Intestinal Worm Problem

[community begginer]

hay all.

i have just spotted 2 intestinal worms in my oscar tank and am wondering what i could do for treatment.
they are about 5mm long and white in colour.

i have added salt into the tank but was thinking of anything else i could do.

i also have a gold spotted pleco in there with my oscar so i want to be sure that it wont effect him in a bad way.

 

[Colin_T]

Tapeworms can be treated with Praziquantel. Use 100mg of Praziquantel per 20litres of tank water. Do a 50% water change 24 hours later. Repeat treatment and water change a week later.

For threadworms it depends on which country you are in as to what you can use.

 

[community begginer]

Tapeworms can be treated with Praziquantel. Use 100mg of Praziquantel per 20litres of tank water. Do a 50% water change 24 hours later. Repeat treatment and water change a week later.

For threadworms it depends on which country you are in as to what you can use.

hi there colin.
what is praziquantel and where would i find it?
regards,
rob

im in australia just so you know (melbourne)

 

[Colin_T]

Praziquantel is a tapewormer for dogs and cats but is now being used to treat fish for gill flukes and tapeworm infections. Any petshop should sell it in their pet section, likewise vets carry it. Look around the local fish section and see if you can find "Fluke & Tapeworms Tablets" by Aqua Master. There are probably other companies that do their own brand. Check the ingrediants for Praziquantel.

NB: don't use anything with Trichlorphon, Dipterex or Masoten in. They are the same thing but don't do squat these days except kill catfish and loaches.

In Australia you can get Nilverm (Levamisole Hydrochloride) that can be used to treat threadworms. Stock feeders or vets should be able to get you Nilverm. It comes in different concentrations, the strongest one is for cattle, then sheep and the weakest solution is for chooks. Depending on which one you get will determine the dose used.

Regarding the two worms you saw in the oscar, what did they look like?

 

[community begginer]

ok no worries thanx colin.

the two worms i saw werent in my oscar but were swimming in the water like a snake does.
they are white and slim and about 5mm long. think of a peice of thread swimming in the water.
thats what they look like.

would pimafix do anything?

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Might I add, there is a medication out called Prazipro, which has prazi as the active ingredient.

 

[Colin_T]

the white worms swimming around the tank are not internal parasitic fish worms. They usually occur in tanks that get fed lots of protien based foods (meat) and don't get enough gravel cleans and water changes. They are harmless to the fish but are an indication the tank is not in perfect condition.

There is no need to treat these worms with any medication.

Try doing a daily 50% water change and gravel clean as much of the tank as you can during that process. Do this for a week and then do water changes at least once a week thereafter. Make sure you gravel clean the tank each time you do a water change. And make sure any new water going into the tank is free of chlorine and has a similar temperature and PH to the tank water.
You might also want to clean the filter if it is an external or internal power filter. Make sure you only clean the filter media in a bucket of tank water. Don't wash it under tap water. However, the filter case and any hoses can be washed under tap water.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Oh, how silly of me!


Yes, Colin is right, all it is, is Planaria. Harmless little creatures.


If you don't have any inverts or bottom feeders, keep adding salt, and add a little bit of copper medication.



Also, as Colin said, keep doing water changes as this is the best method to getting rid of them!