# Camallanus worms help



## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

Hello All... I have kind of found myself in kind of a situation. I discovered about a month ago that my planted 55 has contracted camallanus worms. I had 5 Giant danios, 3 apistogramma cacutoides, 2 BN plecos and their fry and 1 SAE in this tank when I discovered it. 
I use a python to do my water changes, so I am pretty sure that my 75 gallon is also infected. My main concern is my 210 gallon with my frontosa. I have heard that even having wet hands is enough to transfer the parasites, but I have been watching diligently for symptoms in the 210, haven't seen any. I always drained and filled my 210 first on my water change days, so I can't help but be optimistic about my 210. 

For the 55 and the 75 I have already treated once with this:
Levamisole HCL Powder Anti Worm Agent and It Will Restores Immune Responses | eBay

On the packaging it says to do a 50% WC, feed the fish, then dose for the tank, turn out the lights, then 24 hours later to do a 75% WC and put the carbon in... this kind of contradicts what I have read about how most people treat with Levamisole over the course of a couple of days.

When I treated on my 55 gallon, my plants got burned and I lost 1 danio and my male apisto. The fish couldn't swim correctly and were dying with this medication in the water. I contacted the seller and he said that the fist that died were probably too far gone to save if they died from the medication. 

So my main questions are:
1. Should I treat my 210 gallon aquarium, even though I'm not seeing symptoms? Is there maybe a better way to go about it than treating for the whole tank? This medication is kind of expensive...
2. Should I keep treating with this Worm crush that I have purchased for the 55 and the 75?
3. would it be easier for me to destroy my fish? I don't really want to, but I have heard that camallanus worms can be near impossible to truly get rid of 

thanks,

Kayla


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Tough decision on the fish. Meds can be very rough on any plants you may have also. I used the same med in a 75g and lost about 20-30% of my plants. Sent the balance of the tank into a tailspin...algae of all types everywhere, rotting plants causing higher than normal nitrates, etc.. Funny thing was I had only did it for a few fish that had the wasting disease. They just get euthanized next time.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Bum deal with camallanus.I don't know for sure but I think the treatment is more like weeks.Charles is the man to talk to(inkmaker) .He also is a source of the levamisole and very knowledgable on this specific topic.He can be PM'd or emailed.
Levamisole, Flubendazole & other chemicals for the aquarium
^ this is Charles web page^
I would trust no one else but him!
It is true that the medication can be the last straw for weak fish,but he could speak to this much better than I.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

coralbandit said:


> Bum deal with camallanus.I don't know for sure but I think the treatment is more like weeks.Charles is the man to talk to(inkmaker) .He also is a source of the levamisole and very knowledgable on this specific topic.He can be PM'd or emailed.
> Levamisole, Flubendazole & other chemicals for the aquarium
> ^ this is Charles web page^
> I would trust no one else but him!
> It is true that the medication can be the last straw for weak fish,but he could speak to this much better than I.


Hey, 

I think I sent inkmaker a message about it last week, but haven't heard back


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I've seen he was on site last couple of days so hopefully he will see this post.IMO he is the authority on this issue.


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

Manafel said:


> Hey,
> 
> I think I sent inkmaker a message about it last week, but haven't heard back


You might try e-mailing again him through the address on his web page. He has always gotten back to me within a half day.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

Well I treated again this weekend, and had another danio and my only SAE die... bummer... how long should I keep my eye on the tank to make sure it's cured? I'm going to put more/new fish in, but idk how to tell when it's safe...

Also, I found out the calvus that died in my 75 gallon was a result of an ammonia spike. I tested the water and there was a reading of about 2.0 Ammonia. Which is totally out of the blue since the tank has been up for over a year. about 2 weeks ago I took out the sponge filters and cleaned them in old tank water... Either way I double dosed with prime after doing a 75% WC on the 75.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I'm shocked Charles hasn't chimed in!PM sent!


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## inkmaker (Jun 10, 2009)

Gosh,
I usually get a message from the Forum about this kind of thing. To date nothing - until I heard from _coralbandit_ I am not sure what is going into the tank or how much.

I have heard negative things about EBay sellers but I have no real information about what you purchased or the instructions given to you. Dosage must not be above 15 ppm but the length of treatment is 2 nights. It needs to be repeated in 3 weeks with water changes in between.

So, how much of this stuff did you put into their tanks?

I can say that a full blown infestation of the Nematode kill off can be fatal to the fish, but so can an over dose at high temperature can be fatal as well.

Let me hear from you.

Charles H





Manafel said:


> Hello All... I have kind of found myself in kind of a situation. I discovered about a month ago that my planted 55 has contracted camallanus worms. I had 5 Giant danios, 3 apistogramma cacutoides, 2 BN plecos and their fry and 1 SAE in this tank when I discovered it.
> I use a python to do my water changes, so I am pretty sure that my 75 gallon is also infected. My main concern is my 210 gallon with my frontosa. I have heard that even having wet hands is enough to transfer the parasites, but I have been watching diligently for symptoms in the 210, haven't seen any. I always drained and filled my 210 first on my water change days, so I can't help but be optimistic about my 210.
> 
> For the 55 and the 75 I have already treated once with this:
> ...


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

Hello Charles, 
I could have sworn that I had sent you a pm, but maybe that was a fragment of my own imagination? Sorry! 

On the dosage for the 55, the instructions say to put in 3.6 grams of this powder in. The instructions say to do a 50% wc, feed the fish, then dose the tank with the powder. Leave the lights off for 24 hours, and at the end of it do a 75% water change. Re insert carbon and after 3 weeks to treat again. My ph out of the tap is about 8.0, but I remember reading somewhere that at high pH levels levisamole becomes unstable in the water? I'm also wondering if that dosage is too high for just 55 gallons of water? The longer I go without doing a wc, the more deaths and general lethargy happens to the tankmates...Let me know what you think. Thank you


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## inkmaker (Jun 10, 2009)

I don't know the purity of the medication you have but a 55 gallon tank should not have more than 2.5 grams dosed to it. What is the purity of what you have?

Charles H




Manafel said:


> Hello Charles,
> On the dosage for the 55, the instructions say to put in 3.6 grams of this powder in. The instructions say to do a 50% wc, feed the fish, then dose the tank with the powder. Leave the lights off for 24 hours, and at the end of it do a 75% water change. Re insert carbon and after 3 weeks to treat again. My ph out of the tap is about 8.0, but I remember reading somewhere that at high pH levels levisamole becomes unstable in the water? I'm also wondering if that dosage is too high for just 55 gallons of water? The longer I go without doing a wc, the more deaths and general lethargy happens to the tankmates...Let me know what you think. Thank you


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

inkmaker said:


> I don't know the purity of the medication you have but a 55 gallon tank should not have more than 2.5 grams dosed to it. What is the purity of what you have?
> 
> Charles H


It says it's 99% Pure Levisamole


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## inkmaker (Jun 10, 2009)

Manafel said:


> It says it's 99% Pure Levisamole


Well then you over dosed by about 50% - that could kill some fish with the temperature above 78°F. 

This is why I don't have a "Purchase Now" button on my listing page. I really want the aquarists to understand what they are doing before they start kill worms or Fish.

Charles H


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

inkmaker said:


> Well then you over dosed by about 50% - that could kill some fish with the temperature above 78°F.
> 
> This is why I don't have a "Purchase Now" button on my listing page. I really want the aquarists to understand what they are doing before they start kill worms or Fish.
> 
> Charles H


Charles,

Thank you for that insight. tbh I bought this specific brand of meds because I was kind of in a panic to try to get something to treat with when I found out. I didn't know about your page until far after... What do you suggest that I do? Buy different meds and treat all of my tanks? I'm starting to feel worn out with all of these water changes and medicine dosing...


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## inkmaker (Jun 10, 2009)

This guy's treatment schedule is screwy and ratios are off. The dosage is too high and this stuff will kill invertebrates as well as snails and many shrimp.

My package is a carefully weighed 5 gram pack suitable to treat 100 gallons of Fresh water. That is stressful for many minnows and some scale less fish. It takes 2 nights of soak in the solution to get the worms. One day does not give the transport time necessary to systemically eradicate the Nematodes.

I wouldn't trust this person who want to sell this product at "The Lowest Price of Anyone" I don't think he has the Aquarists in mind.

Your larger tank also needs to be treated but not just over night and NOT at the strength he is recommending.

Charles Harrison



Manafel said:


> Hello All... I have kind of found myself in kind of a situation. I discovered about a month ago that my planted 55 has contracted camallanus worms. I had 5 Giant danios, 3 apistogramma cacutoides, 2 BN plecos and their fry and 1 SAE in this tank when I discovered it.
> I use a python to do my water changes, so I am pretty sure that my 75 gallon is also infected. My main concern is my 210 gallon with my frontosa. I have heard that even having wet hands is enough to transfer the parasites, but I have been watching diligently for symptoms in the 210, haven't seen any. I always drained and filled my 210 first on my water change days, so I can't help but be optimistic about my 210.
> 
> For the 55 and the 75 I have already treated once with this:
> ...


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