Camallanus Parasite Help

[Westwood]

Hi all, I have recently had a outbreak of Cammallanus worms. I have been searching the internet vigorously. I'm am sure this parasite is what I have in my tank. During my searches I found a few cures, i heard about feeding garlic, which I have done just to try. I also read about levamisole hydrochloride but i have no idea where to source it from? from what i can see only my apisto have visible signs but most likely whole tank is infected.


Tank size:
All parameaters are fine as they have for the last few years.
tank temp: 28

Fish Symptoms : Fish eat fine and look fine, but have read "spikes" hanging from their anus

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 30% each week (now i have spotted this parasite 10% every other day aswell)

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: None

Tank inhabitants: Angelfish, apisto, tetra

Recent additions to your tank : None.

Exposure to chemicals: None

Not my image
Digital photo :

So does anyone have any remedies?
Anyone know where to source levamisole hydrochloride?
or any other information?

Thanks greatly!

I just hope I can save my fish.

 

[Fyurae]

My friend's guppies got them. The solution she got was to go and get an agricultural wormer. It was for pigs. I don't know anything more specific than that. She got it from a local feed store after she figured out what she needed. It worked well as far as I know.

 

[fluttermoth]

There's a cage bird wormer that contains levamisole too.

 

[Westwood]

Thanks for the help!
I have looked in a few local pet stores and I have found nothing. I found a few wormer for dogs but it didn't have the levamisole in it?
Could anyone give a specific product name so i can get it online?

Thanks greatly for your help

 

[squeeky_jane]

I had this problem and successfully got rid of the worm using Beaphar bird wormer (birdwormer) in the UK after trying every fish wormer possible at the time. You need to buy a lot of it the bird wormer as is only 0.1% levamisole hydrochloride and to treat your fish you need 1.5ml per 7.5ltr =7.5% levamisole hydrochloride solution.

This means in each bottle has 1ml per liter an it is light sensitive.I got rid of all my gravel, and plants to get rid of any free swimming parasites, boiled any rocks, soaked their food in the bird wormer, along with bathing the fish in the bird wormer(in toatal darkness) for a few weeks as I research that fish thrive in levamisole hydrochloride. I would also remove any carbon filters or other mediums that will remove the chemical until after treatment.

You might also have luck with a vet as I have heard of success stories that way. My vet wasn't very helpful and didn't understand that you have to treat the whole tank, hence why I used the bird wormer. Just remember to protect levamisole hydrochlorid from the light or it will not work and soak their food in the wormer to ensure they digest it!

Hope this helps
Jane x

PS the worm is livebearer and the levamisole hydrochloride does not kill the worm but paralyses it. Hence the repeated treatment for a few weeks! I now treat any new fish with this bird wormer as I knew something was wrong with my fish health and it took 3 month for the worm to show it's self.

 

[Westwood]

Hi,
Thanks for your help this is exactly the type of information I was looking for!
I think I have done this right,I have a 60l tank so I need about 12 bottles?
Also during the treatment did you water change as normal or increase or decrease?

Thanks so much for your help

 

[squeeky_jane]

Hi,
Thanks for your help this is exactly the type of information I was looking for!
I think I have done this right,I have a 60l tank so I need about 12 bottles?
Also during the treatment did you water change as normal or increase or decrease?

Thanks so much for your help

Sound about right, I yeah I changed the water as normal, I would start treatment just after a water change though and one other good thing about this bird wormer....it has no other chemicals just levamisole hydrochloride and water!

 

[betta fish]

Another good treatment is Harkers harka-verm sold for birds, this is also Levamisole but a stronger dose at 8% so you will be using less, I have worked it out at 1.25ml per 30litres or 1.9ml per 60l I added it via syringe to my dwarf puffer and khuli 60l tank just after a water change and then waited a week before doing another water change, try to keep the lights off in the tank, sometimes it also helps to redose after 10 days incase there are stragglers. Oh and forgot to add that the bottle contains 100ml so you should have plenty to go around costs around £10.

 

[Westwood]

Ok I shall order a few bottles now and get this problem sorted!

Thanks again!

 

[squeeky_jane]

Another good treatment is Harkers harka-verm sold for birds, this is also Levamisole but a stronger dose at 8% so you will be using less, I have worked it out at 1.25ml per 30litres or 1.9ml per 60l I added it via syringe to my dwarf puffer and khuli 60l tank just after a water change and then waited a week before doing another water change, try to keep the lights off in the tank, sometimes it also helps to redose after 10 days incase there are stragglers. Oh and forgot to add that the bottle contains 100ml so you should have plenty to go around costs around £10.

I wish I found this bird wormer first

 

[Westwood]

Another good treatment is Harkers harka-verm sold for birds, this is also Levamisole but a stronger dose at 8% so you will be using less, I have worked it out at 1.25ml per 30litres or 1.9ml per 60l I added it via syringe to my dwarf puffer and khuli 60l tank just after a water change and then waited a week before doing another water change, try to keep the lights off in the tank, sometimes it also helps to redose after 10 days incase there are stragglers. Oh and forgot to add that the bottle contains 100ml so you should have plenty to go around costs around £10.

That seems a cheaper alternative, as I will only need the 1 bottle.
And out of that one bottle i only need to use 1.9ml of solution or levamisole hydrochloride?

Sorry for the questions, just dont want to mess up!

 

[betta fish]

Yep that's all you need, keep an eye on the fish during treatment and make sure you do a thorough gravel vac on the next water change usually in a week to pick up any parasites, the fish should then be treated but if you don't think they are all gone you can wait a few more days and add another dose, I only treated my tank as a precaution as had lost a couple of Khulis that had become skinny.

 

[Westwood]

Great!
Thanks for your help

 

[squeeky_jane]

Another good treatment is Harkers harka-verm sold for birds, this is also Levamisole but a stronger dose at 8% so you will be using less, I have worked it out at 1.25ml per 30litres or 1.9ml per 60l I added it via syringe to my dwarf puffer and khuli 60l tank just after a water change and then waited a week before doing another water change, try to keep the lights off in the tank, sometimes it also helps to redose after 10 days incase there are stragglers. Oh and forgot to add that the bottle contains 100ml so you should have plenty to go around costs around £10.

That seems a cheaper alternative, as I will only need the 1 bottle.
And out of that one bottle i only need to use 1.9ml of solution or levamisole hydrochloride?

Sorry for the questions, just dont want to mess up!

Don't be sorry, I remember going through the same thing and I'm glad I can share my experience with you to help!

 

[betta fish]

Yes don't be sorry! Just found this excellent article that may also be some use to you, they are recommending a slightly lesser dose of 1.5ml for a 60l tank and a water change in 24 hours which is better than what I said so just go with that, after all who am I to argue with a doctor in any case it's not easy to overdose fish with Levamisole as it is excreted from their systems rather rapidly, let us know how you get on and goodluck! http/www.loaches.com/disease-treatment/levamisole-hydrochloride-1