FishyFishy! Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 So I came home to find one of my angels dead. I looked at his brother and he has a large light colored thing coming out of his anus. It really looks like he has a very large pooh coming out. The dead guy had looked like something silimar had happened. Help meeeeee!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatpuffer Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 It reminds me of camallanus infestation I had when I was breeding apisto triple red. I used levamisole hcl to treat it. Bad bug if it is camallanus. Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kronosdelsol Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 (edited) . Edited October 2, 2010 by Kronosdelsol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyFishy! Posted February 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 Ok woke up this morning, and he was dead of course. Now I think one of my Bolivian Rams has it. Here are some pictures of the dead one. Do you think that it is camallanus??? I need to know soon so I can start treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyFishy! Posted February 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 (edited) And he wasn't bitten to death. No signs of any other damage. I haven't started feeding them anything new at all. Same old Nutrafin tropical flakes. I have though recently bought a large container of it. I now put it in the fridge. Would that alter the food in any way? I also don't seem to see any red worms like the camallanus Edited February 21, 2010 by FishyFishy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 from what i can see i wouldn't say it's callamanus, unless the worms aren't yet at the point where they protrude from the anus of the fish, and are doing damage inside without revealing themselves. i know it may sound horrid, but is there any way you might disect one of the dead fish to see if there is a worm infestation within the intestines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
African_Fever Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Definitely not a breeding papillae, looks just too rough and mangled. You might be able to see callamanus with a microscope from the outside and not need to dissect the fish. Either way, I'd personally start treating the tank with a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic med, aimed at callamanus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyFishy! Posted February 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatpuffer Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 with the sunken belly look...i would say it is an internal parasite. Callamanus is easily treated with levamisole hcl. Treat all tank equipment as well as they can easily spread to all tanks. Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyFishy! Posted February 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 I have confirmed it as callamanus. I can now see the very tiny red worms hanging from the anus. I will begin treatment today... hopefully I don't loose anymore of my angels/rams! Now... I'd like to know how the parasites either develop, or get into the tank. Is it mainly the food? What could be the cause? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyFishy! Posted February 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 Ok... So where the heck in calgary do I find levamisole hcl without having to go to a vet?? Nowhere i've checked today has it. I DON WAN MAAA FISHIES TO DIEEE!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinmr Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 I don't think you can get it in Calgary. You can try http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/ItemsForSale.html or http://www.canadianaquatics.com/equipment/equipment.htm but needs to be shipped over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 callamanus can easily come into your tank on anything that's from an infested tank. any new plants lately? any new fish? mind you, the worms do take some time to show themselves, so think back as far as 2 to 4 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatpuffer Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 Talk to charles or mykiss for here or bcaquaria...they usually have leve hcl. Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobies et al Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 Just a tip, when using Levamisole increase the oxygenation in the tanks. I had better survival in my tanks with increased circulation and added oxygen. Here is some research that I did for another forum: General information Camallanus nematodes is a common parasite of freshwater fishes. They are reported from all continents except Antarctica. There are 6 genera and 130 species! It is the mature female worm protruding from the anus of the fish. There has been research on Camallanus oxycephalus as early as 1916, and several projects on the same worm since. This is information from paraphrased those reports: Their life cycle includes 5 stages and involves an indirect host. The 1st stage larvae must be consumed by a copepod. It has the highest chance of this in planktonic rich locations. The 2nd and 3rd stages are completed within the copepod. During this time, the copepod gets eaten by planctivorus fish. The 4th stage involves contact with bile triggering rupture from the copepod and infecting the fish. The 5th stage is maturation into the worm in the terminal end of the intestine. It has been found that in some species they do not develop beyond the 4th stage. That would it make them a possible reservoir host for infecting larger fish when eaten. The piscivore can be infected by eating either the 4th or 5th stage. There has been some research done on Camallanus cotti, which has been identified in a number of ornamental fish, Platys, Betta's, Paradise fish, to name a few. It is suspected that copepods are not required in this species. Here is the abstract from an article entitled Transmission Ecology and Larval Behaviour of Camallanus cotti (Nematoda, Camallanidae) Under Aquarium Conditions found at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/conten...8?crawler=true Abstract: The parasitic fish nematode Camallanus cotti has been reported from a number of freshwater fish species around the world. Its wide geographical distribution seems mainly to be the result of anthropogenic dissemination due to extensive ornamental fish trade. In most reports it is assumed that C. cotti's life cycle involves cyclopoid copepods as intermediate host and various freshwater fishes as final host. However, the species' relatively frequent and persistent occurrence in aquaria worldwide strongly indicates flexibility in its life cycle, i.e. the ability to infect the final host directly. The present study has shown that under aquaria conditions, without any presence of copepods, C. cotti is able to infect various phylogenetically distant fish species directly for at least three generations. It was further shown that the infective free-living first-stage larvae may survive for more than three weeks in the host-external environment and that their host-attracting behaviour is not precluding direct transmission to the final fish host. Any treatment for C. cotti under aquaculture or aquarium conditions should be directed towards both individual infected fish hosts as well as the free-living larvae on the substrate. Other sources: Clear Technical Report No. 26 Changes in the Occurrence of Camallanus oxycephalus http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/_documen...TR/CTR-026.pdf Clear Technical Report No. 25 The Life Cycle and Development of Camallanus oxycephalus http://www.ohioseagrant.osu.edu/_doc...TR/CTR-025.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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