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Administrator
Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Hi everyone,
I recently bought enough praziquantel to treat all my fish in the fishroom. I have not done this before, except when I first get the fish in or if they are sick. I was interested to see how many of my fish had tapeworms or other worms they would pass. 12-24 hours latter out of about 30 adults and many more fry I was surprised to only have one adult female pass worms. This one surprised me because she's passed 6 large tape worms so far, and is still passing them. Though I know this single case doesn't prove anything--- I've always believed tape worms would take away from spawning activity, this female spawns weekly! Interestingly I got her less than a year ago and she did not pass any worms in quaranteen with treatment
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These are the directions that came with my Praziquantel....
Prazi.... an effective and safe med for the treatment of gill and body flukes, tape worms, and other cestodes and tremotodes in ornamental aquarium fish. May be effeective against capillaria when administered in the food.
Bath.... 100mg/10 gal (1/4 tsp/20 gal)
allow meds to remain in the tank for 48 hours. Mechanical filter may be running- no carbon or other chemical media. On the third day begin daily water changes of 10 to 30% for the next 5 days. On the 7th day repeat the entire process. On day 14 a third treatment may begin. This would be prudent for tanks with gravel substrate , and no undergravel filter..
Fast bath.... 1/2 tsp /10 gal prazi to a small medical tank. Insert affected fish for 2.5 hours
Food.... Mix 1/2 tsp prazi to 1/4lb food. Typically used is beefheart or beefliver ground in a blender and frozen for future use. 2-3 feedings every other day should be sufficient.
prep in water , it doesn't go in well, shake or mix vigorously. In acetone , mix 3 parts acetone to one part prazi, then pour chalky substance over the tank water... be careful as it too much acetone will cause oxygen depletion....use only pure acetone.
Most people seem to use warm water , I used it with the Acetone and had no probelm. I used just enough acetone to make it slushy, then add water to the container. If you use acetone - don't mix it in plastic only glass!!! OH, I also did long term baths (whole tank treatments) 2x for bare glass, and 3x for planted tank.
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Re: Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Brew
how the heck do you come up with all these Awesome Illistrated Discus Post
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Registered Member
Re: Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Like a lot of us here I'd been told for years that discus didn't get tape worms.
After seeing Al's pictures and reading testimony from many of the regulars I bought some prazi and used it on my discus. I waited the twelve hours and then sat in front of the tanks waiting for the worm show to begin.
My discus are from three different sources and I did not see a single worm of any kind. While we know for a fact that discus DO get tape worms, they may not be that common. (I wish TeddyJ could see your pictures, Al.)
Carol *H*
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Administrator
Re: Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Carol,
* Because of their lifecycle I would have though it *not possible myself, and in the past even expressed that belief. *Out of all my fish, only one had them. I think it is probably not that *common, but until we find the intermediate *host, its hard to say...
I'm guessing here, but I *think some day that host will be found *out to be a common *copepod *in our tanks.
take care,
al
Bill- I/m addicted *to alot of *things besides fish and homebrew... photography and photoshop are part of my *job, and my passion ;D
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Re: Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Hi every one. I'm new to this forum. Ryan S told me about it on GLD forum. Thanks Ryan!
I know this post is a little old, but I only just read it now.
Regarding tapeworms....This may not apply to discus exactly but I'll tell you what I know about tapeworms. A tapeworm is a parasite. Duh! A successful parasite is one that can live in it's host without killing it or otherwise harming it. When a parasite finds its way into the wrong host, and kills it, well then the parasite has done a dumb thing right?! The parasite dies. This is just basic biology. So it's no surprise that Al's discus was able to thrive and breed despite harboring the tapeworm. This might just by an example of a well suited parasite/host relationship.
If you know your fish have tapeworms then so be it, get rid of them with treatment, but who knows what lives inside our fish?As long as the fish is healthy be happy right!
Just my opinion.
Dan
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Re: Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Dan,
Welcome to the discus lover's home away from home. It's always great to meet new discus folks.
As far as parasites go - what you say is true to a point. The problem is that parasites weaken the fish. This makes them more likely to contract diseases or less able to fight off infection. Tapeworms don't follow the logic of - If I kill my host, I die. They just consume as much as they can and have offspring to do the same thing. They are very good at this and consequently your fish may get very infested and very weak.
Plus they can cause obstructions and other problems.
Al is the expert here, but I'd say the fish are MUCH better off without the worms!
John
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Administrator
Re: Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Hi Dan ,
Welcome to the board!
In some ways what you are saying is true... IN NATURE. A tank is a closed, Unnatural environment though where parasites can quickly reach numbers that can harm, or kill a fish. I can tell you from experience that Gill flukes a very successful parasite can easily cause the death of many discus Fry. Hexamita, a protozoan parasite along with Capillaria( a nematodal parasite) are probably responsible for more discus deaths than any other factor except water quality in a hobbyist tank(IMO).
Tape worms by their life cycle usuallly will not cause a direct death, but they open the fish to infection at the site of where their mouths attach. They compete with the fish for nutrients and take up "space" decreasing the useable Digestive area( Imagine how much space 6 each 6-11 inch worms would take up in the intestines of a medium size discus.
One other note to consider as well. ... The parasite-host relationship you mentioned really doesn't deal with Individuals. Its based on populations. In many cases the host is killed either directly or indirectly(infections, nutritional, etc.). But the relationship is deemed a successful one from the parasites point of view as long as the death of the host comes slow enough to allow for the parasite to reproduce sufficiently to allow its species to survive. In the case of the tape worm, that would be long enough for the worm to reproduce by its Gravid -egg filled Proglottids breaking off and being passed with feces out for another host to inadvertently ingest and perpetuate the life cycle.
Hope this helps ,
al
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Re: Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Al and John.
Helps a great deal! I certainly would prefer to live without a tapeworm hanging around in my gut. I get weak just thinking about it eeeew :P
I really like this forum. I hope to learn a lot here! So far I've learned a great deal! Thanks everyone!
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Re: Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Hi Al,
I find it interesting that your discus passed no tapeworms during your initial Q period, but passed one now. Curious though as to: do you feed blackworms?
Mat ;D
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Administrator
Re: Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Hi Mat,
I found it amazing too, but that was the first time I ever used prazi-- a drug which is specific for tapeworms. Since then I have added it my QT procedure.
As for the blackworms ...you know I feed them.
If you remember the first time I reported this experience was Jims forum, in march...
http://pub5.ezboard.com/fhobbyfrm7.s...icID=992.topic
what is really amazing to me is out of all my fish, Only one fish had tape worms. I have over 100 discus, with at least 30-50 adults at any given time. Incidentally I feed blackworms every other day to the adults and daily to the fry under 2 inches. Since that time in march I have treated the fish 2 additional times with prazi and still no tape worms.
since that fish was relatively new to me and was bought as a pair, and always kept separate I can only guess it had them before I got them. Ironically its tank mate , never had one either. I bought this pair from a local breeder, and don't believe he fed anything live.
Sorry this doesn't fit your theory Mat, but keep trying
take care,
al
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Re: Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Boy Al, you and your tapeworms. Darn ugliest thing I ever saw. Thank goodness mine never had them. It's almost time for me to do the Prazi thing again. I will wait until the summer is over.
George
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Re:Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Well this is what i found in my Male, i'm start using Metronizadole or something like that, any suggestions?
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Re:Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
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Re:Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
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Re:Tapeworm experience by Brewmaster15
Wow..nice pic..that's gotta itch. And to think..no hands to reach around and scratch it.
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