camallanus worms

[Th1]

I have the tank that infected with camallanus worms and I want to know if cleaning the tank accessories with hot water and letting it dry out will get rid of the worms or the worms will be still alive even if I clean out and let them dry.

[RonWill]

Go through this very old thread. Danged... 8 years down the road and these buggers still aren't extinct like the dinosaurs!!

Levamisole is very effective. Fenbendazole less so. Regardless, any and all form of drug treatment should not be abused as a 'regular procedure'. As always, your mileage will vary. Good luck and keep us updated.

[RonWill]

Here's one more for your reading pleasure and your tanks' early recovery.

[Th1]

I do not have any fish in my tank. My question is does this worms still be alive even without the fish? Because I could only see the worms in the fish anus not in the tank water. Does this worms are invisible to the eyes? Also, does cleaning the gravel and tank accessories in hot water and letting them dry before use will it get rid of these worms. I just want to clean the tank before I restart my cycling process again. Is it okay to put my hands in the water to clean it. Does this worms affect people?

[RonWill]

No fishes make the task a whole lot easier!!

Wear plastic gloves, wet a towel with 100% bleach/clorox and wipe all internal surfaces. Let sit for half an hour and repeat.

Wet another towel with 100% artificial white vinegar for cooking (which is actually acetic acid) and go over where there's bleach. Let vinegar sit for 10mins and repeat application twice.

Bleach is alkaline whilst vinegar is acidic, effectively neutralizing each other, leaving only a harmless odor.

Rinse tank (and contents) as many times as you feel comfortable or rinse/drain as you cover each internal glass panel.

You're done... and no bluddy "come-in-the-aşş" worms or fishes to deal with but... I'd closely inspect the tank's former occupants just to be doubly sure.

Similarly treat the tank's contents while you're going at it so that the new setup is not plagued with the same issues again.

[Th1]

Hi Ronwill,
Thanks for the information you provided. Why do you want me to wear a gloves, is this worms really bad. Does it get into people. Is this worms still be alive even without fish. I heard, this worms need a host (fish) to keep them alive, is it true? I don't want to take risk with using bleach, so how about if I take the whole tank water out and clean the tank stuff and accessories including gravel in the hot water and let it dry and repeat the same thing again 2 or 3 times just to be on the safe side. Also, the tank water I could dump it in the sink, is there any problem associated with dumping the tank water in the sink. Also, does this worms get out of the tank unless I spill water on the floor, so it's okay if I spill water on the floor while cleaning? Please let me know. Thank you.

[RonWill]

Gloves to protect your hands from caustic effect of bleach. Don't foresee you being a host anytime soon.

Bleaching is extreme but that's pretty much a norm for me and I have a phobia of losing fishes that I can't afford to lose. If you're not comfortable with my zany ideas and jumping off a cliff, dry up the tank for a while and heat-treat everything else, then leave dry.

No... the camallanus worms don't survive out of water but don't feed them after midnight... oh erm... never mind... I was thinking about gremlins!