# Camallanus



## Hawk1018

Turns out my fish have Camallanus worms. I am going to get some safe-guard (fenbendazole) and plan on mixing it with the fish foods. Does anyone have experience with this and can help me with the dossage? Also I am thinking of replacing the substrate after the treatment any suggestions on a good way to do that would be helpful. I have an extra 10 gallon tank on hand. Also I think I would want to clean my plants and decorations and wood....is there a way to kill this worm and keep my plants alive? One last question....does the worm live in the filter media and if so how do I get rid of it and not the BB? 

tank : 
55 gallon fresh water 
3 otos 
1 pepermint pleco
5 turquoise rainbow fish 
3 neon tetras 
2 bolivian rams
2 amano shrimp 
unknown RCS shrimp and fry 
10 turquise rainbow fry 
(all fry are currently in the breader basket at top of my tank and not sure if they have been infected or not)

I also have a good bit of live plants and one piece of drift wood.


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## jccaclimber2

Get a hold of Charles (inkmkr). His page has good info on treatment options, and is also the best price I've seen on the meds. I'm not sure if he has fenbendazole, but he does have levamisole which I've used. He answers his e-mail promptly, and gets packages out quickly.
Treating Your water with Levamisole
Also read this:
ZebraPleco • The Complete Online Zebra Pleco L046 Resource


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## sue6196

Another source of treatment is angelsplus.com. They sell several flakes that you feed that work to cure camallanus worms. My daughter has used their flakes for the same problem.


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## inkmaker

sue6196 said:


> Another source of treatment is angelsplus.com. They sell several flakes that you feed that work to cure camallanus worms. My daughter has used their flakes for the same problem.


Levamisole is absorbed through the skin and gills of the fish. One doesn't have to wonder if they have swallowed enough medicated food to do the job of killing this Nematode. Actually nothing does the job that Levamisole does if you want to rid your tanks of this Nematode.

Charles H


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## Hawk1018

recieved my 5 grams of Levamisole from Charles today. Going to dose my tank on my next break. The Fenbendazole was not working ...(don't think I was mixing with food correctly and I don't think the fish were eating enough of the meds). This am I did a large water change...probably about 80%-90% since I knew I would be getting meds today. (by the way I ordered them on Friday so real fast shipping by Charles). My other ram was showing signs of illness this am as well...she was real lethargic and showing stress markings. Also her nose looked pinkish...anyway I will keep ya'll posted.


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## coralbandit

Hawk , good luck. I wondered who is this charles? Looked at his gallery and now really wonder,who is charles? NICE FISH! All killies? And since 2009? You keep them re-cycling? Nice fishi nkmaker!


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## navigator black

Charles is a guy whose products saved my fish when I had to deal with the dreaded red worms. He went out of his way to get the meds to me quickly, with instructions. 

With luck, you will never have to deal with Camallanus sp - a nastier fish parasite is hard to find in our tanks. But if you do, find "inkmaker".

The parasite is rare enough that it is hard to find the appropriate meds, and he's got them at good prices with the kind of response time only a fishkeeper who knows how much it matters would offer.


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## coralbandit

Further went on to read a post of past "what test do you use" and after reading it ,Ithink I need a chlorine test kit! I am one of those people (I think jrman said) mix and use tap with nothing and have no problems( I think). Had many question about sodium hyrdrochlorite and am concerned still about water quality. Hope I never get the worm either. CHANGE AS MUCH WATER AS YOU CAN; I love that!


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## Hawk1018

ok. I dissolved the entire 5grams in 20mL of water and dosed tank with 10 mL of the solution last night. I will change the water in 3 days as directed and re-dose in 30 days. This morning I had lost one of my neon tetras. My Bolivian rams are still lethargic and not really eating, the rainbow fish seem to be doing very well and still eating like pigs, all my shrimp seem to be fine and I am not sure about my pleco and otos as I don't see them much anyway. Still not seeing any dead worms yet.


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## inkmaker

Cameron,
It only takes a few minutes to produce a reaction from the Nematodes. Inside of an hour you should see worms being expelled. There are usually some higher up in the intestines that don't get moved out right away because they are still hooked into the intestinal wall although they may be dead. But if the medication has been in the tank overnight, one shouldn't expect to see much activity from the Nematodes. Everything else takes place on a smaller scale. Very often other fish will eat the expelled worms. Not a problem though, the fish is infused with the medication and this insures the worms are dead.

How are the fish?


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## inkmaker

AOBTW
It's:
CHANGE AS MUCH WATER AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN


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## coralbandit

my bad inkmaker!"CHANGE AS MUCH WATER AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN ". " I CHANGE WATER".


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## Hawk1018

Well day three and about to do my large water change. The levamisole is does not seem to be working in my bolivian rams. I still see red worms hanging out of one and neither will eat. Not sure what to do next....this is a bummer.


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## jccaclimber2

Are the red worms hanging out dead or alive? If they're dead the fish may just be having a hard time passing them (this happened to me with a fish). Do not however help them out.


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## inkmaker

Hawk1018 said:


> Well day three and about to do my large water change. The levamisole is does not seem to be working in my bolivian rams. I still see red worms hanging out of one and neither will eat. Not sure what to do next....this is a bummer.


They are dead, just hung up. The Nematodes have hooks on their heads to hold them in place. It may take some time to expel everything and there is a second treatment coming in 3 weeks.

Good Luck, but I think everything will be okay.
Charles H


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## Hawk1018

Can they still be red if they are dead? I was reading that they should loose color ....it is hard to tell if they are moving but it looks like they are. Either way....I should just do water change and then treat again in 3 weeks, during this three weeks I do regular tank maintenance and feedings right?


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## Hawk1018

ok...changed out my water today and last time I looked everyone seems to be a little more perky. The bolivian rams are moving around a lot more...they are still looking stressed but I didn't see any worms on my last look. I lost two neon tetras and looks like it will be 3...the last one is fighting to stay alive swimming around a lot but does not look good (tail looks like it melted away). Unfortunately none of my snails were wiped out ...( I have a pond snail outbreak about to occur ). Anyway just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping this works.


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## Hawk1018

Well my excitement was short lived just found one of my bolivian rams with his face in the dirtstill has worms coming out of him...this sucks cause they were so much fun to watch...now the other one will be lonely.


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## navigator black

Camallanus is a dreaded parasite in fishtanks. I have medications on hand, and I have seen this parasite twice. Even with that experience and those resources, if I ever see the red worms dangling again, I will expect 50% losses. I'll expect the survivors to be poor breeders, and to always be prone to shorter lives, But if I breed them, I may have fewer young, but I'll at least have enough young to keep going, and those young don't inherit the damage.
It is hard to kill, and good at killing. If you don't get it really quickly, it can kill everything, fast. I know it isn't helpful to you to have me say this, but it's a perspective thing. Every fish that survives this will only do so because of the treatment. The worm is a killer.
They are one of the worst problems in fishkeeping.


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## coralbandit

ok, I thought i missed something ,but didn't? How does one end up with the worm.Is it a product of overfeeding, introduced through new carrier?The desease seems horridable and would want to avoid any chance of meeting mr.C


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## inkmaker

coralbandit said:


> ok, I thought i missed something ,but didn't? How does one end up with the worm.Is it a product of overfeeding, introduced through new carrier?The desease seems horridable and would want to avoid any chance of meeting mr.C


Camallanus sp. is a genus of parasitic Nematodes. They are found around the world in fresh water fishes. These Nematodes are live bearers and the first molt worm is small enough to be eaten by many crustaceans and copeopds which can be secondary hosts for the parasite.

The life cycle of Camallanus worms passes through three key phases, a free-living stage, a series of molts during which time the worms infect an intermediate host (a crustacean) and then another molt that takes place in the final host (the fish).

After mating, mature females begin the cycle by producing large numbers of first-stage larvae. When the fish defecates these will be carried out into the environment. These larvae quickly settle out onto the substrate where they wiggle about in an enticing way, thereby tricking small crustaceans into eating them. Once that happens the larvae move into the host’s gut where they feed and grow. Known intermediate hosts include Cyclops and Gammarus, but Daphnia have not (yet) been observed to carry the parasite. Brine shrimp (Artemia) don’t carry the parasites because they’re reared in high salinity environments that Camallanus worms cannot tolerate.

Within about a week they will have molted twice to form inactive third-stage larvae that sit inside the secondary host. Should the crustacean be eaten by a fish, the third-stage larvae become active and start feeding again, eventually molting twice to form the sexually mature male or female adult worms. These are the distinctive red worms aquarists see protruding from the vents of infected aquarium fish. The length of time it takes the life cycle to complete varies with temperature and for different Camallanus species, but in the case of Camallanus cotti it takes less than a month at 77 degrees Fahrenheit. But it takes up to 3 months before the worm appears at the anus of the host fish. Thus the female ma be spreading the parasite weeks ahead of the appearance at the anus. The fish keeper may have no idea they are giving their infested fish away to friends who spread the parasite around a little more. 

Most Camallanus species cannot complete their life cycle without an intermediate host, but Camallanus cotti is unusual in being able to skip this stage, and mature females produce first-stage larvae that can infect other fish directly if they do not find a suitable crustacean host first. Possible pathways include cannibalism and ingestion of feces produced by infest fish. This hasn't always been the case. The species required a secondary host as late as 1985.


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## Hawk1018

yes it is a nasty bugger and I was expecting to loose some fish, just bummed it had to be that one...but on the bright side I have not seen any more worms or strange poops....and the rainbow fish seem to be doing great. The one that was not eating before treatment is showing interest and swimming with the others now. All my shrimp are doing fine and the otos are out and about which is a little strange since they usually hide all the time.


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## navigator black

My two experiences with it were similar - fish I got from trusted sources who were unaware the parasite was in their systems. I assume they got it with fish they bought, and on and on we go.
The fact that Camallanus cotti seems to have been able to adapt to fishkeeping and direct transfers is interesting. The first bout here, about 15 years ago, killed almost everything, and the drug I used, flubendazole, saved maybe 10 percent of the fish. 
I bought meds from Charles for a friend whose fish had it and he was able to save about 80% of his fish. 
The third one was scary in a different way. It didn't slaughter the fish, but worked at a smoother level than the first disastrous outbreak. I figure the parasite hasn't only adapted to skip a stage in its life cycle, but it has begun to hit a balance with its new hosts (aquarium fish) by not killing them all quickly. That's a standard parasite/host adaptation - the arms race between the two reaches truces. 
Murphy's Law of Parasites is they will always kill your favourite fish, and always hit the tank you enjoy the most.


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## coralbandit

So This disease/infection/parasite is introduced?Via food or infected stock?Or just thruogh stock, that take advantage of certain food sources?I can't just develope this problem through negligent fishkeeping?I don't want to get it(the worm ), but wnt to get it(the cause). It's been nice hearing from nav and ink I will say.I will go a step farther to make the inference that I believe (with the exception of infected stock) "THAT CHANGING AS MUCH WATER AS YOU CAN AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN" is the secret to successful fishkeeping/breeding/rearing.and in the case of introduced infection with "whatever"proper med I believe step 2 is change water.Anyone with problems catching on. Don't wait till you think you need to make pwc ,change it regulary! (water change thread to follow!)!!!!!


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## navigator black

It's a parasite that has to get into your tank. The usual source is buying a fish with it. It then goes through all your tanks (if you have several) if you are careless with wet nets, etc, since each adult sprays out eggs.

Changing lots of water gives you healthy fish, but camallanus doesn't care...


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## coralbandit

THANKS to all. I now understand. And Nav. is rite, water changes are good but not cure to all. THANKS!


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## Hawk1018

yeah...the parasite is usually introduced by fish ....I believe it can come in with shrimp and snails as well but not positive.


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## inkmaker

navigator black said:


> It's a parasite that has to get into your tank. The usual source is buying a fish with it. It then goes through all your tanks (if you have several) if you are careless with wet nets, etc, since each adult sprays out eggs.
> 
> Changing lots of water gives you healthy fish, but camallanus doesn't care...


These Nematodes are live bearers. There are only eggs maturing in the sexually mature fertilized females. These newly hatched Nematodes are smaller than Microworms we feed our fish. They may be caught up mechanically in the shells, and other structures of various animals or plants, etc., but most usually they are from your friend's favorite fish.


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## coralbandit

That's why I really need no further aquantaince with worm;I'm alot of peoples friend.(want any swords or kribs?).


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## navigator black

Charles - thank you. I thought they hatched quickly outside of the host. They are very well-adapted little beasts.

No one want to know the worm... but I am glad to know about it.


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## Hawk1018

Update... no more deaths and my other ram is eating again


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## jccaclimber2

Remember to do the second treatment (details on Charles's page). Also, remember to sanitize your nets. When I have a disease concern I leave my net sitting in a solution of saturated driveway salt. While some things survive marine salt levels, I don't know of anything in a fish tank that will survive a saturated salt solution, and non-salted aquarium. Do remember to rinse the net before returning it to the tank.


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## Hawk1018

update....had an ammonia spike 1ppm and found my pleco had passed (probably the reason for the spike)...so the count is up to 5 fish lost. I did soak all my buckets, nets, and gravel cleaner in some water and bleach for a day... then rinsed and soaked in some treated water to remove chlorine. 

Question? Can this parasite live on something that has been completely dry for more then a week and do I need to sanitize everything again after second treatment?


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## inkmaker

Hawk1018 said:


> update....had an ammonia spike 1ppm and found my pleco had passed (probably the reason for the spike)...so the count is up to 5 fish lost. I did soak all my buckets, nets, and gravel cleaner in some water and bleach for a day... then rinsed and soaked in some treated water to remove chlorine.
> 
> Question? Can this parasite live on something that has been completely dry for more then a week and do I need to sanitize everything again after second treatment?


Sorry for your loss. As for living through dry? the answer is no. Very few aquatic things can make it through a dry period of a few days. But look at your nets. Are they made from a wire frame wrapped with a plastic tube? or at least the handle? 
Just be sure they are really dry and they won't transmit anything.


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## _Chrissy

What do I do with my plants in my planted tank while treating with Levamisole HCL? I sent for some from Charles.
I can not vacum the bottom of the tank well with them in place where they are.
They need treated too right? Will the treatment kill them?

What about my nets and gravel vacum? How do I make sure they are not still contaminated?


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## Hawk1018

The Levamisole HCL did not affect my plants. Although it was hard to vacuum the substrate, I just moved the decorations I could and went around plants as best as I could. At this point no more fish have died.


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## inkmaker

_Chrissy said:


> What do I do with my plants in my planted tank while treating with Levamisole HCL? I sent for some from Charles.
> I can not vacum the bottom of the tank well with them in place where they are.
> They need treated too right? Will the treatment kill them?
> 
> What about my nets and gravel vacum? How do I make sure they are not still contaminated?


Everything wet in the tank needs to be treated.

Levamisole is kind to plants, nothing to worry about. That is one of the best things about the med. It doesn't really bother anything but the Nematode. Some snails are sensitive but not usually a problem.
As far as vacuuming goes, just mix the water as best you can to flush out anything you can move without ripping up the plants. Levamisole will kill the the worms in the fish and they drop out into a lethal solution of the drug so everything gets the full treatment.

Wash and dry your nets and be sure to take the gravel vac. apart and wipe it dry. Run hot water through the hose to be sure it is clean, hang it up to air dry and everything should be good.

Charles H


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## _Chrissy

Thanks!!!!


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## navigator black

Before Charles starting making this drug available (a labour of kindness, because demand can't be high) Camallanus were the fishkeeper's ultimate parasite fear. They are deadly little things - a real scourge. They make Ich look like a party. 
This has been a good thread for learning more about this worm - thanks to all and to those battling it, best of luck. At least you have some skill on your side now too.


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## Hawk1018

on a high note one of my rainbows that was not eating and getting skinnier by the day is now putting on some weight and is a lot more involved in the daily flash fest that happens in my tank... I need more girls ...got one maybe two and the boys are showing their yellow heads all the time.


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## _Chrissy

I wanted to ask about the angelsplus.com food.
I have been feeding New Life Spectrum Thera+A food since I set my tank up and it did not kill the Camallanus. 
Why does their food say it kills Camallanus? Wouldn't the Thera+A have killed it if garlic killed Camallanus?

:ISh_the_Fish: Just wondering while looking at my tank and my poor fish.

Meds from Charles should be here in a few days. I will keep u all posted as I treat the tank.


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## navigator black

I looked that food up, but I can't find the claim it deals with Camallanus. It supposedly helps discourage parasites, but Camallanus doesn't need a lot of encouragement - it's tough. Garlic doesn't kill red worms, to my knowledge. 

It does make one of the great 'warning bell' statements that always makes me skeptical of a product - it says it is chemical free, despite the fact the chemicals are what we are made of. It's a trendy statement, but sketchy, to me.

I'll trust the chemicals for Camallanus.


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## _Chrissy

Got the meds! YAY! 
Going to start treatment tonight after I do the water change & remove carbon filter.

I thought I read on Loaches Online - Community Edition — Loaches Online to keep the tank lights off for treatment. Is this correct or not? 
Increase aeration with air stone?
If I do, then does that mean the lights stay off for 3 days (before 2nd H2O change or for the 6 weeks of complete treatment (with 2nd dose in 3 weeks again included)?


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## Hawk1018

you don't need to turn off the lights outside of your normal light schedule.


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## inkmaker

_Chrissy said:


> Got the meds! YAY!
> Going to start treatment tonight after I do the water change & remove carbon filter.
> 
> I thought I read on [loaches.com/]Loaches Online - Community Edition — Loaches Online | to keep the tank lights off for treatment. Is this correct or not?
> Increase aeration with air stone?
> If I do, then does that mean the lights stay off for 3 days (before 2nd H2O change or for the 6 weeks of complete treatment (with 2nd dose in 3 weeks again included)?


The information on:
Treating Your water with Levamisole is so much more to the use of the medication and real time useful to tormented aquarists and their fish than the Loaches quotations. Follow the other links on Camallanus Treatment - Use of Levamisole HCl for more information and actual experiences from other aquarists.


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## _Chrissy

Thanks Charles!
I used your pages for dosage amt. and treatment. Great information! 
Thank you for geting the meds to me quickly! 

Glad I can keep the lights on for my plants on schedule.
I turned on an airstone just to give the fish more air while treating. Is that ok?

Just got everything done and meds in about 1/2 hour ago. 
I used 1 gram Levamisole HCl powder to 2T H2O and put 4t in the tank. I hope that was right. Saved the last 4t for next dose in 3 weeks.
Fish look ok so far...


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## _Chrissy

12 hours later:

The female Guppy that had the worm I noticed in the first place has died. I thought she would. 

*??? *Female Platy: Both eyes are clouding over and seems to be pop eye. She was fine last night.
How can I help her? Should I treat the tank for a bacterial infection while the Levamisole is in the tank?
I have Pimafix on hand if needed or what else can I use?

Some of the other fish are hanging on the bottom acting shy until I feed them. Then they act "normal".


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## zero

can i ask if charles sends to the uk and for a link to his website? (just for future reference if i get the worms) thanks


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## _Chrissy

zero said:


> can i ask if charles sends to the uk and for a link to his website? (just for future reference if i get the worms) thanks


Tropical Fish Information


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## Hawk1018

I am not sure if you can medicate with other medicines during the treatment.


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## _Chrissy

24 hours after first treatment.

No other fish deaths except for one Guppy.
Worried that the Mickey Platy will not make it. 
I can still see worms being expelled and hanging from the adult fish/fry.
Baby fry seem to still be ok.


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## inkmaker

Hawk1018 said:


> I am not sure if you can medicate with other medicines during the treatment.


The more strange chemicals you put into their water the more stress they suffer. The spikes on the head parts of the worms embed themselves into the walls of the intestines. Those holes can get infected and if they pull out and scratch the walls all the worse for the fish. Several of those who have written back have used various medications. Sometimes it seems to work to help, others, well I don't know . . .

Temperature seems to affect how many fish react to the medication and a lower temperature in the mid 70s seems to be best on the fish. Temps in the mid 80s is definitely not a good combination with the medication and fish.

Short times in a mild salt addition to the tank often helps the kidney function of the fish and that improves survival as it supports the fishes immune system. You can change it out with partial water changes over time. A tablespoon per 5 gallons is a good supportive dosage.

Charles H
inkmkr.com/Fish


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## _Chrissy

My tank temp is in the mid 70's (about 76-78).
I added some aquarium salt (about 1.5T).
I won't add any other chemicals.

I did remove the carbon Marineland filter before treatment. I have some plain Marineland filter padding so I cut a piece to fit the filter and put it in. Is this ok? No carbon.

Water is getting cloudy. I assume this is normal due to 90% water change?

Catfish and Ottos seem fine. 
The guppies act fine but their holes are looking torn up and I expect they may not make it when the worms finish coming out the rest of the way.

Thanks for all your help everyone


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## Hawk1018

update: put in my second dose today. No additional deaths since my last post and no sign of the worms. All fish are eating and pooping and getting bigger...Yay!!!


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