He had a feeling that "time" alone will not do the trick of removing the Nematode and the local fish store medications from the various big Tropical Fish Co. s are too afraid of killing off the pets to make their medication strong enough to really do the job of eliminating the parasite. That is comforting in that we and ours are at less risk than we might be from these substances. So, however, might the Camallanus be at less risk that we might want!

Some of you may recall that I left the URL for a badly infected pupfish in the comments associated with the diary "Definitely giving birth, but it's not human!" by rzrbkhog. Heidi described what was going on there and followed it up with "Update on the Camallanus? Saga" where the guppies looked a lot better. The big female seems to have expelled the dead worms, which is a critical juncture in the cure.

However the catfish (Corydoras?) showed great stress and was removed. A Betta was also stressed and treatment stopped. I am unclear on whether the  Betta was in the infected aquarium or not. Also Heidi, was the one you took to school from the infested tank? If the catfish and Betta(s?) were from that tank, they may well have been removed before their worms, should they have had them, were expelled.

There is even a chance that in time they could become carriers at school and if put back in with the guppies and neons. If they were in that Guppy tank. They need treatment. It would make sense to treat them with something containing Levamisole, especially since they were so stressed by the. probably less effective organosulfate.

Both Charles and the owner of that infected pupfish in the jpg are members of the St Louis killies group (SLAKA), but neither of those two are slackers. So they got right to work. ;)

In another note, Charles observed: Recently we started working with this guy (see the pupfish .jpg ) and his tank mates here in St Louis. There were 6 to 8  -  20 to 35 gallon tanks all contaminated more or less with the Nematode. I asked her (the owner of the tanks) to treat everything and we will go back in another 3 weeks and treat all again. The pup fish didn't make it and she lost another 2 or 3 fish which were heavily infected. The deaths are usually to failures to eliminate the dead worms. Other un-infested fish or with just a few worms seem to get through the treatment fine with little or no reaction. A second treatment of medication can be left in the tank for weeks without regard.

The thought the Nematode will die out in a matter of a few days does not meet with much scientific observation. Instead I would suggest that the filaria (another parasitic worm) will molt into a more dormant stage and just wait for warmer weather or other changes in pH or temperature to molt again or just be eaten by a crustacean or fish and then molt again. These Nematodes have a cock roach like motif about themselves. Survivors!!

Just waiting isn't enough to eliminate the nematodes.

I have placed Levamisole in with cultures of Paramecium and other protozoa with no effect. I have corresponded with others who have treated tanks with Flubendazole and not seen all the protozoa wiped out. Don't know which or what survived, but something did. Levamisole will not affect most free living worms. One can mix the drug with Grindals (Grindle worms, a food worm smaller that whiteworms or the yet larger blackworms) and feed the wiggling mess to fish for treatment. It doesn't seem to affect microworms in tank water although I understand they are Nematodes . . .

The fish keeper here in St Louis with the afflicted Pup Fish has remarked on how specific the Levamisole is toward the Camallanus
Nematode leaving so many other things alone. She is a medical Ph D!

    Perhaps dosage or time of treatment may change these things, but this is the present state of affairs. I have found nothing which is so specific and certain as Levamisole toward the Camallanus cotti. Off the shelf products in Canada and from many of my contacts here in the US,  the UK and Australia have been ineffectual in killing the Nematode.

So wraith, in light of all of this, you were wise in going with the Levamisole for the Camallanus. (PeterW is lurking and nodding, "Yep!") Heidi, you are correct in that your fish will not look like that one in the photo. It is a different species of parasitic worm. However your Camallanus case may not be over, especially in the instances of the Betta and Catfish.

Now I'd better go see what the heck this filaria stuff is. (ah - Filaria medinensis, a parasitic nematode from Central America which can effect both fish and people. Don't drink the water!)

This is all pretty heavy for this early in the morning! :)