Internal Parasites

[Ben Ellison]

I am a bit confused about internal parasites. Does Para Cleanse do anything for internal parasites? I have studied the packaging and gotten myself confused. Is Expel P the one that removes tapeworms and such? Also Expel P says you need to gravel vac, however, we all know in planted tanks that is easier said than done. What is the risk of not vacing? Will salt kill the parasites that are in the water column seeking fish? Thanks in advance

[Irene]

Yes, ParaCleanse and Expel P both treat internal parasites, but just different kinds. ParaCleanse treats tapeworms (and other things), whereas Expel P treats roundworms like camallanus red worms. Expel P works by paralyzing the worms, which is why you should gravel vacuum after using it to remove the fallen worms from the substrate. Expel P doesn't affect the worm eggs, which is why you'll need to redose it 2-3 weeks later to treat for any newly hatched worms. Hope that helps!

P.S. Here's a chart from our How to Treat Sick Fish article that explains some of the things that ParaCleanse treats:

[Ben Ellison]

What confused me was the packaging on the product. Paracleanse says treatment of a wide variety of parasitic diseases such as velvet,fish lice,hole-in-the-head, and gill/skin flukes. Then Expel-P lists worms and nemotodes. Neither listed tape worms but I was thinking Expel-P sounded the closest.