So. . . my dh bought himself a new plasma TV and I got. . .

[MichelleCarmen]

Thanks. Remember Sam? I'm sure he had this or another parasite. He never ate the entire time I had him and when I called the pet store they said some fish scavange from the bottom (so they said he may be okay). Then I brought in fish 2 and he has been a voracious eater (still have him) and then I realized that Sam was sick due to the behavior of fish 2. Stupid me, I left Sam in and he died after about three weeks of having him. A week later I brought in fish 3 and a few weeks later he exhibited the red worm.

The article you just posted says camallanus needs a host. . .still, my question is what do I do with all the stuff I've purchased? The dip tubes for the ammonia & Nitrite test kits, the syphon, the tap conditioner, net, and on and on? I would wash my hands then do all my fish stuff and then wash my hands again. Would the worm not be able to live on all the plastic bottles? Do I have to toss it all? The beta may have it too because on Friday & Sat I shared the Prime bottle for both fish plus kept the Beta food next to the Guppy food.

Really, I should have insisted my son have a simple Beta bowl. My MIL gave me money for the tank, but I've shelled out at least $125 additional for all these items (and can only return two items - the heaters I bought).

Oh, and fish 2 has a long red strip going down his tummy. Must be the hemmoraging? He's had this since the beginning.

I'm thinking of letting the fish live out their short lives, then tossing everything except the 3-gallon tank and bleaching that when my kids are back in school and doing a fish-less cycle.

Ugh!

Huge kudos to you for having the patience to keep your hobby up long-term!!!

 

[Gailey]

MC, I will do some more research and see what I can find out, but I just wanted to respond quickly and tell you that there is not one person in the aquatic hobbyist group who has not gone through a steep learning curve (usually the hard way). We have all suffered what would be considered catastrophic loss, if we were keeping cats and dogs that is.

In this case, you have been very un-lucky in that your first two fish have arrived with this nasty parasite. Doubly so when you have done everything right and have been super dilligent in trying to get your tank through the cycling process.

I think the kudos is due to you.

 

[Gailey]

MC, this article may send you running for the hills, but I wanted to post it to show you that other medications seem to be pretty futile, so don''t go and spend a ton of money on them. I am going to keep looking for information about how long this parasite can survive without a host. Do you have any snails in your tank?

Nothing but Levamisole will do

 

[Gailey]

I think help is at hand MC. Here''s a post from Canadian Aquarium Connection Forum

It seems they have a member "Mykiss", who has Levamisole and knows about these parasites. He has a website: www.canadianaquatics.com I think his name maybe Charles Lam. I suggest you contact him and ask him where to get Levamisole and what measures you should take to ensure your tank is free of this monster.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Thanks. I found a local place that will charge $30-40 for it and then an online place for $20.

After spending *hours* reading and thinking, I'm still in flux as to how to proceed at this point. Part of treatment is a nearly 100% water change and that'll probably kill the two small guppies from stress. Everything has to be bleached (syphons & nets, etc.) between treatments and I'm kind of overwhelmed (especially since I have two young kids and a huge garden with landscaping that I'm maintaining along side with these little gilled creatures). My friend said I should toss the tank and just keep the Betta in a bowl. If the Betta gets sick, I can just bleach the bowl and get a new fish. Since the Betta isn't a livebearer, possibly it won't become sick since the only cross-contamination was the ammonia tester and my handling of the Prime drops. Livebearers seem to get this most often (which, in all your reading, that information you most likely came across!) (Oh, and another friend asked me if this is even worth the stress!)

Okay, I'll keep you posted if any news comes up.

Ugh, maybe I'll have a beer after the boys and my husband go to bed!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Just testing to see if any of the Betta photos turned out okay.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Okay, here is a couple better shots of Mandarine. . .

 

[jcrow]

mandarine is beautiful!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Here''s the fish in question. Looks fine since Saturday. Still eating and moving around like a hyper little guppy will do.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 8/27/2009 11:31:38 AM
Author: jcrow
mandarine is beautiful!

Thanks! He mostly just floats around. Cats aren''t paying attention to him, but last night one of my cats (the one in the avatar), tried to get ahold of the fish food jar! lol Now that is up in the cupboard.

 

[Gailey]

Great photos MC, way better than mine. Your guppy is a great colour too. I don''t think I''ve ever seen pale green. I hope he makes it.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

He''s a cool fish. He''s more yellow in RL. Name is Lemonade.

Interesting thing - everyone I asked about fish issues keeps suggesting I call that store I bought from and well, after yet another store, I talked to a pet store owner who only sells food, not pets, and she said that the store I bought from is notorious for selling sickly fish

You should see the place, though. . .it''s SO decked out and pretty and I was sucked into that.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 8/27/2009 9:35:32 PM
Author: MC
He''s a cool fish. He''s more yellow in RL. Name is Lemonade.

Interesting thing - everyone I asked about fish issues keeps suggesting I call that store I bought from and well, after yet another store, I talked to a pet store owner who only sells food, not pets, and she said that the store I bought from is notorious for selling sickly fish

You should see the place, though. . .it''s SO decked out and pretty and I was sucked into that.

There is an aquarium store here in town that is the dirtiest dingiest looking place you have ever seen. But it has an awesome reputation for good quality, healthy stock. I think I may have said that once before on a fish post. I would not have thought to go there but everyone at the local aquarium society raved about it.

If you decide to stick with it MC, maybe consider joining your local aquarium society. They are a huge source of information for you.

I''m hoping Lemonade makes it, such a pretty fish.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I did find an aquarium society that''s on "summer vacation," that I''m going to look into when they start up again (and when my kids are back in school).

Yesterday we visited a pet store that is suppose to be a place hobbiests go to and they have an incredibly gorgeous cherry barb there. I REALLY want it but (obviously) do not have any place to put it.

Later that evening, I had both my kids ask dh if they could have a "cherry barb," thinking DH would guess that was a kind of candy and he''d say okay. . .lol. . .then we''d go get another tank really quick that evening. But DH was too quick on the ball and actually ASKED what a "cherry barb" is and answered with a "no" after he heard it''s a fish. lol Oh well!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 8/29/2009 10:18:56 AM
Author: Gailey

I''m hoping Lemonade makes it, such a pretty fish.

Update: Lemonade is still swimming and eating, but for sure has camallanus and part of his tail is beginning to pale up.

Not sure what to do since Levamisole requires huge water changes. I found another product, Panacur, locally, but it''s $15.99. My husband doesn''t think I should spend all this money on fish that were less than $5.00 each.

I do not plan to scratch the hobby, but am pretty sure that I won''t be going with guppies after this! We''re getting a second Betta (in a seperate 1-gallon glass drum bowl) in October so we''ll have a few fish buddies in case I have to bleach/restart the 3-gallon.

 

[Gailey]

I cannot disagree with Mr MC''s logic. That being said, I came to this conclusion after spending a small fortune on pharmaceuticals and equipment (that old steep learning curve again!). Sickness and disease can certainly put a dampner on one''s enthusiasm for the hobby. It has been several years since I added any new fish to my two existing community tanks, for fear of introducing a pathogen or parasite.

One other thing about joining the local aquarium society is that you will get to hear of local breeders with disease free stock.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I entirely see why you haven't added any more fish and empathize with how difficult riding that learning curve must have been!

I called one of the chain pet stores rather than a smaller store and the gal said the little fish won't survive the large water change Levamisole requires. They do, however, unlike any of the other stores, have a fish food with that ingredient in it. What a surprise, huh? The only store I've found in the Seattle area. They have a 100% money back guarantee even if I use up most of the bottle. It's only $5.99 and I'm going to feed the fish 2X per day with it for the next two months.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753421

Have you ever fed your fish peas? I keep reading about doing so, but yesterday, when I crushed up bits of a cooked pea, it all sank to the bottom and below the rocks.

 

[Gailey]

No peas. I am sort of leary about giving fresh veg to my fishes. One time I gave them some courgette (zuchini), the following morning they were dead.

I have bought organic courgette since and fed that to them, but not recently, must do that again because they like it.

I wouldn''t give your infected fish anything other than the medicated food though, unless the bottle says otherwise.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/22/2009 11:05:28 PM
Author: treefrog
Awesome. Aquarium pictures are tough. If there isn''t enough light, the shutter speed will be very slow, resulting in blurry pictures. Get a light right over the tank, put the camera in macro mode (but it may do ok in regular mode too), lens right up to the tank, no flash preferably. Here''s a sample with this method. This picture is old. My fish are much larger now!
Treefrog

This is a beautiful tank Froggie.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 8/22/2009 2:28:36 PM
Author: Gailey
OK, here''s a series of pics of the python in action. In case you are wondering why the hoisery over the end of the tube, that''s so I don''t suck up any small fishes when I do water changes.

Gailey
the python works great if you are getting high water pressure coming out of the tap,but they don''t work so good if your water pressure is lo.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 9/3/2009 8:05:02 PM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 8/22/2009 2:28:36 PM
Author: Gailey
OK, here''s a series of pics of the python in action. In case you are wondering why the hoisery over the end of the tube, that''s so I don''t suck up any small fishes when I do water changes.

Gailey
the python works great if you are getting high water pressure coming out of the tap,but they don''t work so good if your water pressure is lo.

Still better than sucking on the end of the syphon tube!

(I''ve really missed you DF

)