Chanaverm wormer (Camallanus Worms) Advice/Help required..

[swordtail7]

Hello all.

I'm Joe, I own a juwel rio 240L community tank containing;
4 x Black widow tetra
2 x Dwarf Gourami
2 x Platy
2 x Ottocinclus
5 x Molly
1 x Black Molly
8 x Molly fry (young)

My water parameters are: 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, >10ppm Nitrate.

About 2 months ago I noticed red 'spikes' protruding from one of my gourami's vent & after a little research I diagnosed him to have a Camallanus worm infection.
I treated the entire tank with NT Lab's 'Anti Fluke & Wormer' Medicine following a recommendation from my LFS. A week in I noticed the other smaller Gourami had one small 'spike' also. I repeated the treatment as advised for a month (once a week for 4 weeks). The worms seem to have started to protrude more on the big Gourami (he has more than 12 spikes!) but none have been passed (I have cleaned tank well where appropiate) Therefore the Infection still exists.
After leaving the tank for the recommended 10 days between medications I am now ready to use Chanaverm;

http://www.fish-treatment.co.uk/chanaverm.html

Anyone else used this? there is not much info about & I really dont want to harm any of my fish.
Many thanks in advance, Joe

[Carylnz]

I can't help with that medication question as many are banned in my country but the following article was written by one of our club members. It may be of help to you if the meds mentioned are available where you are (and under the same name!)...

What is Camallanus?
Camallanus cotti is a type of nematode which lives in the lower part of the intestine, its head has a rasping organ on it which is used to drill into the intestinal wall and anchor itself there. These worms and red (due to the blood they feed off), they vary in length, are quite thin and are easily visible- they hang their posterior out the bottom of your fish. By the time you see these worms your fish is quite heavily infested. Females can attain lengths of 10mm or so while males are much smaller around 3mm, the worms you see protruding from your fish are always females.
How is it contracted?
The most common way of contraction Camallanus is via other fish. The nematodes are live bearers and the part of the worm you see is its bottom, it does this so its young fall to the bottom of the tank where they are consumed by fish, copepods, inverts etc. Some people believe the nematode needs an intermediate host but fish to fish contraction is possible. The live young are often passed out with faeces and as many of you have probably experienced some fish like to snack on such things. When an intermediate host is used the fish will often eat the host and contract it this way. If one fish in your tank has Camallanus you can almost guarantee all the others do. You are also able to introduce this nematode via live foods, daphnia are one of the most common culprits as they are often kept outdoors where birds are able to excrete in their waters and this is where initial infestation comes from. Camallanus is easily passed from tank to tank so make sure you wash your hands between touching your tanks and use separate buckets, siphons etc or sterilise thoroughly in between.
What effects does it have on fish?
Camallanus can be fatal in many ways. The nematodes anchor will cause tears in the intestine which leave it open to bacterial infections. The parasite itself does not kill the fish it just weakens them which will leave them open to secondary complications and infections. When the fish try to pass the dead nematodes after treatment it can sometimes block them up and the nematodes will actually start to rot inside the fish, this is why using a mild dose of Epsom salts is recommended to help aid in the passing of the worms. It can cause reduced ability to absorb nutrients and can cause anaemia from blood loss.
How do I treat it?
Some reports suggest of Camallanus being extremely hard to get rid of while others report it to be quite easy. Levamisole Hydrochloride seems to be the favourite to use but I have seen recommendations of Piperazine and Fenbendazole. The dosage for Levamisole is 1.5ml per 7.5L or water when using a 7.5% solution. I obtained a 24% solution so used 1ml per 22L (not exact but close enough). Levamisole is widely used as a pig and poultry wormer and sometimes a sheep drench. NEVER attempt to pull the worms out the fish- this will rip their intestinal lining as they are securely anchored in there.

This is the method I used to treat my fish after doing some extensive reading on the internet-
Do a 90% water change making sure to vacuum the substrate very well as this is where the nematode babies will be. It is reported that the babies can sometimes be in the water body itself so this is partly why such a large water change is recommended.
Add Levamisole at the required dose (I mixed it in a litre of water then poured into the aquariums)
Wait 48 hours (some reports suggested 24 hours, some 72. I decided to go in between). If your fish show signs of not liking the treatment do a water change at 24 hours. My rummies were pale at 48 hours yet the other fish were all fine.
Do another 90% water change making sure to vacuum the substrate really well. Repeat in two weeks.
If they are still infested after the second treatment (do note that they will pass the worms so a water change a few days after treatment is suggested as these can contain eggs, I thought this was re-infestment straight after treating when I saw my rummy nose pass an adult worm) you are able to treat again, Levamisole is a very gentle medication and will not harm your bio filters at all. Experiments have showed that over dosing the medication 5 times showed no ill effects but Levamisole does cause intestinal upset at any dose so it is not advised to OD as it can give the fish diarrhoea. Levamisole is totally safe for sensitive fish like plecos, clown loaches, discus etc.
Fenbendazole is the second most commonly recommended treatment; you soak the fishes food in this and as it goes straight to where it’s needed is often quite successful.
Where do I get the treatments from?
Acquiring correct medications for the treatment of Camallanus can be particularly hard as they are not often available on the shelf. Often taking your fish down to your local vet will not be a viable option as when the fish is stressed the worms will move back into the intestine. I was able to purchase my Levamisole from my local vet; it was on the shelf and was labelled as ‘Avi-Verm’ which is a bird wormer. I was told this isn’t readily available but it is worth checking if your vet is able to acquire some. I obtained my Fenbendazole from a friend who got it from a vet.
If anyone has problems with this nasty nematode and would like to try Levamisole don’t hesitate to contact me, I will do my best to source some as I know the effects (I lost several fish from it). Please note the above is from personal experience and was acquired off many internet pages; please do your own research when it comes to treating fish so you can choose the best treatment method for you

[swordtail7]

Many thanks Carylnz! Very informative & helped to ease some of my concerns.
Will be trating tank tomorrow, will let you know how it goes.
Joe

[swordtail7]

Success!
- Followed the instructions (above & packet), but did not do a 90% water change .. more like 40% Removed Carbon from filter,
- Built 2x 'worm catching' breeder nets to try to capture the foul parasites! Placed the two 'visibly' affected Gouramis in each one.
- Added enough Chanaverm to treat 225L (to factor in water displacement of wood/plants in my 240L etc..)
- Turned lights off & 'Blacked out' tank with bin bags (just to be sure)
- Left for 24hrs ....

No worms! apart from a few dead ones caught in homemade breeder net 'traps' & floor of tank so I cleaned tank a little and fed fish to try and purge any worms remaining..
Few days later and all fishies including fry & otto's happy as is their keeper!

Cant recommend Chanaverm enough & would advise anyone who is in my former predicament to skip any other 'treatment' & use this stuff straight off ... (provided its suitable for your tank of course)
Many thanks to Carylnz for the info above!
Joe.

[Carylnz]

Excellent news! I see Chanaverm has the active ingredient lamisole in it so all good

[markee]

Always love a happy ending

Loads of info there, is it worth making it a sticky, Caryl?

[Carylnz]

Do people (or their fish if you want to be specific) get this infection often? It is one I have never personally seen in 35 years of fishkeeping.

[markee]

Gotta admit i've never seen it or heard of it but the info has proved useful & i found it quite a good read