Internal parasites

[Zeus]

Hi all,

One of my fish, a Coral Beauty, would seem to have intestinal worms, as indicated by long, stringy poop. I have been in contact with Kelly Jedlicki via her forum and she suggested using antibiotics to treat this and there are medicated foods available in the US for this purpose. However, because of the antibiotic ingredients we are fobidden to import these foods by DEFRA.

Anyway, why does it have to be antibiotics? I have been thinking about that and there's no antibiotics in worm tablets you get for your cat or dog.

So are there any de-worming products out there that I can use for my fish?

Cheers,
Campbell

[Wombat]

I'd go to you vet and ask for piparazine (old but good and works well added to the food or in intubated into the stomach if the fish has stopped eating).

There are commercial feeds with antihelmitics in them for rainbow trout and salmon available and your vet may be able to get these on prescription

[Wombat]

As a second though it may have infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (the old name for which was catarrhal enteritis of fish).

Affects a lot of fish species and one symptom is long faecal casts as the lining of the gut is sloughed off.

[Zeus]

As a second though it may have infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (the old name for which was catarrhal enteritis of fish).

Affects a lot of fish species and one symptom is long faecal casts as the lining of the gut is sloughed off.

Thanks for the info Wombat, I'll talk to the vet again about worms.

But Jeez, that virus sounds nasty. What can I do about that?

Campbell

[Wombat]

Not much, although reducing the food ration as soon symptoms appear has been shown to help salmon with the virus. It can be very nasty but there are big variations in virulence some strains cause mild diarrhoea and the fish recover in a week or two; other strains can kill fish in around 4-10 days.

It's a very common virus around our shores (UK) esepcially in halibut salmon and trout and one of the reasons fresh fish diets shouldn't be used

[Frogfone]

You get discus wormer over here. I have used it a few times. I take it you are going to keep the fish in the reef or are you going to qt? What about metronidazole? This is a broad spectrum paraticide used to treat bad tummies after you've been abroad. I have added this to fish food and fed fish with Broookylnella in a reef with no ill effects. I would worry that wormers in a reef setting would kill off much of the small critters as easily as it does the worms.

Metronidazole is available from your vet.

Sharon

[Wombat]

Metronidazole is only effective against protozoan parasites (e.g Giardia, which is why it's good for treating jippy travel tum) and as you say is a fantastic treatment for Brooklynella. Sadly it isn't effective against worms

Discus wormer is available in the UK but according to the only data sheet I could find on it, it contains piparazine.

It's a good point that what kills internal worms (parasites) will kill external worms too (tube worms bristle worms etc) so an in feed would better than bath in a reef (and a QT tank best of all)

[Zeus]

Folks, that is great info, many thanks

I've done search on Google but the only Discus Wormer I can see is for mixing in a bath or in the tank. Are there any food products as I'd rather get the Coral Beauty in to QT and feed her the medication as a opposed to baths.

Campbell

[Wombat]

Add pipazine powder to dry food and mix it to a moist ball with a small amount of water. divide into portion sized amounts of feed and freeze what you don't need straight away for later use

I don't think any medicated feed is available over the counter for fish parasite. But there are pellets available from you vet for treating trout and salmon for internal parasites (problem is I don't know if tropical marine will eat them, and I'm guessing they are only available in 25kg sacks).

I guess your vet could get their pharmacist to make a medicated feed up for you using your fishes favorite dry food as a base.

[Will]

i have alwasy used a basic over the counter wormer for dags and cats the name escapes me is dontrol or something liek that, crush the tablet up and add it to the food, the discus wormer can also be called special p so have a look at dorset discus for it, but not recommended in a reef tank imo, they may say it is but the die off from worms would be huge imo !!

[Wombat]

Drontal also Panacure

both should work well but remember the tablets are for cats and dogs. I think the smallest tablet is for a 3kg animal so be sure to adjust the dose accordingly I'd be surprised if you coral beauty tipped the scales at 10g so that is a 3000 time dilution of the dose,

[Will]

Drontal also Panacure

both should work well but remember the tablets are for cats and dogs. I think the smallest tablet is for a 3kg animal so be sure to adjust the dose accordingly I'd be surprised if you coral beauty tipped the scales at 10g so that is a 3000 time dilution of the dose,

yeah not to use a full tablet :D in freshwater normally dose the whole tank ;)

also good for nematodes as well i find