The Puffer Forum

1)8.2, 0,0,5, FW
2)180 gallon, 1 fahaka puffer
3) multiple small feedings per day, 30% weekly WC, Prime and melafix, preventative deworming with Prazipro soaked food ended 1.5 weeks ago
4)no changes
5) fishless cycled around 10 months ago

A few weeks ago I got a small fahaka puffer. It seemed fine until today, when i noticed what I believe is camallanus worms protruding from its anus... Can someone confirm these are camallanus? Sorry for the bad quality pictures. There was a red ball like object with lots of small thin red worm like projections off of it.

I have levimasole HCl and I will dose the tank (180 gallon) in a few days, as from what I have read I should treat the entire tank and a few hours after siphon out the dead worms and three days later perform a large water change... any other advise is welcome.

She ate some food soaked in levimasole HCL last night and this morning is purging dead worms (white stringy poo) and looked like she was convulsing. She may be having trouble pushing out dead worms? I will try and feed a pea later today or get some Epsom salt.

I have read some places that levimasole does not actually kill the camallanus worms but just paralyzes them. However, if her poo is white and stringy would that means the worms are dead?

Really difficult to see anything in these pics. White/stringy poo is definitely a sigh of IPs. Not sure if that is the actual worm though.
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/lib ... nus-worms/

Here is (hopefully) a better picture. Are these camallanus worms? or a prolapsed anus? or both?

LOL, not any better, need a close up of that. If it hasn't been expelled by now, could be a prolapse then. Try adding 1 tbsp Epsom salt/10g.

I will get out my dslr and get a better picture.

It looks like a reddish mass with very small "worm like" projections. It was out of the body a couple days ago. And then went back inside. And now today it is out again...

More pictures...

Thanks, much better pics! Almost looks like worms causing prolapse? Treat for both.

I've read you can soak food in Epsom salt. Would you recommend this method?

I've never heard of that. Always treated the tank.