Help With Sick L 027c

[shari2]

I have a very sick royal plec I'm trying to heal. His eyes and stomach were sunken. I've treated with Levamisole, in a 30g q tank with plants and bogwood. He is currently attached to the wood in a dark corner. I'm not sure he is eating, and he is VERY thin.

Any help with diagnosing and treatment would be greatly appreciated.

I am having problems with my computer at the moment so can't link to a pic, but here are pics I've posted on the Loach forum (before the Microsoft issues!) that can show his progress thus far:

http/forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=2262

He is about 12-14cm long, I aquired him from a friend. When I noticed he was ill he was in my 55g planted tank with 6 clowns, 1 mean angel, 1 ancistrus cat. He'd been with the clowns for years before that in my friends tank. Seemed to be happy in mine for several months grazing around. Don't know what went wrong but he apparently quit eating and when I saw him uncharacteristically in the front of the tank I thought I'd take the opportunity to get some pics. Should have known something was wrong for just that reason, I guess.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

What have you been feeding him recently? Has he reacted at all to the Levamisole or is he pretty much the same (how long have you been treating him for)?

 

[shari2]

What have you been feeding him recently? Has he reacted at all to the Levamisole or is he pretty much the same (how long have you been treating him for)?

Treated with Levamisole on Thursday and again on saturday. There was nearly immediate improvement in the eyes. They are almost back to full size now, not sunken. My main concern now is whether or not he is eating. Hard to tell but his belly (when I can see it) is still concave. Is there something other than worms affecting him? The levamisole seems to have taken care of whatever worms he may have had, but is there another pathogen that I should also be treating for is what I can't determine.

Also decided to treat the 55g he came out of with the levamisole because I don't know the type of worm and if it has an indirect or direct life cycle. There are snails in both tanks if the indirect type needs an intermediate host.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

What have you been feeding him recently? Has he reacted at all to the Levamisole or is he pretty much the same (how long have you been treating him for)?

Treated with Levamisole on Thursday and again on saturday. There was nearly immediate improvement in the eyes. They are almost back to full size now, not sunken. My main concern now is whether or not he is eating. Hard to tell but his belly (when I can see it) is still concave. Is there something other than worms affecting him? The levamisole seems to have taken care of whatever worms he may have had, but is there another pathogen that I should also be treating for is what I can't determine.

Also decided to treat the 55g he came out of with the levamisole because I don't know the type of worm and if it has an indirect or direct life cycle. There are snails in both tanks if the indirect type needs an intermediate host.

Most parasitic worms are species specific, so they cann't pass from fish to snails for example. What have you been feeding him recently?

 

[mikev]

Most parasitic worms are species specific, so they cann't pass from fish to snails for example. What have you been feeding him recently?

I don't think you meant "species specific" per se -- most parasitic worms will accept any fish they can get to and some may even spread to the fish owner. But snails are not a likely intermediate host anyway.

It kind of feels like this is more about the diet or some other problem rather than worms. Could it be that the treatment tank had a better piece of wood?

Tokis-Phoenix, I have a vague memory of a FAQ on pleco diet you wrote a few months ago. Maybe this is something shari can read?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Levamasole is not effectrive if the pH is above 7.0.

If you have worms and can find it, use Flubendazole . If treating for parasites and the fish is eating, feed with Metronidazole treated food otherwise you can try a dip using a double dose of metro in the water.

 

[Bloo]

Levamasole is not effectrive if the pH is above 7.0.

If you have worms and can find it, use Flubendazole .

shari2, for Flubendazole and it's use - see this thread of mine

Ps TwoTankAmin: out of interest, where do you get in the information about Levamasole and not being effective over a pH of 7.0 ?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

From loaches.com

 

[Bloo]

In a thread by someone or documented somewhere ? I can't find anything.

 

[nmonks]

Bloo --

It helps if the name of the drug is spelled right. It's "Levamisole", and the thread in question is here.

When it comes to info on drugs, I'd tend to be cautious about anything quoted by a hobbyist without a reference to a pharmaceutical or veterinary journal, for example, or the manufacturer's web site. This little factoid might have come out of the same barrel of stuff as "catfish are allergic to salt".

Cheers,

Neale

In a thread by someone or documented somewhere ? I can't find anything.

 

[Bloo]

Bloo --

It helps if the name of the drug is spelled right. It's "Levamisole", and the thread in question is here.

When it comes to info on drugs, I'd tend to be cautious about anything quoted by a hobbyist without a reference to a pharmaceutical or veterinary journal, for example, or the manufacturer's web site. This little factoid might have come out of the same barrel of stuff as "catfish are allergic to salt".

Cheers,

Neale

In a thread by someone or documented somewhere ? I can't find anything.

Thanks Neil Interesting and I will keep it in mind. Though one isolated opinion doesn't mean much to me - unless (as you say) it's documented with "reference to a pharmaceutical or veterinary journal, or the manufacturer's web site".

 

[raeburter]

Hope he get well soon....IF not it will be a state funeral(its royal!!...)

 

[Bloo]

As far as I know, shari2 has been able to nurse her Royal back to health. With some help from members on this and some other specialist forums