# How do I get rid of nematodes



## randyl

Nematodes are harmless to shrimps or your hands, but my wife bought a pair of those reef gloves because she doesn't like the feelings of sticking her hands in the tanks with them. 

I'm not sure if fenbendazole kilsl them but I treated my 2 tanks with fenbendazole for hydras and I haven't seen nematodes since. Only 1 dosage of 0.1g/10G did the trick for me. It's shrimp safe so if you really hate nematodes then I guess it doesn't hurt. One of my tanks got the dosage and I have only done a 15% WC since the treatment more than 2 weeks ago, shrimps are happy but hydras and nematodes are gone.


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## ShadowBeast

randyl said:


> Nematodes are harmless to shrimps or your hands, but my wife bought a pair of those reef gloves because she doesn't like the feelings of sticking her hands in the tanks with them.
> 
> I'm not sure if fenbendazole kilsl them but I treated my 2 tanks with fenbendazole for hydras and I haven't seen nematodes since. Only 1 dosage of 0.1g/10G did the trick for me. It's shrimp safe so if you really hate nematodes then I guess it doesn't hurt. One of my tanks got the dosage and I have only done a 15% WC since the treatment more than 2 weeks ago, shrimps are happy but hydras and nematodes are gone.


 Thanks for the info.
So far from what i've checked up I heard fenbendazole will kill nematodes.


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## sketch804

fenbendazole fenbendazole fenbendazole!! This stuff is a great! Don't let your fish get infected or it'll lead to widespread infection..I had my all of my 4 tanks get infected from a single fish that was carring this parasite..but fenbendazole has to be ingested, it will do nothing if just added to the water...get it from your local vet and even a small amout will sucifice..also if you can find it levamisole (something along those lines) is another good chemical and this one can just be added to the water..good luck! I hate these guys!


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## Senior Shrimpo

fenbendazole doesn't kill nematodes!

From what I remember at least. Check around again. I'm pretty sure fenbendazole kills certain parasitic things like planaria and hydra but I don't think it kills nematodes.

Also, nematodes are beneficial and can be reduced by simply reducing the amount of excess food and decaying matter in the tank.


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## sketch804

Wait, wait, wait a darn min...are we all on the same page?* nematodes are anal worms (at least in fish and mammals) that infest digestive cavity.* They are small, red, and a well known parasite in livestock. S_o is the person 100% SURE from the OP that what (s)he has is in fact nematodes??? _Anyways, so with that said, fenbendazole DOES in fact kill nematodes but as I said it has to be ingested by the mammal in the form of food or whatever. fenbendazole is a well known general dewormer, used mainly with horses, pigs, and other livestock animals. It works in humans as well, but the use of Levamiasole (or something like that) seems to be used more for humans. Fenbendazole will kill nematodes in 2-3 days max, you might have to use it twice, but no more than that. You need to vacuum your gravel very well after the worm dies to make sure it doesn't return. Now this is all from personal experience as I had ALL of my tanks infected with this parasite worm. This was the only chemical that I could find that did the job right and had many fish perish before I could cure them (took me a while to get a hold of the chemical). 

Now for shrimp, I have never had a shrimp be affected by any parasites, but if they are you will actually be able to see the parasite in the shrimp if it is big enough. I have no clue how to kill them in the water column since fenbendazole has to be ingested to work. I have heard that this works in the aquarium for Hydra and stuff..Now if this is nematode in fact, then just leave it and run its course and it will die, it needs a host in order to propagate..
All this info comes from a Fish Parasite and Disease book from I believe Tetra company. I can find the reference if needed..

"Please believe me!"


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## Senior Shrimpo

Alright you're thinking of nematodes the parasites. We're thinking of the aquatic nematodes that are harmless. 

Here's from the aquarium wiki:



The Aquarium Wiki said:


> A nematode is a micro sized worm often called roundworm (they are roughly 2-5mm long). There are over 20,000 species of them. and they provide an important service in ponds, lakes, etc. They live in all habitats, and most are aquatic. They generally are only a few mm in length and have a life-cycle of a few days.
> Some species are parasitic and live off fish, often appearing in the anus of the fish. But by far the majority are harmless.


also eww haha

so maybe nematodes can be killed by fenbendazole (I always thought they couldn't) but it's kind of pointless.


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## shrimpster

Nematodes are soil, water-born, air-born; parasitic or non-parasitic; beneficial and non-beneficial. By individuals they account for nearly 80% of living organisms on earth The few that are dangerous to humans and other mammals are not often commonly known as nematodes (even though they are).

Fenbendazole will target those that are dangerous to humans and other mammals such as tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, though it is dangerous for human consumption.

The type of nematodes often being referred to by aquarists are water-born or soil-born most likely coming from plants and will not harm humans or animals. The fenbendazole being placed in the water column for treatment has the same effect as ingestion does in animals. It does not need to be ingested by the nematode itself to have effect, simply existing w/in solution is enough as it is when present in solution w/in intestines of mammals.

I myself have witnessed the unintended eradication of nematodes when treating tanks for planaria and hydra. If the nematodes came from plants, they may sustain their population as long as there are the host plants in the tank. They may or may not disappear on their own.

If you want to get rid of them w/out using chemicals just put some guppies or other small live food eater in there:icon_wink


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## diwu13

In my experience flu/fenbendazole won't kill them. Introducing some fish to eat them is probably the best way.


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## sketch804

Senior Shrimpo said:


> Alright you're thinking of nematodes the parasites. We're thinking of the aquatic nematodes that are harmless.


Ahh yes, okay oops two different things all together..I just have never heard of the other nematodes that's why I was a little confused but I understand. So I retract my comment..fenbendazole will kill the parasites, but I dunno on the other one, that's a new one on me


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## ShadowBeast

sketch804 said:


> Ahh yes, okay oops two different things all together..I just have never heard of the other nematodes that's why I was a little confused but I understand. So I retract my comment..fenbendazole will kill the parasites, but I dunno on the other one, that's a new one on me


 I was wondering what you were talking about :confused1:
I've heard of the red worms but the ones I'm talking about usually hide in the substrate and will swim in open waters.


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## ShadowBeast

shrimpster said:


> Nematodes are soil, water-born, air-born; parasitic or non-parasitic; beneficial and non-beneficial. By individuals they account for nearly 80% of living organisms on earth The few that are dangerous to humans and other mammals are not often commonly known as nematodes (even though they are).
> 
> Fenbendazole will target those that are dangerous to humans and other mammals such as tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, though it is dangerous for human consumption.
> 
> The type of nematodes often being referred to by aquarists are water-born or soil-born most likely coming from plants and will not harm humans or animals. The fenbendazole being placed in the water column for treatment has the same effect as ingestion does in animals. It does not need to be ingested by the nematode itself to have effect, simply existing w/in solution is enough as it is when present in solution w/in intestines of mammals.
> 
> I myself have witnessed the unintended eradication of nematodes when treating tanks for planaria and hydra. If the nematodes came from plants, they may sustain their population as long as there are the host plants in the tank. They may or may not disappear on their own.
> 
> If you want to get rid of them w/out using chemicals just put some guppies or other small live food eater in there:icon_wink


 That's what I was thinking with the fish.
Would pearl danios and dwarf crayfish eat them?


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## GeToChKn

I see them on my glass sometimes. I just usually take a piece of filter floss, as soon as I turn on the lights are they usually always in a cluster, wipe the floss across the glass and get 90% of them in a swipe. Do a few WC's, few more swipes and they usually go away. Mostly always get them in a newly setup tank after the first month or so, then they go away with a bit of removing them.


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## Sparkling

We have guppies that are dying from some mysterious hunchback disease. We used to have bettas in the same tank and they died also. I read on another forum that it could be TB but this answer seems unlikely to me. Another forum poster said it also fits the description of parasitic nematodes. This seems more likely. We had a sickly female betta that seemed to start the chain of death about a year ago. We have had both males and females die from this emaciating hunchbacking disease. And some of them sort of swell up right before they have died, which makes me think it is a parasite.

We have baby guppies in the tank and one lone adult guppy that has survived the epidemic, but she looks very ill and weak. She is still eating near as we can tell, but is having trouble swimming. She may not survive til morning. We would like to save the baby guppies if possible. 

Is there any way to treat the whole tank? We have some green moss like plants in there that the babies hide in. (Sorry i don't know the name of the plant. It looks fuzzy like moss.)

I saw that you said fenbendazole has to be ingested to work. How do we get the fish to eat it?

If you read this in the next 24 hours (Today is Sunday May 25, 2014) and you have a suggestion I would appreciate an email. Fish are dying! Thanks! tinyzoo (at) yahoo -dot- com

Blessings to you.
-Sparkling


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## Lucubration

If you're talking about the free-swimming, squiggly little white nematodes, I usually start a new tank off with some hungry livebearers to eat weird bugs like this (guppy culls are my choice du jour).

Edit: I see this thread has kinda been resurrected on a different topic, though. Sorry, can't help much with fish wasting diseases. I have used fenbendazole successfully on free-swimming nematodes in the past, but I haven't had to use it for internal fish parasites before.


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## dmagerl

Its just as likely that the white squiggly things you see are annelids, segmented worms, instead of nematodes, round worms.

While what kills a nematode may kill an annelid, its probably best to be sure of an ID first.

A strong magnifying glass or a microscope should reveal segments and possibly fine hairs growing from each segment if an annelid, or a completely smooth round body if a nematode.


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