# Camallanus infection



## Jasey (Dec 5, 2007)

My guppy came down with the Camallanus parasite about a week and a half ago. 4 days ago I began the Jungle Parasite Clear treatment and added 1/4 of a tablet to the tank (amount adjusted to match my tank volume). At that time I also started the Jungle Anti-Parasite medicated fish food. I administered the fish food for 3 days, following the instructions, and for the past 2 days I have been feeding them their normal flakes.

Well, he still has the worms (you can see them protruding from the anus) and about 3 days ago I noticed a red spot about the size of a pin-head underneath my guppy's right fin. Yesterday, it got twice as big. Today, it is the same size. I added the appropriate amount of Stress Coat to my tank today. But now, about 6 hours after adding it, there is a tan protrusion coming from the wound on the guppy. It looks like pus. In addition, my guppy has not been eating the food off the top of the tank. He does, however, forage a lot. Since he has had this wound, I have witnessed him throw up 4 times.

I have noticed no signs of the Camallanus in my tetra and he is behaving normally.

I just do not know what to do and wonder if I should put the guppy out of his misery.


1. Size of aquarium (# of gallons):
2.5
2. Is your aquarium setup freshwater or brackish water?
Freshwater
3. How long the aquarium has been set up?
1 month
4. What fish and how many are in the aquarium (species are important to know)
1 yellow guppy and 1 long-fin black skirt tetra
5. Are there live plants in the aquarium?
No
6. What temperature is the tank water currently?
78 F
7. What make/model filter are you using?
AquaClear 20
8. Are you using a CO2 unit?
No
9. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day?
Yes
10. When did you perform your last water exchange, and how much water was changed?
1 day ago - 50%
11. How often do you perform water changes? 
1-2 times a week
12. How often and what foods do you feed your fish?
Tetra Freshwater Flakes and TopFin Freshwater Flakes, 1-2 times a day
13. What type of lighting are you using and how long is it kept on?
n/a
14. What specific concerns bring you here at this time?
Camallanus worms and infection
15. What are your water parameters? Test your pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
Unkown
16. What test kit are you using and is it liquid or test strips?
n/a
17. When was the last time you bought a fish and how did they behave while in the pet store tank? 
The yellow guppy about 3 weeks ago, it behaved normally.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Jasey said:


> My guppy came down with the Camallanus parasite about a week and a half ago. 4 days ago I began the Jungle Parasite Clear treatment and added 1/4 of a tablet to the tank (amount adjusted to match my tank volume). At that time I also started the Jungle Anti-Parasite medicated fish food. I administered the fish food for 3 days, following the instructions, and for the past 2 days I have been feeding them their normal flakes.
> 
> Well, he still has the worms (you can see them protruding from the anus) and about 3 days ago I noticed a red spot about the size of a pin-head underneath my guppy's right fin. Yesterday, it got twice as big. Today, it is the same size. I added the appropriate amount of Stress Coat to my tank today. But now, about 6 hours after adding it, there is a tan protrusion coming from the wound on the guppy. It looks like pus. In addition, my guppy has not been eating the food off the top of the tank. He does, however, forage a lot. Since he has had this wound, I have witnessed him throw up 4 times.


What are the ingredients of the meds you are using? Please post them. The only meds that will work on camallanus are fenbendazole, levamisole and flubendazole. Metronidazole and praziquantel will not work.


> I have noticed no signs of the Camallanus in my tetra and he is behaving normally.


I'd still keep an eye on all fish whom your guppy has close contact with. Chances are now they are now carriers of camallanus worms.


> 1. Size of aquarium (# of gallons):
> 2.5
> 15. What are your water parameters? Test your pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
> Unkown
> ...


A few thoughts here.

Size of tank: 2.5 gallons is small in my opinion for both of your fish. The water conditions there may not be as stable as you think. API liquid test kit is your best bet to determine your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and pH. If you can upgrade, it is best to get a 15 gallons tank size as the minimum. At the end of the day, you want zero ammonia and nitrites as both are toxic to the fish. Any meds added will simply stress the fish at this point especially when the water conditions become unstable.


> 17. When was the last time you bought a fish and how did they behave while in the pet store tank?
> The yellow guppy about 3 weeks ago, it behaved normally.


Now is the time to upgrade the tank and use the 2.5 gallons instead as a quarantine tank although 5 gallons is much better.


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## Jasey (Dec 5, 2007)

Thanks for your response Lupin.

The ingredients for Jungle Parasite Clear are praziquantel, diflubenzuron, metronidazole, and acriflavine and it states it is useful for "internal worms and anchor worms". The Anti-Parasite medicated fish food, however, has metronidazole (1.0%), praziquantel (0.5%), and levamisole (0.4%) and says it controls "intestinal worms, tapeworms, nematodes, e.g. camallanus". 

The only problem is that my guppy will not eat food, especially not the medicated type. Even on the third day of medicated food, the tetra didn't like the food but he was forced to eat it because he was hungry, the guppy did not eat any.

The tan protrusion from the guppy got knocked off and now the red wound is a little larger. The worms are less visible but I can still see a redness from his anus. He is swimming around normally with the exception that he won't eat.
















Sorry for the quality of the pics.


Unfortunately I will not be able to upgrade to a bigger tank size for about a month. I made the mistake of not doing enough research before I got it.

The pH of the water is 7.8. I have not tested other parameters but I will try to purchase a test kit the next chance I get.[/quote]


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## Jasey (Dec 5, 2007)

I am going to try to get Levamisole hydrochloride for my fish, or Discomed. Does anyone know where I can buy these products, and how much they cost? There is a Petsmart and PetCo in my area. I have yet to find an independent fish store, though.


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## Jasey (Dec 5, 2007)

After discovering the worms protruding from the wound on my guppy's side, I decided to euthanize the fish. At this point I honestly don't think he could have gotten better. Even if the worms left, he would have most likely died of an infection. I used clove oil and grain alcohol to end his suffering.

I will continue the medicated food treatment on my tetra because it contains levamisole, and hope for the best. He has not shown any symptoms of the parasite but I safely assume he has them because of his exposure to the infected fish.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Sorry to hear that, Jasey.:blueworry:


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