Hook Worm

[dam-mad]

Spoke to my vet today and he is happy to pescribe Metro but would like me to try a Prazi treatment. When I described the white worm he thought it sounded like hook worm, does prazi treat hook worm?

Thanks
Dean

"Keep them swimming"

[Merrilyn]

From my understanding, hookworm is an internal parasite found in mammals. I don't recall ever hearing of it in fish, but I may well be wrong.

Someone help me out here :book

I think you vet may have thought it was an anchor worm, not a hook worm. Could that be possible?

Simple treatment for anchorworm is to remove them with a pair of tweezers. But from the way you describe the worm like thing, it doesn't sound like anchor worm to me.

Is a photo possible at all. It would be a huge help.

[dam-mad]

Ooops, yes he said anchor worm! not sure where my mixed up head I managed to come up with hook worm, maybe because he said they looked just like a hook, D'Oh!!

It;s been about fifteen minutes since I started with Prazi and the worm looking thing seems to be suffering.. Will try and find my daughter digital camara and take a pic to post but be warned it's not only Discus I struggle with it is also the tech stuff!

Thanks Merrilyn
Dean

[dam-mad]

Hope this works,, Pic is of Discus with white worm thing

[dam-mad]

2nd try

[dam-mad]

Sorry but I can't seem to get my camera pic uploaded.. Guess it's no surprise that I struggle with Discus :?

[samir]

3rd try ?? :lol: :lol: :lol:

[dam-mad]

Just checked on my tank and I have a heap of thread like worms floating and fussing through out the whole tank!!!! I am truely flabergasted!!!!!

[dam-mad]

Okay Samir,, Just for you 3rd try :lol:

[dam-mad]

Sorry for the quality but usung camera phone,, Hey Samir thanks for prompting the 3rd try!!!

[fishgeek]

nomeculture hey!

praziquantel is a cestocide that affects calcium mobilisation leading to paralysis

cesto from cestodes or cestoda the family of tapeworms
cide as in sui-cide, homi-cide etc meaning to kill

anchor worm is the common name for lernea species , which are actually crustaceans not worms
these are usually treated with organophosphates although ivermectin(or a drug from this family- avermectins) has recently been launcdhed for salmon farming issue, called slice
http://www.spaquaculture.com/default.aspx?pageid=545

i feel this maybe a useful product because it is rather broad spectrum in it's activity, i am of course speakin theoretically and based on my knowledge from mamalian parasites, being prehaps useful against worms as broad group, external crustaceans, and maybe trematodes and digean flukes.. someone else can find that out and the drug isnt tested nor approved for those purpose's

organophosphates can cause issue' in fish and the margin of safety with these medications is relatively narrow

hook worms are really nematodes and would need differnet product , again the term comes as they have hooks areound there mouths if i am remebering correctly such as ancylostoma(something- mouth)
i wish we were taught latin it actually would be quite useful

dont camallanus coti have hooks at there mouths? anyway , it is a common name and that is where the confusion arise's


anyway it does seem that you are killing off both the large think on the fish and also prehaps some of his smaller mates
i would prehaps suggest a big water change to physically remove and als maybe a follow up treatment

andrew guessing from a long distance

[samir]

you can remove them with a pair of tweezers dipped in 1gm/20ml of PP. once the pp touches the worm it will release.
I think trichlorfon is more effective than praziquantel.

[dam-mad]

Thanks for taking the time to responf fishgeek but you have seen by my previous posts that I'm not the brightest light in the house and you lost me...Not sure if you agreed that my discus have hook worm but not the treatment? I appreciate you response just not sure I understand it.

Cheers
Dean

[fishgeek]

are they actual lernea in the picture it is hard to tell, hand lens magnification should show a distinct shape, with large egg sacks at the tail and hooks at the front, only females are parasitic

the nodules in the photo coud be yellow grub(names again hey!) or any other parasite erupting from the musculature

andrew

[Merrilyn]

Okay, in simple terms, what Andrew is saying is that the prazi seems to be working, not only on the worm thing on the fish, but also on some other worms in the tank as well.

Carry out the full prazi treatment, then do a big water change with careful gravel vacuum and if the worm thing appears to still be on the fish, repeat the treatment a week or 10 days later.

Andrew thinks it could be a member of the anchorworm family. If you can get a close look at it through a good magnifying glass and see hooks on the front and a large egg sack on the rear, then that's what it is.

It could also be another type of parasite coming thru the skin. Hard to tell without seeing a good picture of it.

Keep doing the prazi treatment. It seems to be working.