erarebirth
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Sorry, this is going to be a long post. This is basically copy+pasted from an e-mail I sent to the manufacturer of the medication I've been trying (and isn't working). Any help/input would be appreciated!!
The Short Story:
I've had 9 guppies die from what I'm 99.9% sure are camallanus worms. I've read that de-worming treatments should work, but I've only been able to find one anti-worm treatment thus far (see below for further details). My local pet stores don't have any anti-worm treatment, and surprisingly the internet seems to have little to offer. Can you recommend a website that sells anti-worm treatments for fish?
More Details:
Initial Diagnosis: I noticed one of my guppies developed a hole in it's abdomen with red strings hanging out (March 29). I noted other guppies had red "vent holes" or anuses, and some had red gills as well. After completing research I determined these must be camallanus worms, as they are the only thing that matches this description. I quarantined all obviously infected fish, as as I observed them, some became more bloated, some started to waste, and others died.
Suspected Source: The only new live materials I had introduced to my tank in months were plants from my local fish store. According to what I read, depending on the strand of camallanus, it is transmitted by shellfish. Shortly after I noticed the infected fish I found a snail in my tank. This was immediately removed. It could have only gotten into my tank via the plants. I notified the pet store immediately.
Treatment: Online I read that assorted de-worming or anti-worm medications are recommended for this parasite. I searched specific medication names and more generalized phrases searching for aquatic grade anti-worm treatment with little success. I finally found a product by API that includes 250mg metronidazole and 75mg praziquantel in each packet (1 packet per 10 gallons). I also read that usually what kills the fish is not so much the actual worm infection, but secondary infections and/or poor water quality. I've been testing my water with test stripes for the past couple months because I'd been having water quality issues, but the past couple months my water has been fine. To be safe I ordered an antibiotic as well. The antibiotic I ordered is also by API, 60mg nitrofurazone and 25mg furazolidone per packet (again 1 packet per 10 gallons). Before begining treatment, I vacuumed the subtrate and completed a 20% water change. I removed the carbon packets from my filters, removed my ghost shrimp, and added the de-worming and antibiotic agents. I completed the treatments and water changes as recommended per the packaging. I completed a full round of the antibiotics and a full round of the deworming agent. I've just completed a second round of the deworming agent. My guppies are continuing to die, and when I inspect their bodies they still have worms! I think I'll continue for a third round of the de-worming agent.
Tank Information: I have a 29 gallon tank that was cycled for one month, then fish added on January 16th, 2013. I have not added any additional fish since January 20th, 2013 (although the guppies have been making babies). I had 1 ghost shrimp, 4 glo danios, and 16 guppies. I have two heaters, 1 10 gallon filter unit and 1 30 gallon filter unit running simultaneously. I have about 6 or 7 live plants in the tank with the fish. According to the test strips all my levels are in the safe range, including ammonia. I do add a bit of "fresh water" salt to the water (about 1 tsp per gallon). I also add water conditioner/dechlorinator to the water before adding it to the tank (I always allow these additives at least several hours to work their stuff in the water before adding to the tank). I feed my fish dried flake food, they munch on the live plants, and I sometimes give them cooked peas (made from fresh or frozen).
The Short Story:
I've had 9 guppies die from what I'm 99.9% sure are camallanus worms. I've read that de-worming treatments should work, but I've only been able to find one anti-worm treatment thus far (see below for further details). My local pet stores don't have any anti-worm treatment, and surprisingly the internet seems to have little to offer. Can you recommend a website that sells anti-worm treatments for fish?
More Details:
Initial Diagnosis: I noticed one of my guppies developed a hole in it's abdomen with red strings hanging out (March 29). I noted other guppies had red "vent holes" or anuses, and some had red gills as well. After completing research I determined these must be camallanus worms, as they are the only thing that matches this description. I quarantined all obviously infected fish, as as I observed them, some became more bloated, some started to waste, and others died.
Suspected Source: The only new live materials I had introduced to my tank in months were plants from my local fish store. According to what I read, depending on the strand of camallanus, it is transmitted by shellfish. Shortly after I noticed the infected fish I found a snail in my tank. This was immediately removed. It could have only gotten into my tank via the plants. I notified the pet store immediately.
Treatment: Online I read that assorted de-worming or anti-worm medications are recommended for this parasite. I searched specific medication names and more generalized phrases searching for aquatic grade anti-worm treatment with little success. I finally found a product by API that includes 250mg metronidazole and 75mg praziquantel in each packet (1 packet per 10 gallons). I also read that usually what kills the fish is not so much the actual worm infection, but secondary infections and/or poor water quality. I've been testing my water with test stripes for the past couple months because I'd been having water quality issues, but the past couple months my water has been fine. To be safe I ordered an antibiotic as well. The antibiotic I ordered is also by API, 60mg nitrofurazone and 25mg furazolidone per packet (again 1 packet per 10 gallons). Before begining treatment, I vacuumed the subtrate and completed a 20% water change. I removed the carbon packets from my filters, removed my ghost shrimp, and added the de-worming and antibiotic agents. I completed the treatments and water changes as recommended per the packaging. I completed a full round of the antibiotics and a full round of the deworming agent. I've just completed a second round of the deworming agent. My guppies are continuing to die, and when I inspect their bodies they still have worms! I think I'll continue for a third round of the de-worming agent.
Tank Information: I have a 29 gallon tank that was cycled for one month, then fish added on January 16th, 2013. I have not added any additional fish since January 20th, 2013 (although the guppies have been making babies). I had 1 ghost shrimp, 4 glo danios, and 16 guppies. I have two heaters, 1 10 gallon filter unit and 1 30 gallon filter unit running simultaneously. I have about 6 or 7 live plants in the tank with the fish. According to the test strips all my levels are in the safe range, including ammonia. I do add a bit of "fresh water" salt to the water (about 1 tsp per gallon). I also add water conditioner/dechlorinator to the water before adding it to the tank (I always allow these additives at least several hours to work their stuff in the water before adding to the tank). I feed my fish dried flake food, they munch on the live plants, and I sometimes give them cooked peas (made from fresh or frozen).
Buying this stuff RIGHT NOW. And yes my fish are still eating, they have very good appetites. As far as I can tell none of them are having appetite issues at this time.
They are incredibly frustrating. I myself was considering perhaps simply euthenizing the remaining fish and starting over, but the ones I have still seem to be doing well. Most of them don't even show symptoms, but because they were all exposed and because a couple of them still have red vent holes, I continue to treat. You're right that the treatments eventually get to be more expensive than the fish, but I can't help myself, I have to try. If you DO ever run into them again, two people on this thread have recommended that levamisole medication. I also wrote to my local shedd aquarium and they replied to me yesterday, also recommending the levamisole medication. They also said that you can pull the worms out of the fish with tweezers, but that idea is a bit scary to me (how do you hold the fish while doing this, how do you grab the worm and not any of their fish while they are wiggling around in your hand, and how do you know worm isn't attached or twisted around a vital organ that you'll pull out with the worm 
).
