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i keep giraffe and synodontis catfishes in a pond with a pair of giant gourmis. the gouramis recently have a bad case of anchor worms. whats the best way to treat them without endangering the catfish. the makers of para-cide informed me that their product is not safe for catfish.

You can try diflubenzurone (sold as Anchors Away in the aquarium and pond fish trade, and as Dimilin elsewhere). It is supposedly non-toxic for all fishes.

How did the anchorworm get in to the pond in the first place?
Are you using a natural source of water?
Pete

yes, i use groundwater for my aquariums and ponds (i live in the philippines). this is the second infestation i had. the first one i had no problem because i didnt have catfishes then. when a medication is "supposedly" safe, how safe is that?

by the way i checked the "notify me when a reply is posted" box but where do i get the notification? i thought it would be in my registered email address but i didnt get any for the two replies? thanks for replying you two...

when a medication is "supposedly" safe, how safe is that?

Diflubenzurone is a chitin-synthesis inhibitor, and since vertebrates in general do not have any chitin (it's found in the exoskeleton of arthropods like anchor worms), it should be very safe with fishes (barring side effects, of which I know not any).

hi guys!

well it seems anchors away (or other products with same a.i.) are not available in the philippines. the pet shop onwer told me he uses rock salt to combat ectoparasites in his aquariums. but i dont know how much salt i should add to my pond and considering it contains (aside from the giant gouramis and synos) mystus upsidedown catfish, a red pacu, a knifefish, tilapia, convict cichlids.

are there other safe alternatives to anchors away?

Hi are you able to remove them with tweezers? If possible do this and then rub some honey into sore spot left behind. See if you can see any eggs on the glass? They look like parralel rods. Remove them with a razor blade if possible.Can you get interpet products? If so ther anti crustacean remidy works very well in these circumstances.

STINGRAY wrote:HiSee if you can see any eggs on the glass? They look like parralel rods. Remove them with a razor blade if possible.

I know Argulus (Fish Lice) laid eggs like this, but I didn't think that Lernaea (Anchor worm) laid eggs on a substrate. I thought instead the female carried the eggs sacs around until they hatch.

i dont think its possible to remove the worms mechanically without hurting the giant gouramis. too many of worms on them and the gouramis are pretty strong. the situation seems improvng though but i'm not sure if its because the hot dry season has started and the water temperature in the pond has become warmer. or maybe it's part of the life cycle of anchorworms?

anyway i emailed sera for catfish friendly anchorworm treatment and they suggested cyprinopur (regular dosage and without water change for 10 days). has anyone out there used cyprinopur on catfish?

You are not supposed to yank anchor worms out anyway. They're so deeply embedded that you are sure to leave part of it behind, which exposes the fish to secondary infections.
I'm not sure what the active ingredient of Cyprinopur is, but the product specification does not state that it should be used for anchor worms.

Oops, sorry misread as argulus in first place ignore reccomendation. As anybody had bad experiences bathing catfish in potassium permanganate. We normally use this on koi in same circumstances.

hello again

someobody suggested a product called aqua aid + (dimethyl hydroxy trichloro ethyl phosphate and methyl nitromidozole) whis is said to be effective for external and internal parasites. it is supposed to be a u.s. product (it is being repackaged here) but i cant find any info about it on the internet.

the product is in powdered form which is soluble in water. any thoughts or experience with this product? thanks!