# Callamanus worms :(



## KellySmith (Apr 29, 2010)

Hey guys, This is my first post, but I've been reading all of your threads for quite some time and found them to be very valuable.

My fish seem to have been infected with the dreaded Callamanus and I was hoping to get some advice.

Here is my setup
14 Gallon:
5 x guppy
1 x Whisker Shrimp
1 x Ghost Shrimp
1 x Pleco

2 Gallon:
4 x guppy fry
many snails

This all started about a month or two ago when I had a female fancy guppy who was pregnant. I noticed little red spindles coming out of her anus, however I attributed it to her pregnancy and didn't think much of it (this was my first time with guppies since I was a kid... first time taking it very seriously) She died shortly after having a mis-carriage. Even then I didn't think much of it.

I bought another female. She gets pregnant and I notice the same red spindles. Gives birth to 10 fry, 6 of which she eats immediately (hence the 2 gallon with the 4 fry  ). After giving birth I noticed her appetite was diminished, but again I attributed it to the pregnancy. 

After about 3 days of her not eating I finally decided to look up the red spindles and was devastated to learn about callamanus worms. I've been frantically trying to cure her, and clean out my tank of the infestation, but I haven't had much luck.

My first attempt has been a dose of clout to the entire 14 gallon tank as well as a heavy dose to the infected female guppy specifically in a bucket. It doesn't seem to be working, and I'm worried that I may lose my female. I am also very concerned about the health of the other fish in the tank.

I was also curious as to why my male guppy hasn't shown any signs of the worms. Hes been in the tank longer than any of the other fish, yet the only one showing signs was the female that replaced the last one. And both times they appeared right before giving birth.

Please help, I will be devastated if I lose all my fish like other before me have. Any advice would be appreciated.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Camallanus (note spelling) has become a serious problem over the past several years. It originated in SE Asia fish farms and has spread world wide. While it can infest a lot of different species of fish, it seems to be most lethal to livebearers, possibly because they are mostly so small.

The only drug that can reliably kill it is levamisole, which works even if the fish is too sick to eat. I believe Cory may have some. You have to treat twice, because there's a phase in the life cycle that is drug-resistant.

One of the worst features of this parasite is that the fish is usually infested for about 2-3 months before the appearance of the worms at the anus. They only show when the population has built up to quite a high level, but they are releasing eggs for months before this. This makes it really difficult for the average hobbyist to effectively quarantine incoming fish or to detect infested fish before purchase.

The female guppies were probably infested when you bought them, but didn't show symptoms until later. Your male guppy, and probably your fry, are most likely infested now.

One problem with treating severely infested fish is that sometimes so many worms die at once that the intestine becomes blocked with dead worms,which can kill the fish.

There are several threads on this problem on this board, so you can get more info if you look at older postings. 

That wasn't a spelling flame above -- it's just that you'll get more and better info with the correct spelling to search on.

Don't blame yourself, and don't feel that you could have done better. A lot of very experienced people have had similar troubles with this parasite, which is so hard to prevent and to detect in the early stages.


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## KellySmith (Apr 29, 2010)

I introduced two ramshorn snails that I got from a friend who apparently got them out of a pond out back (Yeah.. that was really dumb :-/). Could these possibly be the cause of the worms?

How long should I wait between treatments?

I do not live in the Toronto area, do you think that Cory would be willing to ship it to me if I covered the costs? If not, can you suggest any other sources? I cannot find Levamisole anywhere around here.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Snails aren't an intermediate host for the worms. Tiny crustaceans can be, but it's been demonstrated that the Camallanus that is such a problem in aquarium fish can go for many generations directly from fish to fish. Also, it's a tropical species, and AFAIK has not gotten into Canadian waters (although it has in Japan). I suspect your guppies were infested at the hatchery or somewhere in the distribution chain.

You'd have to ask Cory about whether he'll ship. I've seen it for sale on the web but it could be a hassle importing it. It's used by veterinarians to treat some types of worms in livestock, but there it's usually in forms that make it hard to use in aquaria.

I don't remember the interval between treatments. I think it's about 2-3 weeks, but you should find out for sure. Read the other threads on this topic here, and google for camallanus and levamisole to find more info. 

Give it a day or two and perhaps other people will post some answers for you.

Since you have only a few fish, it may be more practical to euthanise them, clean up all your equipment, and start over, but it's not a very happy choice. If you can buy fish that are locally raised, you may have better luck finding parasite-free stock.


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## inkmaker (Apr 29, 2010)

*Levamisole / Camallanus - red spikes from the anus*

Hi Kelly and all,
Thanks for the forum - it's a nice one.
I have Levamisole - http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/
Things for sale. I needed to know how much water Kelly needed to treat because the dosage and treatment procedure is important.

I am in St Louis, MO so those of you within the states have a source.

Change As Much Water As Often As You Can.
Charles Harrison in St Louis



KellySmith said:


> Hey guys, This is my first post, but I've been reading all of your threads for quite some time and found them to be very valuable.
> 
> My fish seem to have been infected with the dreaded Callamanus and I was hoping to get some advice.
> 
> ...


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## KellySmith (Apr 29, 2010)

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the help 

Does anyone know if the Levamisole will be safe for my Pleco and shrimp?


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## inkmaker (Apr 29, 2010)

*Levamisole will be safe for my Pleco and but shrimp?*

Levamisole is safe for Plecos and but shrimp are another question. We have been through treatments at 5 grams = 100 gallons with cherry shrimp in the planted tank - 2 nights, 3 days. We lost the young attached to the females, but the adults seem unaffected and were back holding in a month. I have treated cultures of Daphnia with the compound and didn't see a major loss.

I have many reports of tanks treated with Levamisole and several species of Plecos in them and never a mortality.

Clown Loaches seem to be the most sensitive fish to the compound.

Change As Much Water As Often As You Can!
Charles Harrison in St Louis, MO


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## KellySmith (Apr 29, 2010)

about 16 hours after initial treatment...

Seems to be working great, I've seen the sick female evacuate at least 1 worm, I'm sure there has been more. The guide I read said that I should remove worms on the bottom of the tank, but another guide said just wait 24 hours and change like 90% of the water. Which method would you guys recommend?


Also, some of my guppy fry have been laying on the bottom since the treatment. Is there anything I can do for them? They are in a separate 2 gallon tank because I fear they are still small enough to be eaten.


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

make sure you treat all your water and tanks. as well as siphons, nets, etc.

there isn't too much you can do for the fish aside from running the course of treatment. try to feed food that are high in fiber as this helps to evacuate the guts a little better. I have heard that lowering the light might help, but I suspect it is more a lower stress for fish kinda thing.

remember that the idea with the drug is to get the worms out of the fish, and then get them out of the water column. when you change the water, try to deep vacuum to get rid of the worm. some even suggest that the worms and the vacuumed water not be flushed but rather be thrown out on the back lawn assuming it not get into the water system


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

ksimdjembe is right. Eggs have been shown to hatch and mature even inside dead worms discharged from the fish, so anything you can do to get these materials out of the tank will help.


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## KellySmith (Apr 29, 2010)

Thanks, good advice 

On a side note, the levamisole seems to be very effective at wiping out ramshorn snails.. not that I'm complaining or anything.


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## inkmaker (Apr 29, 2010)

Yea, everything seems to be correct so far.

Charles H


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## inkmaker (Apr 29, 2010)

*snails?*



KellySmith said:


> Thanks, good advice
> 
> On a side note, the levamisole seems to be very effective at wiping out ramshorn snails.. not that I'm complaining or anything.


Snails are not really that sensitive to Levamisole. The length of time they spend in the bath is most critical. If you want to kill off snails, Flubendazole is the compound to use.

Charles H


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## KellySmith (Apr 29, 2010)

Treatment seems to have been successful. My female has come back from the brink of death and is now eating heartily again. She still has at least one worm, but its hanging out very far, much further than before and further than I've ever seen in any image. I think it might be dead, but still stuck inside her. Do you think it would be a good idea to catch her in a net and pull it out with some tweezers?

I will be treating all the tanks at least one more time next week, probably two to be sure, and bleaching all of my tank equipment. Should I just wait and see what happens or pull that worm out of her so that it doesn't decay and kill her?

O, and while the levamisole seemed to almost completely paralyze the snails, they are now back and seem fine. The shrimp had a similar effect to a lesser degree.


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

I've never found levamisole to affect ramshorn snails however, when I purchased some assassin snails and bathed them in levamisole water they were paralyzed or in shock or something 20 minutes later. I think they'd have died if I didn't remove them when I did. Once you have levamisole, it's a good idea to just treat fish with it as a precaution when you qt them initially. Camallanus is one of the few diseases that will escape detection during quarantine period. It can take a long time for signs to manifest if the tank is well maintained especially. It's one of the more insidious parasites; by the time you're sure you have it, it is often everywhere already and requires massive treatment . I've had to deal with it three times now and levamisole has been an excellent way to treat it.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Don't try to pull a worm out. They have really awful mouthparts that hook into the intestinal lining, and pulling on the worm can do even more damage. If the worm is dead and the fish is eating, it will come out by itself.


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## KellySmith (Apr 29, 2010)

Ok, sounds like a plan.

Do you think it would be wise to dose every fish I get with some levamisole while in qt just to be safe? Wouldn't have to use very much on a 2 gallon tank. Would it be worth it?


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

KellySmith said:


> Do you think it would be wise to dose every fish I get with some levamisole while in qt just to be safe? Wouldn't have to use very much on a 2 gallon tank. Would it be worth it?


Yes. If you have it, use it.


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