Camallanus worms and how to treat?

[samram0829]

UPDATE
I have not lost a single fish in my 10 gallon during treatment! I just did a thorough gravel vac which ended up being pointless because I ended up taking out my gravel as I've decided I'm switching to a sand substrate after I'm 100% sure that they are camallanus free! I didn't see any of my fish expel the worms but when I did the gravel vac I seen tons of dead red worms in the bucket! I am going to dose the tank again in the next couple days because my sisters fish have camallanus and since she's getting a bigger tank we put her guppies with mine for treatment. Thank you to those who replied to this thread you guys/gals are great!

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[missie86]

Glad the treatment is working with no losses!

I solemnly swear that I am upto no good!

 

[coralbandit]

I was under the impression the second dose was three weeks later?
Did Charles provide any instructions or give you a faster more reliable method to communicate with him?
I would check with him before doing anything on my own,but sure hope it doesn't take days to get an answer.
I am glad this is working well for you and sorry for the losses you did have.

 

[samram0829]

He did not give me instructions I am going to treat the tank again in 3 weeks. I was just going to treat it again in a few days because I put my sisters infected guppies in with mine to treat them as well but I added them a day and a half ago.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[samram0829]

I've decided to hold off on the second treatment until 3 weeks because none of the guppies are visibly infected anymore and everyone is eating again plus their poop is normal looking and not stringy white like it has been since I've been aware of the camllanus worms.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[samram0829]

Whelp! Unfortunately they are back... already!? I emailed Charles to see if I should redose now or continue to wait. I definitely thought those suckers were gone!!

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Matt68005]

Glad to see its working with your fish, putting someone elses sick guppies with yours is heroric, but not a good idea usually. There is not a cure for every known fish disease, so prevention is better than treatment.
Maybe wait a week, and then redose/re-feed them the medicine?

 

[samram0829]

I know my sister guppies had the camallanus worms that's why I put hers in with mine. I am going to redose the tank again as recommended at the 3 week mark. I did notice that there are no worms hanging out anymore so they must've had a hard time passing them, I howevere did not see any laying on the floor of the tank either so I'm not sure if they were sucked into the filter or the fish had an unhealthy snack of them. So far it seems they have been defeated fingers crossed!

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Matt68005]

I know my sister guppies had the camallanus worms that's why I put hers in with mine. I am going to redose the tank again as recommended at the 3 week mark. I did notice that there are no worms hanging out anymore so they must've had a hard time passing them, I howevere did not see any laying on the floor of the tank either so I'm not sure if they were sucked into the filter or the fish had an unhealthy snack of them. So far it seems they have been defeated fingers crossed!

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

You cant see miscroscopic nematodes. That is what most of them are. Would need a miscroscope and examine the feces i believe. Maybe some of them are large enough to see, i just didnt want you thinking it didnt work because you didn't physically see any worms......

 

[samram0829]

I believe you can see the worms with out using a microscope? Maybe not until they've molted into full adults, but you can see these nematodes! I don't think many people would notice their fish had em if you could only see them under a microscope.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[samram0829]

They are back I have sterilized EVERYTHING that goes into my tanks nets, filters, air stones, air hoses, filters, gravel vac and plants, I removed all my gravel and replaced it with sand, removed most decorations and bought new ones and some how they have still come back! So I was left to choose whether or not to euthanize all my fish and start all over again or try the remaining half cup of premixed levamisole treatment. I changed as much water as I could, removed all carbon from my filters, and began pouring in the treatment obviously at an extremely high dose because last time I put 2 tbsp for every 10 gallons... I really hope at this high of a dose these things will be gone for good.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[coralbandit]

IMO you may need another dose?
You added guppies after first treatment which means when you did second treatment to kill any eggs that may have remained you were only giving the newer gupps their first dose?
So eggs may actually still remain after this dose IMO and you may need another treatment in 3 more weeks?
I'm not 100% on this but there is a reason for a timed second treatment.

 

[samram0829]

I added the guppies during the first treatment that I did on 7/8, those same guppies all received a second treatment 3 weeks after on 7/24 the second treatment I also added a half tbsp more of the levamisole mix which i know isn't much more. This 3rd and final treatment is at a much higher dose.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[samram0829]

One of my guppies died so I wanted to kind of experiment with her. I put her in a plastic water bottle filled with some tank water and I'm currently watching a very much alive worm crawl out of her.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Matt68005]

One of my guppies died so I wanted to kind of experiment with her. I put her in a plastic water bottle filled with some tank water and I'm currently watching a very much alive worm crawl out of her.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

So at least you know what your dealing with!
I have guppies with some kind of internal nematode or something that i can't for the life of me kill or figure out. One of these days im gonna get a Miscroscope because Internal problems with fish is my one weak point when it comes to guppies. And lately, it has been going around alot of internal problems with ornamental fish.
Might try that trick myself. Never seen any worms, but mine i believe have callaprai nematodes, which are miscroscopic. May just euthanize mine some time here before we move again, unless i can figure it out and destroy it.

 

[samram0829]

I would be losing my mind if I were you! Sorry to hear about your nematode problem!

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Matt68005]

I was losing my mind for the first 6 months, then i kinda just gave up and said to h with it and look at my current guppies as kind of experiments. Im not mistreating them, just curious as to what exactly is killing them....tho im pretty confident now its callpari. I noticed, i just had to cull 2 brand new guppies that only got SOME of the worm treatment, looks like they have to really be hit hard over and over with the dewormer in order for it to go away...and my tank is bare bottom and reguraly water changed and siphoned 50% twice a week! Its in remission and they look alot better and healthier and trying to mate, but i sure have been thru alot with them. These internal things are really tough without a miscroscope, why one of those is on my to get list.

 

[samram0829]

I decided to leave the treatment in a couple of extra days but none of my fish have passed any visible worms at all during this treatment and the guppy I lost still visibly had a live worm even after being put in a bottle filled with treated tank water . My guppies still have long white stringy poop and now have a dark patch on their heads and one of two of my baby convicts looks like it has a small chunk missing out of its head. I'm not sure what to do at this point!? Do I euthanize all fish & sterilize EVERYTHING with bleach? Should I try a different treatment for parasites even though levamisole is really the only recommended and effective treatment?

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Matt68005]

I would not give up just yet. Guppies are a dime a dozen. You could just get more later on once things have stabalized.
Levamisole is not the only treatement for internal nematodes and worms.
Have you been feeding a ton of garlic? Mine got stringy=poo diahreea after feeding alot of garlic food.
The infections are probably just secondary to the stress. I would not "freak out" just yet unless it looks like alot of them aren't gonna make it anyways.

 

[samram0829]

I haven't fed any garlic they were literally all fine one night the next afternoon at lights on my female guppy who was pretty plump the night before was terribly skinny and up until I seen the worms again that day and dosed my tank that they began having white stringy feces. I have a friend who is going to take my fish to try some different treatments in his hospital tank in about 6 weeks if this final treatment doesn't work once they are officially free of worms they will be put in with his guppies and the convicts will go into a tank he's in the process of cycling. I am not too worried about losing anymore guppies as all my favorite ones died and I'm down to only 3, I was more worried about my mystery snails (adults and babies) who have all died. The guppies I treated with mine have since been returned to my sisters tank and all her fish appear to be fine.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app