Treating acara and tetras with levamisole for roundworms, when can I rehome them?

[OliveFish05]

Hello. I am treating my electric blue acara and now 10 bloodfin tetras with levamisole to treat their roundworms. First dose was two weeks ago, second dose was yesterday. The acara is just too aggressive with the tetras, so my LFS said they’d take him and offer store credit if he is healthy. I decided I wanted to go somewhere else with this tank, so they’ll take the tetras too. My questions

- when can I take them to the LFS without worrying about them taking worms with them?
- All of the articles I read said to do two doses, and a third if you want to be cautious. Is it alright to take them without the third dose?
- How many days after treating should I wait to take them?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Are there not dosing instructions with the medication?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

USE: Very effective treatment for Camallanus and Capillaria roundworm (nematode) infestations in freshwater tropical fish. Levamisole HCL is safe to use in aquaria and effective against many internal parasites, especially nematodes, when used in appropriate dosages. It does not harm the bio-filter, plants, invertebrates or uninfected fish. As an added benefit, it also boosts the immune system of fish. Nematodes such as Capillaria, Eustronggylides, Camallanus, and Contracaecum are common among many fish species. Levamisole HCl is highly effective as a treatment against these nematode species, but does not work for tapeworms, flatworms or flukes. Quarantine tank treatment with Levamisole HCl prior to placing new wild caught fish into an established community tank is advised. This will both eliminate parasites (those affected by Levamisole HCl) and boost the immune system of your fish helping them to keep at bay any secondary infections as a result of parasitic damage.

DOSAGE:You simply mix one of the 5g packets of Levamisole HCl powder with 10 fluid ounces of water (1 1/4 cups) until it is well dissolved. One fluid ounce or two tablespoons of the mixed solution should be used for every 10 gallons of tank water. You can store any unused stock solution in a glass container with a plastic lid (don't use a metal lid) for up to 3 months in your refrigerator, but make sure it is properly labeled and not accessible to children.

DIRECTIONS: You should do a massive water change BEFORE you add the medication. Leave the medication in the tank for 3 days (72 hours), then do another massive water change. Massive water change means as close to 100% as possible. Your gravel (if you have any) should also be vacuumed to remove any dead worms. The dead, decaying worms can easily pollute your tank water, so the water changes are really important. There is no need to completely break down the tank and destroy any beneficial bacteria. You MUST repeat the treatment in 3 weeks, as any leftover dead worms may still have eggs that can reinfect your tank. You should feed your fish with high quality food (ex. frozen/live) during treatment as you want them to eat a lot of food to push out any dead worms from their gut. You need to observe your fish carefully for a few days after treatment. It is possible they may still have some dead worms inside of them that will start decaying and could cause a bacterial infection. Bloated bellies or the fish not eating may be an indication of this problem. Large fish seem to have an easier time expelling the dead worms. Be prepared to treat with antibiotics if necessary. Any dead fish should not be flushed down the toilet as you may be spreading the worms into the water system. Wrap the fish in newspaper and allow to completely dry before disposal. This medication is safe for plants and snails/invertebrates. Please keep this medication out of the reach of children. The Levamisole powder has a shelf life of ~2 years if kept in a cool dry environment and tightly sealed. *** 20 Grams will treat 400 gallons in an effective solution of 13 parts per million (0.013g/ml). Turn off UV or Ozone generators when using this medication. Remove activated carbon from your filter during treatment. Aquarium lights should be turned off during treatment. The pH and temperature of the tank water is not a factor for effective treatment. This product is not for use on fish livestock destined for human consumption. Keep in a cool and dry location out of the reach of children. ***

source: http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?medications&1521433215

 

[OliveFish05]

Are there not dosing instructions with the medication?

These were the instructions on the website I purchased my Levamisole from

Treatment Plan: Dose 90mg/10 gallons or 1/4 teaspoon per 100 gallons. In 24 hours do a 75-100% water change with deep gravel vacs. Repeat for a second treatment. Then repeat both in 3 weeks. May need a 3rd round as well to break the parasite reproductive cycle. Keep lights off during treatment as this medication is light sensitive.

And on the paper that came with it, it said to adjust the timing between doses depending on the worms you are treating's lifecycle. Everything I can find suggests roundworm eggs hatch in about two weeks, so I planned to do 3 treatments, each two weeks apart. There are many other suggested dosing things out there, some say treat once every week for 4 treatments, others say every three weeks for two treatments, and then others say it depends on the worm.

 

[Colin_T]

I recommend treating fish for intestinal worms once a week for 3-4 weeks.
Once a week for 3 weeks is usually sufficient for tropical aquariums due to the warmer water helping speed up the lifecycle of the parasitic worms.

Once a week for 4 weeks is more for cold water fishes due to the colder water slowing the growth rate of the parasitic worms.

You can get rid of the fish 24 hours after the second treatment if you treat them once every 2 weeks. Or you can get rid of the fish after the third treatment if you are treating them once a week.

 

[OliveFish05]

I recommend treating fish for intestinal worms once a week for 3-4 weeks.
Once a week for 3 weeks is usually sufficient for tropical aquariums due to the warmer water helping speed up the lifecycle of the parasitic worms.

Once a week for 4 weeks is more for cold water fishes due to the colder water slowing the growth rate of the parasitic worms.

You can get rid of the fish 24 hours after the second treatment if you treat them once every 2 weeks. Or you can get rid of the fish after the third treatment if you are treating them once a week.

Ok, so I could take them today then, I'm 24 hours out from my second treatment in less than 2 hours.

 

[OliveFish05]

Part of the reason I did 2 weeks between treatments was because my aunt was pet sitting for us, and she does not have the experience needed to dose the tank and do the water changes before and after.

I am anxious to get them gone, I am pretty certain he killed the tetra last night. It had all its gorgeous red coloration still, if it had been dying rather than killed I would've expected it to lose it's color. Plus he was half eaten...