How do you treat Camallanus?

Question

I have a 200 litre tank, not sure what that is in gallons, anyway my fish are all slowly starting to show the signs of camallanus eg red anus with red worms poking out, I have been doing research as to how to treat these parasites and have discovered you can use panacur soaked in frozen bloodworm as treatment? I am usure on the dosage as some of my fish are an inch long and others are 4 inches in length would this make a difference to the dosage? Has anyone got any other suggestions as to get rid of these horrible pests?

They were introduced in to my tank after buying some bolivian rams. They spent 3 weeks in quaratine before I added them to my tank, then a couple of weeks later they had red worms sprouting out their anus, now my other fish are also starting to show these horrible worms, it takes upto 12 weeks before they show any symptoms.

Have I asked a question which no one can answer?

Apparently you can't get Levamisole HCl in the UK anymore. If this is incorrect please advise as to where it can be found preferably on the internet.

Answer 1

I've never tried the Panacur treatment personally, but I've seen information regarding its use. This link outlines what you need to do: http://www.petfish.net/articles/Diseases/Camallanus.php

I've only ever needed to deal with the parasite twice, once in a tank with guppies and a betta (the betta introduced it) and once with cichlids. At the time, Levacide (Levamisole HCl) was the treatment I found recommended. Like Panacur, this is a livestock dewormer, so I was able to get it at a farm supply store near where I live. Some countries have restricted its use (and that was beginning to be true over a decade ago when I used it), but I didn't have any trouble as a result of using it (and it did cure my fish both times). Here's the basic procedure for it: http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/CamellanusTreatment.pdf One thing to note about the Levicide - since it contains HCl, it will lower the pH in your tank, but not to any extreme degree. The treatment protocol I followed was to treat the tank twice about 4-5 days apart to kill any newly hatched worms, and I didn't experience and fish deaths following the addition of the medication. Since you're keeping rams, they are a little more sensitive to water chemistry, so I would advise adding ANY meds slowly (a partial dose every 1/2 hour or so if you don't have dosing equipment) with them and giving them time between additions to adjust.

ADDITION: I just saw your addition - I must have been writing the response when you posted it!

ADDITION 2: If you need it to calculate dosing, your tank is equivalent to 52.8 gallons (US).

ADDITION 3: If you're in the UK, you may not be able to get the Levamisole. That's one of the countries where it was being restricted (even back when I used it), but I believe you may still be able to get it through veterinarians. The Panacur may be more easily available to you, or you could ask at a local vet's office.