Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15

[ladyram]

sorry Brewmaster but I was nervous yesterday and my portugues is a little better than my english.

I was saying to Joao that my fish looks exactly like the one you posted, and I wonder if those tapeworms can multiply in the tank or when they are ejected are already dead,

Besides I have a guy that seems t be allergic to Prazi since everytime I use Prazi he hangs in one corner breathing very heavily.

[brewmaster15]

Its okay.. I wasn't offended...just bantering on the board.

as for your question...

I wonder if those tapeworms can multiply in the tank or when they are ejected are already dead,

highly unlikely. Most require a secondary host that woudl also need to be in your tank.. one that is suitable... That host has to eat the eggs of the tape worm... for the worms eggs to hatch... then your fish has to eat the secondary host....
hth,
al

[outlawpc]

I was checking out various medications on the Internet and came across Jungle's Tank Buddies Parasite Clear . Jungles website mentions that one of the ingredients is Prazi. It is a tablet that fizzes (you do not have to mix it with anything).

Anyone ever use it? Results?

[brewmaster15]

I have never used it for anything internal..but it works great on external parasites.
-al

[outlawpc]

. . . Jungle says "Clears external and internal parasites. No need to raise the water temperature. Also helps prevent secondary infections and will not harm biological filtration."

"Active ingredients: praziquantel; N-[[(N-Chlorophenyl)amino]carbon 1]-2,6-difluorobenzamide; metronidazole; acriflavine."

You may note. . . not only does the medication contain praziquantel, but also metronidazole

[EthanCote.com]

Oh boi, to my surprise last night, I saw this little white string hanging out of one of my discus. And rite away, I knew it was a tapeworm. It was thin, white and disgusting. It was about 2.5" long. The fish it came out of was only about 3.5" in size.

I kept my eyes on that worm as it wiggles its way out of the fish. I wanted to make sure I scope it outta de tank before another victim ingest it.

I have to tell ya, that is a pretty horrid sight (to see a worm hanging outta de fish's butt).

This might explains why all of my fishes one by one stopped eating for a day or two before resuming their normal eating habits. Is this a typical response to tapeworm infections?

The question is, wouldn't this worm's eggs gets pass to other discus easily without a secondary host? Since all my discus seems to go after poo (which might be infected) at one time or another (thinking its food I imagine).

Danks all for your replies.


Cheerio,

Chi.

[brewmaster15]

Hi Chi,
Luckily not a concern.. The other fish may eat the eggs...but evolution of the parasite has made a very specific relationship with each of its life cycles stages. Eggs ingested will not infect the fish directly in 99.9 99% of the cases This is just for tape worms and others that use intermediate hosts.. some worms can infect by digestion of eggs (capillaria). The .001% of tapeworms thatdo not appear to require an intermediate host are not typical of what we see size wise.

hth,
al

[ladyram]

So glad to read this!!!!!!!!

But I have to redeworm my fish since I did it last week and it is supposed I have to deworm them again 7 days later in order to get rid of eggs, but they have been so strange since the deworming I made 7 days ago that I am scare to stress them again when they are not the same as they were before the deworming.

¿¿what do you recommend me??

[brewmaster15]

If its a tape worm... The first dose usually does the trick... The second dose is reccomended for a planted or substrate tank that you are generally deworming..... But its not for eggs with tape worms.....

My advice is if was tape worm... the first dose worked.

-al