Loaches Online Forum

See what I mean about the varying opinions on how/when to use levamisole?
Robin does the antibiotics first, then levamisole. It works for her.
I do the levamisole first and if that doesn't work then do the antibiotic.

As Dr. Yanong suggested, it is best to get a fecal sample to see if the parasites; worm, larvae, and eggs are gone. Unfortunatley most of us can't do that ourselves, and do not have access to a reliable 'fish doc'.

I agree with rich that it is very sketchy trying to diagnose fish illness via a forum. We do our best. But sometimes it's not enough.

So we observe, research, ask other fishkeepers...and ultimately have to decide for ourselves.

shari2 wrote:See what I mean about the varying opinions on how/when to use levamisole?
Robin does the antibiotics first, then levamisole. It works for her.
I do the levamisole first and if that doesn't work then do the antibiotic.

A strong argument for levamisole first is this:

If nematodes are present, any delay may result in not just loss of the affected fish, but a larger wipeout, perhaps a total wipeout.

I imagine who does what first in the course of trreating a fish has a lot to do with what medications are readily available. For example, I live in a large metropolitan area so it's not easy for me to get my hands on Levamisole (not many cows, horses, sheep, goats or pigs running around New York's streets). However, both Maracyns are readily available so that is my fist line of treatment when I suspect Chronic Wasting Syndrome. Nine times out of ten that does the trick. The fish starts putting on weight within a few days of starting treatment and I know I'm on the right track. I will still eventually treat for internal parasites in any newly acquired loach before they leave the Q-Tank, but I usually use medicated food for that.

Lots of the medications we can get in the US are not available elsewhere and they are getting even harder to get here due to new FDA regulations and California labeling laws. It's the primary reasons why Aquatronics went out of business. So, until vets who treat fish become more common we're on our own.

I was thinking if someone could put some levamisole in a box and ship it to NFLD and then just get cash sent to you @ Western Union in return. I can do it but not until I have enough cash on me in like 3 weeks- might be too long...

angelfish83 wrote:I was thinking if someone could put some levamisole in a box and ship it to NFLD and then just get cash sent to you @ Western Union in return. I can do it but not until I have enough cash on me in like 3 weeks- might be too long...

I suspect you two can use PayPal to transfer money within a day (never used it this way, but it ought to be possible, even without leaving the home).
It is probably best if "someone" is in Canada, sending drugs across the border may violate some laws.

hth

good point.

Here's something I haven't seen before- EcoRX Anti-Parasite Medicated Fish Food. This has levamisole, Metronidazole, and Praziquantel in it. It's expensive, but it might be worth a try.

http://www.pondsonlinecanada.com/fish9.htm

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=Eco ... tnG=Search

http://www.aquascapeinc.com/products/po ... ations.php

chefkeith wrote:Here's something I haven't seen before- EcoRX Anti-Parasite Medicated Fish Food. This has levamisole, Metronidazole, and Praziquantel in it. It's expensive, but it might be worth a try.

I would not be very optimistic.

On nematodes, at least, levamisole in food does not seem to be effective.

I did try Jungle Anti-Parasite Med Food (also with Levamisole and Prazi) on a fish that was infected with nematodes. It ate a fairly large quantity of the food, with no impact on the worms. But a pretty weak solution of levamisole used once I managed to get it, worked instantly.