Help with the dreaded Camallanus worm parasite

[easywolf31]

Hello, was wondering if I'm posting in the right forum section. Looking for some advice concerning the Camallanus Worm Parasite.

1 week ago I added a Jewel Cichlid in my aquarium. I noticed the following day something red and spiky - string like was sticking out of it's posterior. I did some research and to my luck I found out it was a Camallanus worm. I found out it can be treated either orally with Fish Bendazonle (Fenbendazole) or by adding Levamisole hcl straight in the aquarium. I found the fish bendazole on entirelypets.com and levamisole hcl on ebay so I ordered them both to Canada.

Both treatments are to be done for 3 days and repeated in 3 weeks just in case eggs or larvae are left. By the way, I brought the Jewel back to the pet shop and also showed them that more jewels in that tank were clearly infected as well as other fish that runs the same water in that section. They gave me some Seachem Metroplex and Focus to bind it with the food and they said they will immediately treat there fish. I told them that I read those medicines do not work for this internal parasite.

Seachem even emailed me a response confirming this...should I calll them and let them know where to get fish bendazole? I even told them about this med at the store but they insisted to go with Metroplex.

Anyhow, I'm now wondering how to go about treating my fish. I know my Green Texas has it because he's acting weird and very shy from food..

Here's my plan, please give me some advice. I will remove the carbon pad from my eheim canister. Than I will bind the Fenbendazole with frozen brine shrimp and pellets with some awuarium water and will feed it to them for 3-4 days. Afterwards, I will wait 3 days and than I will add some Levamisole to the aquarium. Some people say one works better than the other...but know one knows yet. Once I'm done with the final treatment I'll add a new carbon pad to the filter to remove any medication.

2-3 weeks later I will remove the carbon and repeat the same process with both meds. In the end I will add another carbon pad and leave it on for a few weeks?

I have 2 questions:

1) Should I use both meds or just 1?

2) Should I add a carbon after the first medication before starting the 2nd med 3 days later and than rinse the carbon pad a bit and reuse it after the 2nd med? Or use a new carbon or just wait that 3 day period between the meds with no carbon?

Please advise, thanks. This is one tough ugly parasite that seems to be spreading so keep an eye out for it...it originated in Japan and is very hard to kill or catch in quarantine..

 

[coralbandit]

Levamisole is the only way.
The fen does not always.
Levamisole, Flubendazole & other chemicals for the aquarium
This some of Charles info ,and more on that links pages...
http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/CamallanusTreatment/

Here its treatment plan I believe.
Levamisole - Treat with the lights off and increased aeration.
Perform a big WC prior to treatment.
Treat once for 24 hours.
Large WC
Return tank to normal lighting/feeding/cleaning cycle.
Treat again in 5-7 days after a water change. Treat with the lights off and increased aeration.
Do another WC
Return to normal schedule.
Treat a third time 1 - 2 weeks after your second treatment following the same program above
24 hours later do another good vacuuming with water change.

 

[Matt68005]

I think an angel would be big enough to pass the worms. Smaller fish just cant.
Definately dont get your other fish sick, one drop of water can contimatite.
Dont buy fish from there again.

 

[easywolf31]

I have 2 inch Frontosas, 3 blue dolphins, 2 jewels, 1 brichardi and the sick texas all 2" i hope they make it in the 130 gallon tank

 

[easywolf31]

So I emailed Dr. Charles Harrison and this was his reply. Now I just wait.

It takes six weeks to two months for the Nematode to get so crowded in the intestines that it will protrude from the anus of the fish. In larger fishes it may require over three months for the nematode to crowd its way to the anus of the fish. thus the nematode hides undetected for a considerable period of time. Fenbendazole has never been a good go to medication for Nematodes. It takes ily such a large amount of it to be eaten to do anything with the Nematode that it is a waste of time and money. The fish would have to eat something around 1/4 of a gram, 250 mg, twice to 3 times a day for at least three days to be deadly for the Nematode. That is virtually impossible despite what you might mix for a treatment mixture. I don’t know how to push this much stuff down the victim’s throat. Levamisole on the other hand Is absorbed through the skin of the fish. This makes it unnecessary to feed the fish anything. One only needs a small amount of medication dissolved in the water. One 5 Gram package of Levamisole will retreat 100 gallons. Your 130 gallons will take three five gram packs to treat twice.

Thanks all.

 

[coralbandit]

I am glad you talked with Charles. Sometimes he is slow to respond so it is great when someone like you can post his response. He always shares knowledge in his conversations. I saw his page was updated 2017 so was hoping.
On the topic of Camallanus their is no one I trust more.
I only started out above by repeating what I know he has said before. He offers both meds, but he wants you to get the right one.
I know because of him there is only one.
Levamisole HCI .
I keep some I got from him in my medicine cabinet! Never had the worm and am a HAPPY breeder to say that..
Good luck, as he mentioned your fish has been sick for some time now already. Often meds are' the straw that breaks the camels back' with sick fish.All your fish need treatment though.

 

[easywolf31]

Hi Coral, thanks for all the help. Do you think I should cancel the fish bendazole (fenbendazole) order? I see it has not even shipped yet.. Or just get it and treat them with that and food as well?

 

[coralbandit]

You may use for something else?
Some meds are good to have on hand.

 

[easywolf31]

Cool I'll just let it come. I'm thinking of using whichever comes here first. What do you think of using both though?

The author of this article had great success using fenbendazole. I even talked to her recently she said they never showed up again. Just confused about how to go about treating them with both meds.

 

[coralbandit]

I would not use it for the C.
Save for an easy kill/cure like hydra or planaria...
I trust Charles more then any other.

 

[easywolf31]

A very interesting read to anyone interested in this subject and I'm glad I got both meds.

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...eating-internal-parasites-fenbendazole-19108/

 

[Matt68005]

If you mix enough pancur (Fenbendazole) in the food, it will work, if not for a bad callamanus infection at least it would be worthwile to treat them in a quarantine tank prophylactically
Like charles said, once the worm protudes from the anus, the fish is lost.

 

[easywolf31]

If you mix enough pancur (Fenbendazole) in the food, it will work, if not for a bad callamanus infection at least it would be worthwile to treat them in a quarantine tank prophylactically
Like charles said, once the worm protudes from the anus, the fish is lost.

Hey, the fen came yesterday and I fixed a potion with frozen brine shrimp. Every fish ate except for the Texas which is the prime suspect although I'm sure he ate a few. He did become more active afterwards but not sure. Will keep feeding them for 2 more days with water changes, than I'll carbon. I may have possibly seen a skinny white worm coming out of a blue dolphin but hard to tell...

After a few days I will than give them the Levamisole which is coming tomorrow...will probably start that on Tuesday. Now I know what Charles meant by fish need to eat a lot. If it's infected for a while they don't eat...that's where Levamisole comes in..would have possibly been better to have started with Leva so than their appetite maybe would open up on the infected ones so they eat the fen afterwards. Couldn't wait anymore had to try with what came first.

 

[Matt68005]

if you use something like tubifex, frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp. Use some focus and garlic juice (the focus is expensive stuff, but it really helps to bind medication to food, as many meds are best oral administered) and let it soak for half an hour.
Starve them first and let them go crazy eating. The pancur WILL kill worms and if the medication is well dissolved and bound to the food, you manage to get enough in them, it will work. (and with less chance of actually killing your fish, which levimasole can do)

I guess its just personal preference. One works better in food for fish that are still eating and prophlatically and is easier on them, the other is more harsh and works better in the water column.
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...eating-internal-parasites-fenbendazole-19108/

 

[easywolf31]

if you use something like tubifex, frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp. Use some focus and garlic juice (the focus is expensive stuff, but it really helps to bind medication to food, as many meds are best oral administered) and let it soak for half an hour.
Starve them first and let them go crazy eating. The pancur WILL kill worms and if the medication is well dissolved and bound to the food, you manage to get enough in them, it will work. (and with less chance of actually killing your fish, which levimasole can do)

I guess its just personal preference. One works better in food for fish that are still eating and prophlatically and is easier on them, the other is more harsh and works better in the water column.
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...eating-internal-parasites-fenbendazole-19108/

Hi Matt, wow that's exactly what I just did. I was given some focus by the pet shop for free with metroplex to treat my fish. I mixed half a pack (12-13mg) with 2 ounces of frozen brine shrimp and about 100ml of water with some focus. I've fed them 3 times already since yesterday. This morning I saw something that tells me worms are being expelled but I'm not experienced enough to see the difference between poo and worms, especially with the wavemaker on. I saw fish catching poo and really biting and chewing it and after a while spitting out less than what they took in. It could be they are eating dead meaty worms and spitting out the exterior part?

Today the levamisole came as well. My plan is to continue feeding them the fenbendazole today and tomorrow.

Than insert a new carbon pas in the filter and wait 3 days. Than, especially if my texas which is a victim and barely eating still hasn't eaten, I will try some levamisole, what do you think?

A bit confused when and how much water to take out during water changes to remove dead worms though since I'm a bit more than half way through an new aquarium cycle. Also how and when to clean the filter and the media?

Thanks!!

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[Matt68005]

I would say save the levimasole, but ofc its up to your decrision, i am no expert on callamanus, every time my fish have had it, by the time i noticed it was too late, they were completely impacted and paintbrush thread hairs from anus, and no amount of dewormer would actually get them to pass the worms. Actually, being a small fish too i think affects it, i raise guppies and in the past had molllies get callamanus too (one after the other, probably from not cleaning the tank thruoghly enough, lesson learned ther too)
So small fish once its impacted and they are coming out the vent, its over for your fish.
I know you have to do several treatments, but i would do the full courese of Fenbendazole then wait a couple weeks and try the levimasole, no need to do back to back treatments, as they both work just the same.

 

[coralbandit]

They do not work both the same.
Charles did NOT say when you see the worms it is over for your fish,he said it takes a long time to pack your fish enough they come out,a message to those of you who pay little to no attention to their fish!
Matt;
Small fish are curable as Charles keeps and breeds killies so where have you come up with this opinion you want to pass as fact??
His words were printed and yet you still insist on twisting them to say what you want?
Wolf;
You wasted the fen and if you don't use the lev then you did nothing IMO.

 

[easywolf31]

I wasted the fen by opening a pack of 12? What do you mean? You don't pay attentiom that many other people have had success curing cams with fen over leva? Even in the veterinary clinics of North America book it says to treat with Fen. I decided to use whatever arrived first..if you care to help me..than tell me when to use leva after finishing with the fen today please. Add Carbon tomorrow morning and wait 2-3 days? Why do you say i wasted the fen when so many others have had success with it.

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[coralbandit]

The lev is a very strong med like many others IMO not to be mixed.
I don't care what peole do till they mis quote or mis represent info from others.
I am sure other use fen,but Charles did not recommend it so I refute it.
You have 11 packs left ,good. IMO the one used is only trouble or waste.Now you need to know how it interacts with lev or how to remove it?
I don't know how to direct people who only follow the part of directions they want and not all?
I just wanted to make sure who ever in the future that reads this does not think this is what Charles has said or recommended.It is NOT.
As for what to do now? I would have followed the directions of those I asked for help if I did not myself have a better plan.
Don't worry Matt will have a medicated feed that never worked for him he will recommend next...

 

[easywolf31]

I don't get it, haven't you read the countless forums and even professional people in the field saying that Fen worked when Leva failed. Also google Fenbendazole vs Levamisole. You will see about 3 studies that were conducted in various animal farms the Fen cured 98% while Leva cured 60-85% or something in that range. But that was not with fish. Ask Charles first though if you're allowed to Google that. I never said that Fen is better though. I just used it because I've been waiting just looking at my fish for 12 days while it got delivered. If I had known the Leva would have came the next day I'd probably have waited since that works through the gills and not by feeding. My Texas will be good proof if it actually worked. He does not eat, he charges up to the food and stops. Yesterday after 2 days of Fem first time I've seen him charge and finally eat.

If I go downstairs now and feed them and he starts eating like all the others I will be very happy. Wether that happens or not I'm still planning to use the Levamisole on Tuesday. Tomorrow morning, Saturday, I'm installing a carbon pad to pick up the Fen medication.