Levamisole

[chris]

Levamisole anyone used it:?:
what will it treat :?:

[Merrilyn]

Levamisole is a worm treatment for nematodal parasites, camallanus and capillaria.

You need to make sure you get the pure stuff, usually sold as Pig and Poultry wormer. The dose rate is 1 ml per 7 lts. aquarium water. Or buy a worm treatment from your aquarium store containing levamisole.

[goldfish]

is there anywhere i can find picture of what nematodal parasites, camallanus and capillaria looks like?

[Merrilyn]

Google should supply you with some answers.

Basically they are also known as threadworm and round worm. Internal worms, that can eventually build up to such a population that they protrude from the anus of the fish.

[ozarowana]

Are these worms contagious?

[mtchye]

They are extremely contagious, many are livebearing and spread fast with no intermediate hosts needed.

Here is a good link with pics... In heavy infestations they can be seen as tiny 1-3mm red "hairs" sticking out of the anus of the fish when the fish is not moving.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FA091

[ozarowana]

Thanks mtchye.

Maybe there should be a sticky post with good links to common problems?

[ozarowana]

What I meant was a seperate thread with all the good links in one place.

I'll try and get a few together.

[chris]

Will Levamisole kill your Filter :?:
I was having a problem with my Fry as a last result I treated with Levamisole at nearly double the rate described here.
They all pulled through I was very suprised on there recovery rate.
I treated with Metro no result, symptoms were very simular to Hex.

[mtchye]

Levamisole will not affect any bacteria, including that in your filter. It is very specific to nematodes.

[chris]

I spose what Im saying a lot of people say treat with Metro for certain fish behaviour, Ive taken this advice and loss fish with my Fry they had long white poos not eating, simular signs of Hex. I used Levamisole and quered them :wink:
If we only had access to a Microscope and knew what to look for it would be easier :!:

[Josh Vincent]

What about plants do they get affected by Levamisole

[Merrilyn]

Never had any problems with levamisole and plants, but it's better to treat in a hospital tank, if you can.

[mtchye]

I agree with Merrilyn, never had any problems with levamisole and plants. I've used it in several fully planted tanks with no problems.

[Ben]

It’s that time of year to worm my precious fish!

None of my fish show any signs of intestinal worms, will treat anyhow.

I gave the fish a %60 water change, cleaned the glass, sponge filters and taken out their spawning pots.

I will moniter and take pictures over the next few days.

I have put up a few photo's of the product to use and how simple and safe it is to administer!

Ben

[Ben]

I did a water change 24 hours after treatment, and not one little crippy crawly to be found!

in a stupid sort of way it would have been nice to see a dead worm or 2?

i guess they did not have worms.....

Ben

[chris]

Hey Ben good work buddy what dose rate do you use :?:

[Ben]

cheers mate,
1ml per 7 litres water.

ben

[marg]

Ben how often do you worm your Fish, and do you treat them for anything else - if so, what with?.

Also, will Levamisole harm Clown Loaches, Knife Fish and Bristlenose?

Regards,

Marg.

[Sime76]

How about a product called Worm-Enda? is this ok to use at the dosages rate metioned above?

the bottle states 10mg/ml Levamisole Hydrochloride (Equivalent to 8.48mg/ml Levamisole.

[Crocky]

Hey Ben

Tried it last night on one of my pair and also nothing and your right a little disappointed too?.

brad

[Ben]

Brad, i guess we should be happy our fish were free from worms!

Cheers
Ben

[Mak]

Hi guys,

I just wanted to know if its ok to use a product called Aristopet - worm-enda poultry wormer? The ative constituent is 8.4g/L Levamisole (Present as Levamisole Hydrochloride)

[Merrilyn]

Hi Mak, just be sure there is no glucose in the mixture. Some of the bird wormers have sugar or glucose mixed in with them to make it more palatable to birds. This will cause a huge bacterial bloom in your tank, and could be fatal to your fish.

Be sure to read the ingredients carefully. :P

[sammigold]

hope I am allowed to do this but it seems that Big L pig and poultry wormer is the recommended one by everyone here so I found the link to the manufacturer...

found the sykes website with product info on Big L... they may have details of where you can buy it... HTH

http://www.sykes.net.au/sykes/bigwormpoultrypigs.htm

[Ben]

thanks sammi for the link!

[sammigold]

No probs... a pleasure!!! :D

[sammigold]

just a question:: one of the members on gup forum used levamisole on their tank for camallanus worms and mentioned that it destroyed their bacteria in the filter and that the tank had started to cycle again and he lost a few fish to ammonia spike... I read here that Big L doesnt do this... could it be that unless your tank is really well established that it may affect the bacteria?? (I know they used BigL because they got the link off me. :cry: )
I also linked them to this thread so that they could read about it and learn more...

Can you overdose?

[mistakes r crucial]

Hi Sammi,

Levamisole should not affect the filter bacteria. As far as overdosing is concerned you most certainly can. There are many opinions on this stuff and personally I hate it but still use it when I have to. Even though there is little research or articles on Levamisole IMO it's better to use it than start running trials on Fenbendazole which was suggested to me recently.

The information I have been given (please don't shoot the messenger) is that 1. there is no proof that Levamisole does not affect the fertility of fish after heavy treatments with it, however, there are reports that fish have bred successfully after its use, 2. Levamisole has the potential to cause permanent nerve damage in fish and 3. Levamisole has been known to cause spinal deformaties in young growing fish. Doesn't fill me with a whole lot of confidence and especially after seeing what it does whilst under treatment.

Dosage in food is between 5gms and 10gms per kilo of food but I was advised to go the lower amount. In water (I use the pure powder form) it is 1.14gms per 100 ltrs of water but I found that to be about as useful as a knob of goat shite. IMO use it in food if you have to use it at all.
MAC

[PRESTON4479]

I would like to start by saying thanks to everyone for all the great information contained in this thread. With that being said, after reading about Levamisole and what a great dewormer it is I began to look for it. I am from the States so it is very difficult to find but I did find it on this site and ordered it.


http://www.2easy.com.au/shop/articles.php?cat=673

[PRESTON4479]

I was wandering if anybody could help me determine if I am diagnosing my fish problem correctly? I have a very young discus about 2-2.5 inches in size and he is not looking good. He has a pinched appearance about his eyes and seems very thin. His poo is clear and stringy. He isn't hiding or really dark in color he just doesn't seem to be gaining weight or eating very well. From reading this thread I believe it to be worms but before treating I would like to get a second opinion on this. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Also since this is a community tank is it safe to assume that what ever is affecting this fish that it will soon be affecting all of them and I should just treat the entire tank? And how long do I leave the Levamisole in there before doing a water change? Does the Levamisole kill the worms?

Thanks again for all your help!

[marg]

Preston4479, it sounds more like Hex to me.

Try putting him in a Hospital Tank and treating with Metro. There are plenty of good Articles on this site about Hex and treatment with Metro. Just go to Quick Search and you will see what i mean.,

Regards,

Marg.

[PRESTON4479]

Hey Marg is it OK to treat them in the tank they are in with Metro?Also, is Hex contagious because my other Discus are now showing signs of white or clear poo? That is why if it is OK I would just prefer to treat the entire tank. Will Metro affect my biological filter or harm the plants?

Thank you very much for your help Marg!! Really appreciate it!!

Oh yeah I have been reading that alot of people are having trouble getting Metronidazole. Don't know if this will help or not but hear you go!


http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4753&N=2004+113017

[Sime76]

Regarding the 1ml per 7 litres recomended dosage.
What should be done after doseing the tank? waterchange 24hr later? is it just a one off dose?

[Phlipper]

Regarding the 1ml per 7 litres recomended dosage.
What should be done after doseing the tank? waterchange 24hr later? is it just a one off dose?


I'm not sure about this either ?.....someone ???

[Phlipper]

I ordered some of the BIG.L Levamisole, but it seem they delivered the wrong one, I've got Sheep and Cattle mix :x ......however it seems the same but a stronger solution, so can anyone tell me if it is Ok used at half dose, ie:......1ml per 14 litres of water, or should I refrain from using it at all ?

[Merrilyn]

Hmmmm Phil, it depends what else is in it. Some of them have glucose in them to make it more palatable.

Can you get a shot of the contents?

We use the Pig and Poultry wormer because it's water soluble, so not too sure about this one. It must have something different in it, even though the main ingredient is levamisole.

[Phlipper]

Well it says nothing about glucose or aything else, just Levamisole Hydrochloride 32g/L, and the contents colour is the same as the pig and poultry...........ie: pineapple juice :roll:

I'm disappointed they got the wrong bottle in for me, and had to go a fair way to obtain it grrrr ! I might just try it out on some of my more expendable fish like Platies and Guppies etc, I'll try the half strength dose.

[Simone]

Hey peeps, just a quick query i dosed my piegon with Levamisole and he passed a couple of worms but he still looks like he has a full tummy but i havent seen him eat so my question is can i redose in a week or so?

[samir]

here's a link to order sykes pig poultry wormer online 500ml for $14.95 and postage free for Sydney.
http://www.sydneyequestriansupplies.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=52_53&products_id=443&osCsid=74a1a218a5bfa3a94033265e89fd8ef1

[Merrilyn]

Hey peeps, just a quick query i dosed my piegon with Levamisole and he passed a couple of worms but he still looks like he has a full tummy but i havent seen him eat so my question is can i redose in a week or so?

Yes you can, but I'd wait 2 weeks between treatments.

[Simone]

Thanks heaps ladyred! I know he will pull through! :)

[Phlipper]

Hmmmm Phil, it depends what else is in it. Some of them have glucose in them to make it more palatable.

Can you get a shot of the contents?

We use the Pig and Poultry wormer because it's water soluble, so not too sure about this one. It must have something different in it, even though the main ingredient is levamisole.



This is going back a number of posts now, but to jog memories......I bought some Big L Levamisole a little while ago, but bought the wrong one, insted of the pig and poultry grade, I got the cattle and sheep bottle, and there was some apprehension on wether or not to use it. It seems to be the same stuff, but at a stronger mixture, approx. double of what the pig and poultry is.

So rather than waste it, I experimented with it on a few different fish at half the normal reccommended dose of 1 ml to 7 litres of water. Not sure if the fish I tried it on had worms or not, likely not ?....but none died or showed any adverse reactions at all so I think it's also Ok to use at half strength. I tried it on some Guppies, Swordtails, female Bettas and some Angels and all are unscathed by it, I haven't tried it on Discus as of yet, but see no reason why it should't be OK, I'll try that next 8-)

[sammigold]

Will levamisole kill the eggs and larvae as well as the actual worm....?

Possibly a silly question but I dont think I have seen it anywhere....

[Phlipper]

I myself have no idea ???........but I'd like to know that as well.

Just as a further note I have been experimenting with the stuff, I have dosed a variety of fish with the Levamisole at 4 times the strength just to see what one can get away with, and all the fish have had no adverse reactions that I can detect...........maybe that's worth knowing ???

[sammigold]

another question... still need to know whether levamisole kills the egg and larvae as well...?

also, How noticeable should camallanus worms be... I have noticed a couple of my fish expelling some weird poos but most seem to be allright... how long does it take for it to be effective?

sorry for all the questions but want to make sure I eradicate worms correctly...

Also just so everyone knows.... dosed normal dose with 5 gibbys in tank and they are all fine..

So feel that I can safely say that levamisole does not affect gibbiceps...

[OscarManAlpha]

This maybe of interest.

They have copyright so I just put the link.

http://www.finarama.com/diseases/

Cheers,

Mark

[samir]

another question... still need to know whether levamisole kills the egg and larvae as well...?
Sammi Levimasole will probably not kill eggs and larvae(depends on where the larvae are). Thats why you need another dose after two weeks. I dont know much about life cycles of fish worms but i'll give you an example with the roundworm found in humans. the roundworm eggs hatch in the digestive system and then make a beeline for the lungs via the liver, there they live for a bit and finally they crawl up the windpipe and go down to the digestive system. now if you treat a human for roundworms, only those worms in the digestive system will get killed. those in the lungs will survive and reinfect the intestines in a couple of weeks. thats why one has to redose in 14 days to break the cycle. same theory with fish and all other pets, identify the worm, learn the life cycle and then decide when to dose and redose for complete eradication. hope that helps

[fish_r]

iv'e messed up big time and the only conclusion i can come to is the use of levamisole ?
i am only learning with discus, but after reading this sticky i decided to worm with levamisole after getting a few newer discus lately
i couldn't get BigL but managed to find some worm-enda poultry wormer active constitiuant of levamisole = 8.46g/l and no mention of other additves
but i did note it smelt a little sweet ? colour was red ?
i noticed with BigL it is 14g/l so i used a 1 and three quarter dose and dosed @ 1ml per 7ltrs.
i did this after a clean and big trim of my plants.
got home tonight and all my fish were struggling :( all my fish were up @ the surface like they were trying to breath, not just my discus but all of my fish
sae, rummy nose, harlequin etc even the bn's were comming to the surface
and to top it off even all the bloody snails even came to the top of the tank
so i thought some thing was seriously wrong :shock:
i tested my Co2 levels and they were fine.
i did a 40% water change as soon as i got home, then had to go out.
i got home about 4hrs later and all the fish were doing the same and had lost one discus. luckilly i have my 3 footer setup and cycled, so i put all the fish into it. and will try to fix up what has gone wrong in my big tank ?
now i am worried cause i have put all them fish into my 3 footer at once and it will over load my bio load, so i have to fix my main tank quick.
i am going to do a 50% water change and add some carbon to my filter.
any other advise on how to cleanup and make my water safe again ?
my pH was 7 from 6.8 ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0 so as far as i can see my water params are fine ?

[Phlipper]

I think what you are doing is fine, keep the carbon fresh, change daily and a couple more water changes and add your fish back a couple at a time, hopefully there is no permanent damage to the gills....good luck

[fish_r]

thx phlipper.
all up "so far" i only lost a cpl of of tetras, but one discus too.
since putting them in the 3 footer they have picked up heaps, even my favorite discus survived, which i thought was past saving.

decided not to muck around and just emptying it now and replacing all the water and substrate "gave me an excuse to do it" not doing the filter so tank will go through only a mini cycle hopefully and when finished i'll put my fish back in

[Phlipper]

Good news mate 8-) I think the levamisole you used may of contained an additive like glucose, may account for why it smelt sweet. You likely dont need to be told this but, if you are ever in doubt about some medication or tecnique experiment with a expendible fish in a seperate tank first. 8-)

[fish_r]

yeah just what i was thinking :( it should be illegal to sell it with out listing the contents of the bottle on the label imo... but it only mentioned levamisole
i was just plain silly risking all my fish the way i did, but hey i wont do it again :oops: :oops: :oops:

[sammigold]

Unfortunately I dont think they label glucose as an additive as the product is not "intended" for use in an aquarium... so the manufacturers are not aware of the impact glucose can have on an aquarium aquaculture... they only know that it wont harm the animals and birds that it is intended for... does that make sense? (Only my thoughts... dont know for sure)

[fish_r]

sounds about right to me :)

[*Chris*]

there is also a product called IV plus
its main ingrediant is ivmectin it again is a strictly pig wormer
but somehow has been used i the treatment of fish worms
cammillanus capill'
it also has had some effect on flukes
BUT...................
it is extremely potent 1ml per 200ltr
it can be added to food directly BUT again :lol: :lol:
if the fish are sulking or look a bit bloated its time to do a 50% water change
no the good side of all of this is its 100% effective kills the little fellas and the adult worms . but if there in the gravel ots probably best to add to the tank first
AI

[wickedglass]

worm-enda killed every fish I ever tried to treat with it. I finally found Big-L online right here

http://www.vetnpetdirect.com.au/product.php?productid=16807&cat=394&page=1

including postage it cost me $20.50 delivered to my post office in 7 days. no more worm-enda for me ... my advice is to stay away from it.

[flaggy]

Sykes Big L -

Not the cheapest from this online company, but certainly the best service and very quick delivery (next business day):

http://2easy.com.au/shop/articles.php?search=big+l&x=0&y=0

[flaggy]

Hey all

One thing that bugged me was reports that Levamisole needed low pH (< 7) to be effective. I suppose this is not a problem for discus tanks, but for those who have tanks with other types of fish, it might be nice to know.

I found this article in the Loach forum that seems to clarify:

Many thanks to Dr. Hal Sinclair of IVX Animal Health for the following information.

Levamisole base is NOT stable and will break down as pH rises.
Levamisole Hydrochloride, on the other hand, is stable for up to 90 days in water. No specific pH necessary.

Not sure who this Dr Hal is, but assuming it is correct, this is nice to know!

More on this can be found at:

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=2597&highlight=levamisole

[*Chris*]

but will the levimisole hydrochloride do the same job without adverse effects is the question
and do yu really want to chance it?????
most medications have been adapted from there normal daily use to the alternate fish dose
sometimes the slightest additive can kill or react with something in ones aquarium
like you said it would be nice to know
EXAI

[flaggy]

Hi EX - the Sykes Big L which everyone seems to recommend in this thread actually has levamisole hydrochloride as its active ingredient. So, it seems like Big L and should work at pH above 7 according to Dr Hal!

[*Chris*]

thats great to know i should have taken the time to check the side of the bottle
cheers
EXAI

[Squid]

Levamisole is really fairly ineffective aginst internal treatment of worms if placed in the fishes water. It needs to get inside the fish via food, but I guess any worms that protrude from the fishes anus can get 'stung' by it. A better drug to use is Mebendazol. Be aware that levamisole can cause some nasty side effects on you fish. Here is an attachment from Bassleer, which is my and fish disease experts, fish disease bible. Any further info, give me a buzz via this means.

Squid

[Squid]

I guess you'll need the niclosamide dose rates as well.

Squid

[flaggy]

Hi Squid

Have you used Mebendazole before? Where did you buy it and did it show any side effects with the fish including the more sensitive types like catfish?

Cheers

[Squid]

Mebendazole is another anthelmetic drug similar to Levamisole, but from a different chemical group. Treatment using it is similar to levamisole. I can get it off my wife, as she is a dedicated fish vet. Any vet who claims to practice 'fish stuff' will be able to get it for you. It is also known as VERMOX and is widely used in treating farm animals roundworm problems. As for species sensitivity, I dont know as I dont really have much to do with catfish. It will knock tetras around though and is better used in their food. You can try this link for a search in your spare time. If I find out, I'll give you a yell.

Squid

Link: www.fishvetsociety.org.uk

[ahcliu]

Hi

Refe to the following quote

[/quote]Levamisole should not affect the filter bacteria. As far as overdosing is concerned you most certainly can. There are many opinions on this stuff and personally I hate it but still use it when I have to. Even though there is little research or articles on Levamisole IMO it's better to use it than start running trials on Fenbendazole which was suggested to me recently.

The information I have been given (please don't shoot the messenger) is that 1. there is no proof that Levamisole does not affect the fertility of fish after heavy treatments with it, however, there are reports that fish have bred successfully after its use, 2. Levamisole has the potential to cause permanent nerve damage in fish and 3. Levamisole has been known to cause spinal deformaties in young growing fish. Doesn't fill me with a whole lot of confidence and especially after seeing what it does whilst under treatment.

I want to ask any experience on point 3,

how old will it be safe to use Leavmisole

[samir]

never had fertility problems or deformed fish however my fish do go crazy and now i am too scared to use it anymore.

[flaggy]

ahcliu, check out this discussion thread on Waterlife Sterazin:

http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9486&highlight=

I have not used it, but it is supposed to also work on nematodes like roundworms, etc, and from others' experiences, it seems much milder than Levamisole.

[samir]

Mebendazole seems like a good option, it also treats flukes.

[Ness]

using levamisole i found that my fish went off thier food a bit and got abit flighty. has anyone else found this to happen with thier fish?
Ross

[lpiasente]

Ben how often do you worm your Fish, and do you treat them for anything else - if so, what with?.

Also, will Levamisole harm Clown Loaches, Knife Fish and Bristlenose?

Regards,

Marg.

Any ideas on the knife fish

[RDavies]

Are there any updates as to whether these treatments might harm the bacteria in the filter?
I will be pulling the carbon out of my canister filter tomorrow, which I suppose will weaken the bacteria for a bit. Should I hold off on adding the worm treatment after fidling ith the filters?

[ILLUSN]

nope but my bristlenoses didn't like my last treatment.

[RDavies]

Do both treatments make the Bristle Noses sick, or kill them. How about Royal whip tails and Oto,s.

[newdiscusfanatics]

Will the levamisole kill all free swimming nematodes?
They are eting my fry and after that many water changes will not go.
What a nightmare

[Squid]

you could try Flubendazol for your nematodes if you can get it. Must be a bad infestation if they are eating the bubs. Probably in the water supply

[newdiscusfanatics]

Hi squid, I wanted to use flubendazole but I didnt want to kill my bio as I have not set up my other tank.

I used levamisole the day before yesterday and yesterday and now the floating infestation is down only 3-5 floating around that are 1cm, dont know why they are alive bt just dosed a little higher today, about 60% higher dose so hopeflly this will knock em out.

The fish look ok, except for the male having a clear sign of hole in the head which appeared the other day, I might put him on metrodazole after I finnish treating tank for them nasty worms hanging around.

There seems to be little ones on the tank floor that are alivein some white substance that keeps layering the floor.

I am thinkng I will add carbon do a big water change tonight then tomorow then remove carbon and give seachems cupramine which has coper a go and see if that gives them a final blow. What do you think?

One problem after another bloody hell ;)

[Squid]

Copper will certainly kill most things - including fish so I would watch the tank carefully for a few hrs/days after treatment and have an emergency plan ready for rapid detox if it goes wrong.

[Haydo]

used levamisole after reading this forum on my two new melon discus today after them both sitting on the bottom of the tank not eating since I got them 4 days ago. Wow 4 hours later they are swimming around looking for and eating food not shy at all like completely different fish!! Thank you for leading the way!