FAQs on Parasitic Marine Worm
Diseases: Medicine
Products/Manufacturers
Related Articles: Marine
Parasitic Disease, Parasitic
Worms, Roundworms,
Related FAQs: Fish Worm Diseases 1, Marine Worm Parasites
2, Marine Worm Parasites
3, & FAQs on Marine Worm Parasites: Diagnosis/Symptomology, Etiology/Prevention, Cures That Don't Work, Cures That Do Work, Flukes/Trematodes, Tapeworms/Cestodes, Leeches/Hirudineans, "Other" Worms and Worm-Like
Parasites... Paravortex/Black
Spot Disease, Anthelminthics/Vermifuges... De-wormers
(Piperazine, Praziquantel...) & FAQs, Yellow
Tang Disease, Parasitic Disease 2, Parasitic Disease 3, Parasitic Marine Tanks, Parasitic Reef Tanks,
Cryptocaryoniasis, Marine
Ich, Marine Velvet Disease Biological Cleaners,
Treating Parasitic Disease,
Using Hyposalinity to Treat
Parasitic Disease, Roundworms, Yellow Tangs, Tang
Health/Disease,
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Praziquantel (Droncit), incl. PraziPro,
Fenbendazole
For External:
Some commercial fish prep.s that contain
organophosphates (Clout, Med-Aqua, Fluke-Tabs...)
Formalin is a biocide... kills all life. READ re
its CAREFUL use on WWM
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To Marco- Help with Moray Eel disease
3/15/18
Hi!
<Hello Adrian.>
I could really need some help treat our infected moray eels. They have gotten a
blood sucking worm that only attacks the eels. It look like brown hairy looking
strings.
<Looks nasty. Can't definitely ID them, though.>
We have tried cleaner wrasse and shrimp and freshwater dip. My boss confirms its
not anchor worms and we don't have any medicine currently to treat it. The only
working solution we have found is removing it manually, but
they spread again after a short while.
<Can you get Flubenol 5% in Norway? (I think so) It's often used for e.g.
chickens or pigs as well as fishes and kills a wide range of internal and
external worms. Only use it in a hospital tank without sand (but some PVC pipes
as caves) or use it as baths/dips. Siphon the bottom of the tank for any eggs
(or cysts depending on what they are exactly. If you can't get Flubenol you can
also try some product with Praziquantel.>
The eels came infected from Indonesia but it took a while before we noticed it.
Best Regards Adrian
<Good luck. Marco.>
*I attached a picture of the worms
<Nasty!>
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Re: Eel question and what gives
Now dewormers for marine fishes, Thalassoma
7/25/17
Hey Bob,
<Bob>
Thanks for the insight. Just a side note, these eye flukes, Neobedenia,
seem unfazed by Prazi pro. May look into another dewormer.
<There are a few; listed on WWM>
Lastly, I can't seem to find much info on the Mauritius red cheek
wrasse.
Have you had experience with them? Thanks , bob
<I do not; but this Thalassoma is not easily kept... too spastic, easily
damaged. Bob Fenner>
FW dipping 3/28/13, flukes, Prazi use in DTs/Reefs
3/28/13
Hi crew! I believe I have some of my fish have gill flukes in the
main tank. I have a Flame Centropyge in a QT and did a dip on him
today....holy cow!!! It was disgusting! He had 20-30 flukes on him and I
never saw them on the fish. Anyway, I want to dip the fish from the main
tank but I don't know if any of them are contraindicated for freshwater
dips. Occupants are:
Solarensis Wrasse, Canary Blenny, Hi Fin Red Banded Goby, Sleeper Goby
and a Halichoeres leucoxanthus. The Canary Blenny and the
Sleeper Goby have been scratching for over a week but no one has spots.
Of course the dip will be pH, temp matched and aerated. Thank you!
Jennifer
<These fishes/species are all good candidates for dipping, short
immersion baths. Bob Fenner>
Re: FW dipping 3/28/13
Thank you, Bob
<Welcome Jenn! B>
Re: FW dipping 3/28/13
Hey Bob,
Just went to check on the Flame in the QT and he is hanging out at the top
of the water right under the HOB filter. He's been in the QT 2 weeks. Is
this normal considering all the flukes that came off of him? Jenn
<Not unusual behavior... small volumes, being stressed by handling... B>
FW dipping 3/29/13
Thanks Bob. I didn't think he would make it through the night but so far
he has. I have a issue with the main tank. Ok, here goes: I think some
of the fish in the main tank have flukes.
<Trematodes are very common (ubiquitous almost) on marine fishes... some
are quite species, genus specific; others more general in their
parasitism>
Reason I think this is 3 days after adding the Canary Blenny he started to
scratch on the sand. A few days later the sleeper goby started to
scratch, although he stopped a day or so later. Then the yellow wrasse
scratched a couple of times. Now the Sol<o><not a>rensis, who is
like a dog, is hiding a lot. They are all still eating, no spots and all
but the Blenny are hiding. This has been going on for 8 days. I
dipped the Canary Blenny and it looked like little worms were in the
bucket but I can't be 100% sure they were worms. Also there were things
that looked like little flukes, again not positive. I did dip the Goby
today for 5 minutes. I didn't see anything come off him that I could
identify except what I think is sand.
Finally, my question, should I 1. QT all the fish and treat with
PraziPro?
2. FW dip fish, put back in main tank and keep watch? There is
definitely something going on in the tank, I just can't figure out what
it is. Sorry for the long email and thank you!
Jenn
<You could try the Prazi... toxic to all worms... B>
Re: FW dipping 3/29/13
I've read that some have used PraziPro in a reef tank with no
repercussions,
<Mmm, not likely "none">
however that makes me nervous. Have you heard that it can affect the
biological filter? My LFS told me that it could even though the PraziPro
bottle says it won't. Your thoughts?
<... won't affect nitrifiers, denitrifiers directly... but killing off
large numbers, biomass of Vermes can have bad consequences... One should
be prepared to counter, or move intentional livestock. B>
Re: dipping 3/29/13
I do have quite a few Vermes, red, pink and yellow ones I'd like to
keep.
So it looks like they are going into the QT with the Flame and all will
get PraziPro. Thank you kind sir:) Jenn
<Ah, good, and welcome. BobF>
Fluke Problem Hello crew, I have two tanks in which a flukes
(capsalid Monogenean) were introduced. The specific type is
Benedenia sp. I have found FW dips or clout to be very effective on
these, however, since these 2 tanks are display aquariums I would
rather not treat them with clout. <Agreed, only in extreme cases do
I consider ever adding any sort of medications to a display
aquariums.> Do you know how long an aquarium would need to remain
fallow to prevent reinfestation once fish are reintroduced? <Most
parasites can't live longer than 4 weeks without having a
host. So, if you left the tank fallow for minimum of 4, but
preferable 6 then it should allow the pest to run through their
cycle.> Thank you, Richard <Hope that answers the
question. -Magnus>
Butterfly with gill flukes? My double saddle butterfly has
been breathing rapidly for a week now. It's not ich or velvet
as I'm familiar with these diseases, and all of my fish have
been QT'd for a month before introduction to the main tank.
The bf isn't scratching, there are no spots on him, just the
heavy breathing. I'm pretty sure he has gill flukes...
<Stop! Where would these Trematodes have "come
from?"> ...so I've been administering 50 min formalin
baths (2 teaspoons Kordon's formalin/gallon) everyday for the
past 3 days. Is this a sufficient treatment? <Possibly...
there are more efficacious "de-worming" medicines... as
you will see: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fshwrmdisfaqs.htm>
I've read that it's better to treat with formalin as a
bath rather than constant exposure in a qt tank. <Yes...
please read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/formalinart.htm>
So far, the butterfly is still eating well, not hiding, but still
has the rapid breathing. I've also noticed that he has
thread-like poops. Could he have internal parasites as well?
<Yes... but very much more likely this is just symptomatic of
the toxic formalin exposure> All other fish are fine, although
I noticed a long stringy poop coming from the coral beauty
(I've never seen her poop like this). Are internal parasites
contagious? I've attached a photo of the coral beauty poop.
Ammonia, ni trite, nitrate, 0 Salinity 1.024 pH 8.2
79º Thanks, Angela <Angela, I would suspend the
formalin treatments, look into Praziquantel... what you are doing
is too toxic to continue, not likely helpful... the fish do not
have monogenetic Trematodes... unless you've observed these
under a microscope I strongly suspect there is not a pathogen
involved here. Bob Fenner>
Re: butterfly with gill flukes? Ok thanks for the reply
Bob. I actually went and bought Prazi-pro yesterday and
administered an hour long bath as directed. I plan to do another
bath 3 days from now. Are the baths ok or should I just treat
long term in a qt tank? <I would take the latter route> So
far no breathing improvement. <... sometimes these fishes do
"just" breathe hard... perhaps environmental
influence/s... maybe social... I would not panic re> He's
still eating well. As far as the stringy poops, the BF has always
had them (I never saw him poop in QT, and was suspicious of that.
It's because the thread-like poops are very hard to see) I
figured he had gill flukes because of the internal parasite
signs... <I do wish everyone had ready access to a
decent microscope (I have a neat, but cheapy QX3 Mattel/Intel
unit... that's fabulous) to LOOK before using toxic chemical
treatments... as I assure you that orders of magnitude more
livestock is "bumped off" by well-meaning aquarists
than dies from actual pathogenic infection/infestation> ...but
also I'm at a loss as to what other pathogen would cause the
rapid breathing (he has no spots or other signs) -a <As
stated... there is almost certainly not a pathogen present.
BobF>
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What's in Fluke Tabs? Hi Chuck! I bought the Fluke tabs.
Do you know what are the active ingredients? It's not written on
the product. Thanks! Dominique <The active ingredients are
Mebendazole and Trichlorfon.-Chuck>
Praziquantel Also Bob, I am wondering if you can help me.
We have some incident of Trematodes in our
system. These worm/fluke is in the fish and when we
fresh water dip the fish, the worm came off from the
fish. Some people I talk to say to treat with
Praziquantel or PraziPro from Hikari. Do you have any
info as far as treating the entire system with PraziPro (side
effect, other problems etc). Thank you, Fred <Ah, yes. For
Trematodes, treating their systems as well as fish livestock, 2
to 10 mg Praziquantel/liter (or 7.6 mg/gallon)... the lower does
for Monogeneans will do it, the higher for digenes. There are
also methods (not applicable here) for injection and oral
administration, baths... Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Re: Praziquantel Thanks Bob, what about
PraziPro? Is it safe? <Yes... is just Praziquantel
and a stabilizing agent: http://www.uskoi.com/prazipro.htm> I know
it is a lot more expensive but no need to dilute. <Agreed>
I heard you need to dilute Praziquantel with Vodka? <Heeee!
Can use this solvent... or not> Also, how can you tell the
difference between Monogeneans and digenes. Thank you, Fred
<Mmm, sorry for the added confusion. I would not worry re the
digenetic Trematodes... they can/will perish along with the rest
or die out quickly enough due to the lack of intermediate hosts
(Di as in two... two or more other life forms to pass through
before getting to their determinate host (your fishes)...), as
opposed to Monogenes that have a direct life cycle. Bob
Fenner>
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Cryptocaryon not responding to copper First of all thanks
so much for your excellent website and advice. I was unable to
find an answer to my particular question in your archives, I did
try. I currently have a 5" Hippo Tang and 5" Blond Naso
in quarantine- 20 Gal. bare bottom, fully cycled canister filter
amm/0 trite/0 PH/8.1 Temp/80 Salt/1020 I recently purchased these
fish and I am treating for parasites with Cupramine. My problem
is the Naso has several cysts 12-15 "same ones" that
have not dropped off after 7 days at 0.5mg/L confirmed by
calculation and 2 different brands of copper test kits checked
daily. I have been keeping fish for over 20 years and don't
believe I have misdiagnosed what looks like a classic case of
parasites. <Ahh, but what type?> But anything is possible.
The spots appear a bit smaller than the common Cryptocaryon and
obviously stay attached much longer. The Hippo looks clear and no
new cysts on either fish since treatment started, they are eating
and acting well but I am concerned that I wont be able to cover
the life cycle of this particular parasite in the treatment time
if they are not releasing from the fish as tomonts to be siphoned
out or enter the free swimming stage. I did not freshwater dip
them because I don't have a pH meter and have had bad
experiences trying to get pH adjusted in the past. "chicken
I guess" I do however have Formalin and would prefer to bath
the Naso in that if you think it would be beneficial, or should I
just wait it out. Thanks in advance Shaun <Mmm, am thinking
these spots may be more subcutaneous... worms... not affected by
copper in the water. I would try an anthelminthic. Please see
here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/vermifugefaqs.htm Bob
Fenner>
Re: Cryptocaryon not responding to copper Thank You
Bob, I think I will try the PraziPro I am assuming I should
complete the Cupramine treatment and remove it from QT prior to
starting the PraziPro correct? Thanks Shaun <Actually, I'd
abandon the copper treatment... it's obviously not working...
and it's obvious to me that you know what you're doing
here... have kept up testing, physiological doses... more copper
exposure will do no good, likely harm. I'd go with the
de-wormer by itself. Bob Fenner> Re: Cryptocaryon not
responding to copper Bob, Not trying to be a pain here just
want to make sure we are on the same page. I'm not sure I
made myself clear. Sorry. When I started the copper treatment I
definitely had a crypt outbreak and all cysts immediately cleared
except for the few persistent ones left on the Naso so I believe
I am battling parasites also. With that info do think I should
finish the copper treatment? and if so wait to start the PraziPro
<I see... I would continue, finish the copper run AND start
the Praziquantel... they are miscible. Bob Fenner>
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Anthias with worms? Human influence
opportunities... Important! 03/22/07 Hello again guys / gals.
I notice my Ventralis Anthias has clear / white feces and am
guessing he must have intestinal parasites. <Ahh... so wonderful to
be able to influence such young, growing minds/awarenesses...> I was
considering different medications to use and would appreciate your
input on what would work best for my situation. The medications I
am looking into are: Fenbendazole at 7.6 Mg per gallon Metronidazole
Praziquantel and Paracide D Any suggestions would be wonderful, the
fish has not lost weight, however he is obviously losing
nutrients somewhere. Thank you so much, Brian Crenshaw
<My REAL (why not?) advice is for you instead to invest in a copy of
Ed Noga's "Fish Disease, Diagnosis & Treatment"
(expensive, I know... and have chatted w/ him re... Maybe get the fish
store to buy a copy for your use as well as theirs...) AND a
QX-3...4...5? Microscope... and to LOOK here, way before dumping such
medicines on your livestock... Much knowledge, discovery awaits you...
which I'm sure (very) that you'll be sharing.
BobF>
Parasitic worms I need some help! My Hawaiian
Dragon Eel stopped eating. I notice that he has thin,
tan worms all over his body. The worms are about
an inch in size. The part that doesn't hook into
the eel ends in a point. Please tell me what I can do
to treat this. I know eels are sensitive to many forms
of treatment. He is a full size eel. Thanks
so much for any advice you can give. Kelly <Mmm,
need to have a definitive identification of these worms... to the
phylum level. I suspect they're flukes of some sort, and
could be treated with an organophosphate. I suggest a pH-adjusted
freshwater dip (that will likely result in a bunch "letting
go" for microscopic exam.) at this point. Be careful with
netting the specimen and keep the dip tank covered and heavily
aerated during this procedure. The dip by itself will not effect
a cure... as the worms are likely of a type that have direct
development and will still be present in various stages in the
main tank when/if you return the eel. Bob Fenner>
Re: Parasitic worms Hi Bob, <Hi Kelly> Thanks for
your response. I did do the freshwater dip. It took 18
minutes for the leeches to let go. (not die, just let
go). Yes, I did say leeches. I took some of
the specimens to an aquarium today. I was told that
they were leeches. <Easy to see with some magnification (and
specimens!)> Unfortunately, these leeches like to
live in the substrate. I had 200 pounds of sand and
crushed coral in my tank. Well, with some help, I
actually removed all the substrate and bought more live
rock. The substrate is totally infected with these
leeches. Just looking at them makes my skin
crawl. I am treating the substrate with Clout in a
separate container. <This should "do it"> There
are no more of these leeches visible in the
tank. Although, he does have two of the leeches on
him. Compared to the hundred that were all over him
yesterday, I consider this a huge accomplishment. Once the eel
settles down and does not appear so stressed, I will try to pick
off the two remaining leeches. This has been a very
long project, but is well worth the effort to save this beautiful
eel. <Yes> We have a Titan trigger fish with the
eel. She was sick in the past and had to be
quarantined. We now think she was being infected by
the leeches as well. Since last night when we gave the eel a
freshwater dip, the Titan has been extremely protective of the
eel. She lies right beside him. If I am
working in the tank near to the eel, she goes completely
ballistic. I have to say a full size Titan trigger and
full size Hawaiian dragon eel are a nice
match. Although, I would not add anything else with
them. Take care Bob. Kelly <Thank you for the progress report.
Bob Fenner>
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Grab Bag of Parasites? Please help with the following
questions... <Sure thing! Scott F. here again today> - When
it says 'will kill invertebrates' on copper medication,
does that include shrimp, snails and crabs? <precisely> -
Is copper also good for flukes? <I prefer Formalin-based
remedies for flukes...> - What are ectoparasites? (Ich?
Flukes? Velvet?) <Consult the WWM site for specific forms>
- One of the remedies to get rid of parasites is to lower
salinity to 15ppm. Will that also kill flukes and velvet? How
safe is this on corals, snails, crabs and shrimp?
<Hyposalinity treatment can work for some parasitic
diseases...I'm not a huge fan of it. It can be harmful to
inverts> - Will the banded coral shrimp also 'eat' ich
and velvet and flukes from fish? Would this plus UV sterilizer be
a good alternative to using medications? <The CBS will pick at
some parasites...but it cannot get them all. A UV sterilizer is
good at possibly stopping some of the parasites when they are
free-swimming...I still use meds...> - Finally, in one of my
20g tanks, I'd like to keep one Banded Coral Shrimp and one
Harlequin Shrimp. Will they be ok with each other? Will they be
ok with reefs? <They should be fine with corals...But there
may be some aggression between the two...Be prepared to move
somebody> As always, huge, huge thanks for your help. Luke
<A pleasure, Luke! That's why we're here! Regards,
Scott F>
No Meds In A Display Tank! > <Sure thing! Scott
F. here again today> > - Is copper also good for
flukes? > <I prefer Formalin-based remedies for
flukes...> I've heard that Formalin is a big no-no in
marine and reef tanks (hard on corals, will kill bio filtration,
will kill live rock). No? Thank you, Luke <You are absolutely
right Luke. Under no circumstances would you ever dose
this, or any other medication in a display
tank. Formalin should be administered only in a
controlled environment such as a "hospital
tank." It is highly effective against flukes,
however. Follow manufacturer's instructions to the
letter when you use this stuff. Good
luck! Scott F.>
Formalin Works-But What About The Display Tank?
(Flukes) Right, but flukes lay eggs that get deeply into the
gravel sometimes (making them so hard to cure). So even if one
does treat the fish in separate tank, you're still going to
have flukes in the main tank, no? Thank you. <Well, the
approach to many parasitic infestations is to deprive them of
their hosts...Thus, the oft-recommended "fallow tank"
technique is an efficient, drug free way to help eradicate
parasites. No method is 100%, but this is a very effective
method. Good luck! Scott F>
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Is This Treatment A Fluke? (Use of Praziquantel To Combat
Flukes) Is Praziquantel (Droncit) effective for flukes in marine
fish? <This stuff has been used by some people to treat flukes
effectively. It should be administered carefully, like any
medication> How does it affect inverts? What would be the right
dosage to get rid of gill and body flukes? <I would not administer
this, or any medication in the display tank, regardless of the presence
of inverts. The dosage that I have seen used to combat flukes is 1ppm
in saltwater. I know a couple of people who swear by the stuff...Have
not used it personally, however.> I hope it still works in marine
aquarium and is easy on the inverts... It's magical in FW, no
stress on fish, ok for bio-filtration etc... Thanks, Luke <Well,
Luke- Praziquantel is certainly something that is being used more and
more these days to combat flukes in marine fish. You could also use
Formalin-based medications, or those containing Malachite
Green...It's worth a shot, however, if you're up to trying
it...Good luck! Regards, Scott F>
- Wasting Disease - <Hello, JasonC here...> Hi crew,
have a problem I haven't been able to find much on. Have a Sebae
clown, wild caught, about 4 years old; always been in perfect health.
Recently, I moved him to a larger tank, fish with some inverts, no
anemones (yet). About 2 weeks later he developed Popeye, one eye, which
I successfully treated with Epsom (thanks!). He still has a good
appetite, even still has that pearly iridescence around the white bands
that fresh-caught clowns have, BUT, he is beginning to lose mass;
first, developing the typical pinched forehead, now progressing
rearward both above and below the lateral line; no other clowns in the
tank, other specimens unaffected. He eats and comes out less but is
otherwise still pretty normal. <So you do see the fish eating... it
would seem to me with the other occupants, this fish might be getting
less that its fill.> His offered diet hasn't changed, if
anything is better because I am feeding a large French and Atlantic
blue tang, and very wary of HLLE, so they eat better than I do. My past
experience is that this guy is headed for checkout, but its been a
while, and if there is anything I can do I want to do it, so,
suggestions? <Well, isolation might help - make sure the fish is
eating well and without competition from the larger fish. Also, because
this is a wild fish, it is also more likely that it has an internal
parasite (or two) that are competing for the same nutrients, quite
possibly nematodes or Cestodes [tapeworms]. Both can be treated - you
should be able to obtain Praziquantel [for the Cestodes] and/or
Fenbendazole [for the nematodes] from your local veterinarian. I would
work with one of these at a time, and administer in baths for 2-3
hours. More information on these treatments can be found in the Edward
Noga book, Fish Disease, which while expensive is very complete... and
an eye-full.> Thanks, Steve J. <Cheers, J -- >
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