees that it will work, one Aquarists on you tube had all his fish wiped out.

 

[GaryE]

I've had it here three or four times since I first saw it in the early 1990s. Where I live, the treatment is expensive. It seems UK fishkeepers have an excellent choice of treatments for common problems that we don't. So I look for the nematodes before I treat for them. I've also (I think) become good at spotting signs of them when I look at fish in stores. I always do a visual check for Camallanus, ich, velvet and tb when I see something of interest in a store. Prevention is always preferable.
The nematode spreads easily in crowding, like most parasites and diseases, which makes it a standard on some of the fish farms.

It bites into the intestinal wall of the fish, and while the meds are effective, the fish still sometimes die from the internal wounds it causes. A lot of inexperienced hobbyists blame the meds for killing their fish, but they are missing how the parasite feeds. The meds don't disrupt the tank much or seem to cause any observable side effects, so if you want to do a preventative dose, and have easy access to the meds, it is an option.

 

[seangee]

+1 for wait and see. Around here the fish stores treat incoming stock for worms as a matter of course. I have no idea if this is standard practice or if wholesalers do the same. I would not medicate them if its not needed, especially if there is a chance that they have recently been medicated. Recently purchased fish are aleady a lot more stressed than those that have been living in your tank for years.
I have only seen camallanus worms once and eSHa NDX dealt with it effectively with no losses.

 

[Colin_T]

Read section 3 of the following link for how to treat Camallanus worms.

What to do if your fish has Stringy White Poop.

Fish do a stringy white poop for several reasons. 1) Internal Bacterial Infections causes the fish to stop eating, swell up like a balloon, breath heavily at the surface or near a filter outlet, do stringy white poop, and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms. This cannot normally be...

www.fishforums.net

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Fresh water use Levamisole HCl powder - serious treatment for Camallanus Nematode internal parasite infestation (see paper above)

I am in the states and I buy my Levamisole HCL from Dr. Charles H Harrison. I also get fluebensazole from him. If you go here you will get a lot of good info on Camallanus and how to treat for them https://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/CamallanusTreatment/

What med you need is the what Essjay suggested above--> "Here in the UK look for eSHa ndx (levamisole) for round worms such as camallanus worms"

This is your best option if you are treating for Camallanus.

 

[Country joe]

Thanks everyone, I've sent away for aSHa next I think k I will just keep a good eye on this fish, and I won't use the medication unless I have to, I'm not keen in using medication unless there is a need.

 

[Colin_T]

It's pointless buying the stuff if your not going to use it. From a safety point deworming medications are actually very safe. Levamisole has been around for decades and is used on livestock and people in third world countries. I have even swallowed some accidentally, it doesn't taste nice but didn't make me sick. Most aquarium fish from Asian fish farms will have intestinal worms so it's a good idea to deworm all your fish while they are in quarantine. Since the fish was not quarantined I would deworm the main display tank/s. Just treat all your fish at the same time and that way you will know they are free of worms.

Common livebearers sold in shops are the most common carriers of internal worms and other fishes regularly become infected after going into tanks with them. If you have livebearers from a pet shop in your tank, they are probably infested with worms.

 

[Country joe]

It's pointless buying the stuff if your not going to use it. From a safety point deworming medications are actually very safe. Levamisole has been around for decades and is used on livestock and people in third world countries. I have even swallowed some accidentally, it doesn't taste nice but didn't make me sick. Most aquarium fish from Asian fish farms will have intestinal worms so it's a good idea to deworm all your fish while they are in quarantine. Since the fish was not quarantined I would deworm the main display tank/s. Just treat all your fish at the same time and that way you will know they are free of worms.

Common livebearers sold in shops are the most common carriers of internal worms and other fishes regularly become infected after going into tanks with them. If you have livebearers from a pet shop in your tank, they are probably infested with worms.

Thanks Collin, yes you are right, I had changed my mind, as I googled it last night,and it came up to do it, I have emailed the company for advice on using their product as a preventative, as their instructions if you have the worms, is to dose, and syphon the tank and , clean out the filter, as I've just cleaned out my filter may not have to do all this.

 

[Colin_T]

Instructions for deworming fish can be found in the link in post 8.

Treat once a week for 4 weeks so you kill any baby worms that hatch from eggs. Eggs can take a few weeks to hatch so an extended treatment is recommended.

Do a big (75-90%) water change 24-48 hours after treatment. Make sure you gravel clean the substrate and clean the filter too. This helps to remove any expelled worms and eggs that end up in the gravel or filter.

Remove carbon from filters so it doesn't remove the medication from the water.

Increase aeration / surface turbulence when using any medication so you keep oxygen levels high.

 

[Country joe]

Thanks Collin, should have the medication in a few days, as I gave the filter a monthly clean yesterday, would given it another clean effect so soon, effect the filter, and sorry to ask you as many questions if you treat once a week for 4 weeks, do you think you would only clean the filter the once.

 

[Colin_T]

As long as the filter media/ materials are rinsed in a container of aquarium water, they will be fine and you can do them once a week without any issues.