Have you ever heard of or used Ivermectin? I think they use this to deworm cows and pigs and other farm animals. A few years back, at least, I'd read that this stuff was quite readily available from most vets. I wonder how effective Ivermectin would be, compared to Levamisole...? I'm sure it would have to be diluted considerably, though, if it's manufactured to treat cattle.

 

I found lots of sources for Levamisole online, but the local vet had not heard of it. I hesitated to buy the sheep or cattle pills, not knowing how to convert to fish size doses.

 

here's the instructions for de-worming discus with panacur. i use my own beefheart, and find this food is the best for delivering powdered meds, due to the fact that it almost all gets into their system this way. i make my bh mix with fish and shrimps and almost all fish will eat it, or you can just buy a little for your fish from the lfs.

when using any med, be very careful with your measurements, and follow dosing and other instructions to the letter. imo, de-worming fish MUST be done in a bb tank. first it is easier to see the worms, and these things should not be left in the gravel to rot. i once treated discus for worms, and the tank was thick with them, out of 30 small fish, hundreds of worms came out.

rick

DEWORMING DISCUS WITH PANACUR

You will be using a total of 1/8 tsp. of Panacur (Fenbendazole) per 3oz (84g) total food (beefheart works best) in a 4-dose treatment. Using it inside food is the most effective way to use this drug - it does not dissolve well in water.

Begin by starving fish for 12hrs before feeding so they'll be good and hungry and won't turn their noses up at the treated food.

Take 1/8 tsp. Panacur granules and grind into a fine powder - we use a pharmacist's mortar.

Divide the ground powder into four doses and put ½ (two doses) back for later use.

Take ¼ of the 3oz beefheart (21g), flatten out and sprinkle one dose of Panacur over the top (imagine you're heavily salting food), fold the beefheart over, then soak the mixture in the fridge for about an hour before feeding it to the fish.

Do this again 8-12hrs later. Wait 6-8 days (depending on the life cycle of the worm you are treating for) and repeat this procedure. Feed your fish normally during this "wait period" and do not pre-mix the treated food, as the drug will lose its potency (as most all drugs do).

We find it best to not feed the fish their night-time meal, mix one dose early in the morning, feed it to them, then don't feed them again until their second dose is due (8-12hrs later). We usually wait until the 8th day to give them their third and fourth doses.

If the fish have any kind of lump in the stomach, they've not been passing their feces at a normal rate. If they've had worms in excess of 3 months or if you suspect the fish are infested with worms, we suggest you clean them out before treatment, 24-48hrs after the second treatment, then again 48hrs after the fourth treatment. Be sure to keep a check on how well they pass the worms, dead or otherwise. They may require a fourth cleaning out if they're having a hard time passing their feces or if they're passing it at a rate YOU don't fell like is normal for them. Your' the only one who can make that decision since you're the only one who sees them on a daily basis. Clean them out using Epsom salt inside their food as we've found it's most effective when put directly inside their gut (remember, that's where the worms are so it only makes sense that it would be most effective when used this way). Normal dosage for cleaning out a fish is 1/8 tsp. Epsom salt per 4oz (112g) of beefheart. This dosage changes if you have to clean them out throughout the de-worming process. Any of the special circumstances mentioned above, or if the fish aren't passing their feces normally the morning after the second dose was administered, you will need a change in the Epsom salt dosage.

May I suggest the above directions be read carefully and understood before beginning treatment. It's almost impossible to overdose with the Panacur (and Epsom salt for that matter), however, getting too much in their stomachs at once could cause the fish to get a bellyache for a few days.

[This message was edited by aspen on Fri September 19 2003 at 12:35 AM.]

 

quote:

Have you ever heard of or used Ivermectin?

I haven't used it; I've been leery of trying it because I haven't found any indication that anyone's ever tried it on tropical fish, and I didn't feel like making my fish the guinea pigs! Ivermectin is one of the dewormers that is commonly used now. Fifteen years ago, levamisole was used a great deal more in cattle and pigs than it is today, and one of the reasons I like it so much is that it's so nontoxic. If anyone out there has tried Ivermectin as a dewormer, I'd love to hear about it.

Rick, thanks for the great info! I'll have to find out more about Panacur.

Ann, I haven't used the boluses myself, but I have a friend who has; I'll have to check the dosage and let you know. There are still several places on line that list Levasole (levamisole hydrochloride)--but when you try to order it, you discover they're out of stock. I believe it's still available by prescription for human consumption (it's used in conjunction with chemotherapy for colon cancer patients, both as an antihelminthic and an immune system booster), but it's a lot more expensive. On the other hand, one prescription would be a lifetime supply. LOL! It might be a little tricky explaining to your doctor why you wanted it!

http://www.wheelpost.com

 

Where to get Panacur? I just could find an online Canadian pharmacy that would sell it in 450 gram tubs.

Canadian Aquatic Plant Trading Website

 

i am not sure where you can get it. i got it from a fellow hobiest, out of HIS 450 gram tub...

rick

 

I think we need to set up a group buy for levamisole or for Praziquantel.

Canadian Aquatic Plant Trading Website

 

How do you know if your fish have worms?

 

Worst case you can see the worms hanging out of them.

I got 52 grams of prohibit drench, which is 48 grams pure levisimole, for 15 bucks plus 5 bucks handling from a farm vet website. I added 5 grams to a 55g tank 5 days apart and it seemed to do the job.

3 weeks later, everybody is still worm free, but a week after the second dose my a. gracilis melted down on me. I'm not sure if it was the medication, I didn't do a water change after one day because I really wanted to zap the worms and the literature suggested the stuff was really safe. Maybe it broke down into funky chemicals over time, or maybe something else triggered the meltdown since we've had a heat spell since then.

The ph was lower for the second dose than it was for the first, and the second dose really did the job, so the ph buisness may be important.

 

Ok, so the levisimole worked great on my 55, but one of the killies in my 20 looks awful thin, so they've probably got a problem too. Unfortunately their tank is nowhere near nuetral so I don't think adding it to their water will be as effective as it was in the 55.

Update:
Added the reccomended dose directly to the 20, it caused hornwort and hydrocotyle to melt to some extent. I'd noticed this in the 55 too. A water change the next day pretty much stopped that. The killies look much better now. One of the females looked pretty stricken for a day or two, but has recovered since. Probably constipated from the nasties.

It seemed to kill all the daphnia in the tank, but the rotifers are still there. The MTS also all pulled into their shells for a few days, but seem to have pulled through too. I guess that's a warning that much more than the reccomended dose of levisimole may well kill plants and snails, as well as some other tank organisms.

 

I have used Praziquantel to deworm my discus in the planted tank. No harm to the plants. I found that majority of my discus had tapeworms.

 

Since 2 ppm Levamisole/24 hrs will do the trick, I think the problem was that you dosed at about 10X that amount, if my math is correct.

 

But where does one find Praziquantel?

 

I had two doses(two days apart after 50% water change) of 3 grams of Levamisole in 100g, no harm to the plants.

 

Hmm, guess that's why I'm still worm free then. I'm pretty sure I used the reccomended dose though. My angels have spawned 3 times in my community tank since then and I've got about 20 near-adult killie fry, so I guess the crew's happy.

 

I remember reading somewhere about levamisole causing sterility in zebra danios.

I've used it on gold panchax and paradisefish so far, with no sign of that happening. Good to hear your fish aren't "shooting blanks" either. Maybe they gave the zebras an elephant-sized dose...

 

I visited the fish farm coop yesterday they had medicated flakes in 8oz sizes so you don't have to buy 5lbs. It is custom made by Ziegler. They had a worming flake but I can't remember the active ingredient. They have a metrondiazole flake as well as some antibiotic flakes. the website is http://www.4fishstuff.com They will sell to hobbyists.

 

About 18 months ago I had what I thought was a worm problem. A friend own a 3 story retail and wholesale fish and plant business and he sent me Flubendazole. He said it was the best dewormer he had found. I recently had to use it on discus with tape worm- worked like a charm. Also now have recovering angel in H tank having just been treated with metro, Flubendazole and Epsom.

Several other larger scale fish folks i know also swear by it. Unfortunately it is not the easiest med to find.

 

....Fish get worms...? How often do they need to be dewormed? I mean, I deworm my dog every four months, but she's activly eating contaminated things (mice).

How can you tell? Should I just deworm all my fish, or look for symptoms?

About the only good thing is that I'm a veterinary assistant, so I can take a list of the drugs you folks have recomended in to work tomorrow and see if I can find any of them.