Horrid Guppy Parasite

[RIPSunny]

Hi, I couldn't post this in "emergencies" so feel free to move this thread where applicable. Somehow, my guppies got a parasite... I realized this too late, as I thought the white marks were Ick and treated them with that. Now, too late, I realize that they had parasites. I got medicine for parasites... and that killed them, but it appears that when the medicine worked, the worms tried to escape the fish, and the damage they caused killed the fish. Interestingly, this did not affect one of two "normal" female guppies, nor a male fancy guppy, but it killed 5 fancy females.

The parasites looked like bubbles while in the fish, super close observation showed little "C"s in them- the curled up parasite. =(

I may be able to procure pics of what I'm talking about... not sure, some of them didn't turn out. But I'd love to know what those horrible things were!
I had been selectively breeding for purple fancy guppies, and trying to get new ones and getting separate tanks so that there was no inbreeding... and now this.

 

[SuperColey1]

Worms are a horrid type of parasite in fish and quite often can become immune to the medicines that we use for them. They also can do damage before they are even visible. Add to this that our UK Nanny State government has made all drugs that are of use to worm fish prescription by vet only and we have a problem.

First step I use is Waterlife Sterazin which I dose at 1.25 x the recommended dose

Then if this doesn't work I get around the Nanny State problem by using Panacur 2.5% (liquid/oral) dog wormer. I then take 100ml of tank water and add the food to be added to the water and then add 3ml of the Panacur to the mix. Let it soak for 15 mins and then add it. If the worms are too strong for this (with Cammallaneus worms they can often resist anything) you can up the dose to 6ml. Both cases run for 24 hours and then put the carbon in your filter to remove.

Again if it doesn't work then you need to go to the vet, describe the problem and beg him to prescribe some Levisimole which you would then add 20ml per 100 Ltrs. This is very powerful and you may have a death or 2 with weaker fish and the whole tank will be sluggish and lethargic afterwards.

After 24 hours get some carbon in the filter and run it for another 24 hours to remove the meds. Watch the fish recover and then 2 weeks later repeat the medication to kill off any remnants.

There is no point seperating fish to a quarantine tank for medicating when worms are involved. By the time the worms are visible in one fish you can bet that the whole tank has them at some stage so best to medicate the whole of your tank. The substrate/decor will also have eggs or worms awaiting hosts on them.

The much suggested quarantine tank for new additions is also useless against the cammalaneusworm because it can take 6-8 weeks before even showing itself.

This is Bolivian Ram in the latter stages of Cammallanus Worm infestation after they had resisted the Sterazin. 2 days after this pic he was on the bottom looking very sorry for himself.

Andy

 

[Mikaila31]

I recently lost over $50 worth of fish to cammallaneus over a couple months time. Took me forever to figure out what was going on. I saw no symptoms until I left a dead fish in a cup for an hour, I was planning on examining it very closely to see if I could find out what was killing them. When I came back it had a ton of red worms sticking out of it. I knew exactly what it was and was quite angery about it. Luckly in the US you can buy Levisimole from most farm supply stores, its meant to be put in the drinking water of pigs and sheep, but it works for fish too. The dosage I use is .09g/10gal you also need to do a very large water change afterwards and clean to tank very well. Levisimole works by paralizing the parasites and allowing them to be expelled from the host. cleaning the tank effectivly removes them, the med won't kill them once its gone the parasites will no longer be effected by it.