jlk
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hi everyone!!! I am LOATHING even writing this but there has to be someone that has an answer! If you are not familiar with my 'leech' thread, here it is: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/what-is-this-187475.html
Well, I threw EVERYTHING out, bleached the heck out of the tank & the filter housings (outside in bleach for a wk) and recycled my tank with pure ammonia. Finally, I was happily able to get everything together & finished the tank (and cycling) & added back 2 fish (leech-free). Well, this weekend I swished the filter media in a bucket of tank water because they were getting a bit clogged and my 2yr old aptly pointed out 'theres a bad wormy'.... and she was right!!!
So, some eggs evidently survived in sections of filter housing I could not completely take apart and scrub. Bleach does not kill the eggs nor does anything else short of burning. In my leech research, I discovered these egg cases can survive the intestinal tract of a mammal (hydrochloric acid, anyone?) only to hatch months or even years later when conditions are right. Same for drying, freezing, heating, etc.
I am at a loss here. I cant afford to destroy this tank again nor do I want to. There has to be something to kill the adults so there are no more new eggs. I asked at my local lfs (The Hidden Reef) and they looked at me like I had three heads and claimed to have never heard of such a thing. I asked on one of my goldie sites and was told to destroy the tank again. Another fellow aquarist suggested levamisole but didnt know if it would actually work or not. Does ANYBODY know how to kill these things without destroying my tank again??? Maybe a combo of levamisole & fenben? I figure this would be a less expensive alternative to total destruction....any thoughts are appreciated! I figured I would add a new pic of these beings from heck...
Well, I threw EVERYTHING out, bleached the heck out of the tank & the filter housings (outside in bleach for a wk) and recycled my tank with pure ammonia. Finally, I was happily able to get everything together & finished the tank (and cycling) & added back 2 fish (leech-free). Well, this weekend I swished the filter media in a bucket of tank water because they were getting a bit clogged and my 2yr old aptly pointed out 'theres a bad wormy'.... and she was right!!!
So, some eggs evidently survived in sections of filter housing I could not completely take apart and scrub. Bleach does not kill the eggs nor does anything else short of burning. In my leech research, I discovered these egg cases can survive the intestinal tract of a mammal (hydrochloric acid, anyone?) only to hatch months or even years later when conditions are right. Same for drying, freezing, heating, etc.
I am at a loss here. I cant afford to destroy this tank again nor do I want to. There has to be something to kill the adults so there are no more new eggs. I asked at my local lfs (The Hidden Reef) and they looked at me like I had three heads and claimed to have never heard of such a thing. I asked on one of my goldie sites and was told to destroy the tank again. Another fellow aquarist suggested levamisole but didnt know if it would actually work or not. Does ANYBODY know how to kill these things without destroying my tank again??? Maybe a combo of levamisole & fenben? I figure this would be a less expensive alternative to total destruction....any thoughts are appreciated! I figured I would add a new pic of these beings from heck...
If I find any info that might help I'll post it. Sorry they're back again!
