# Treating w/Levamisole HCL



## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

well I am going to keep a journal for future references and if anyone needed somebody with experience. I got the callamanus worms and the best way to treat it is with levamisole HCL. My tank is by dimension 75 gallons but I will probably treat is for 60 gallons considering the substrate and rocks would probably have taken up volume. This means I would have to dose twice, 3 grams in each dosage. I will mix it with water first rather than just dry dosing. THANK GOD I AM DONE SCHOOL for the summer, don't know how I would cope with dealing stress at school and with my aquarium at the same time... 

Background: Angels show obvious signs of worms protuding out of their vent (I believe callamanus worms commonly found in Angels).

General Procedure: I was told the more water changes the better.

Day1: Do a 50% WC then after a few hours, 1st Dosage of 3 grams
Day 2: nothing
Day 3: nothing
Day 4: nothing
Day 5: 50% - 75% WC 
Day 6: 15% WC
Day 7: 15% WC
Day 8: 15% WC
Day 9: 15% WC
Day 10: 15% WC
Day 11: 15% WC
Day 12: 15% WC
Day 13: 15% WC
Day 14: Do a 50% WC then after a few hours, 2nd Dosage of 3 grams
Day 15-26: Repeat Days 2 - 13
Day 27: Do a 50% WC then after a few hours, 3rd Dosage of 3 grams
Day 28 - 39: Repeat Days 62 - 13

Levamisole HCL paralyzes the worms, which are expelled. This is why you have to vacuum the substrate to take the worms out.


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## GuppiesAndBetta (Jul 27, 2009)

Would striping down a tank and dipping everything in a mild bleach solution produce the same results?


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## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

GuppiesAndBetta said:


> Would striping down a tank and dipping everything in a mild bleach solution produce the same results?


well no if your fish are contaminated the only way to get them out is to use the meds.

if all your fish died, then i would strip down the tank and bleach it


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

Hey Byron, just thought I would suggest some alternatives to your method that have been proven to work in the past as I've got quite a bit of experience with the stuff. 

Firstly, do a 50% ~ change PRIOR to adding the levamisole. Wait a few hours after doing the change to give the fish a chance to settle down, then add the meds. You want the fish in fighting form when you add levamisole because it can be quite harsh and some fish can die. 

Once the levamisole is in, give it a couple days before you do the next water change. You want the fish to have time to fully metabolize the levamisole and for the medicine to work its way through the system. 2 - 3 days is usually good for this. Do the h20 change after this period to remove the dead worms. It is a common misconception that they are just paralyzed and then come back to life. Yes, the medicine does paralyze them, but once expelled they won't be able to come back alive and get back into your fish. Without the host they are dead, and their only means for infecting a host fish is in an earlier stage of their life cycle. They can't swim around and dive into a fish's belly. More than that, once deprived of the blood of their fish host, they die. You want to ensure that there has been time for the worms to be paralyzed AND expelled from your fish so that you can vacuum them up. The one concern that does exist is that cysts from dead worms may still be released and then re-infect your fish which is why you do the 2nd treatment 2 weeks later before any new infections would have had time to reach the infectious stage. 

The h20 changes on a daily basis definitely won't hurt anyone but they aren't necessary either. I'd say do them anyways though because why not lol. Definitely wait a while before you change water after adding the meds though. The third treatment is also optional but doing it is a good precaution.


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## GuppiesAndBetta (Jul 27, 2009)

Sorry, thats what I meant, if all the fish ended up dying. If that happened and i just left it, would the eggs of the worms eventually die or would they just not hatch?


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## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

Cory said:


> Hey Byron, just thought I would suggest some alternatives to your method that have been proven to work in the past as I've got quite a bit of experience with the stuff.


thanks, definitely edited my procedure, going to start tonight.

i'm going to do the extra water changes as my tank is so heavily planted and i find it pretty hard to maneuver my hose through all the bush and rocks and what not, that I fear I might miss some worms.

I am also going to do a third dosage just in case


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