Para-Cleanse

[Louise02]

I have two new mollies that showed signs of possible parasites (gill flukes and intestinal worms).  I have treated with Para-Cleanse, and I am supposed to begin water changes tomorrow.  BUT I don't think that everything is entirely cleared up.  Do I wait a few days before starting water changes, of do I finish this cycle and begin a new Para-Cleanse cycle down the road, in a month or so?  I have never had to use Para-Cleanse or anything like it, so any advise is appreciated.  Thank you!!!

[CJs Aquatics]

I would say you definitely want to make sure that everything is taken care of before they are done with medication, What did your process look like to start with? 

[nabokovfan87]

 

[Odd Duck]

Paracleanse is a good start but Levamisole would be a better choice for the most common intestinal parasites.  Here’s my recommendation for broad spectrum intestinal parasite treatment.

Deworming

Siphon out debris from the bottom before and after dosing to remove any expelled worms, eggs, debris, etc.  Levamisole is inactivated by organic debris and by light, so dose after lights out and black out the tank for 24 hours, remove organics via water changes and cleaning the bottom of debris as much as possible.

It’s likely that levamisole does what it can do within the first hour, but best to follow directions precisely.  If you have a bare bottom hospital tank available, it might be best and easiest to transfer the fish to that tank for the duration of treatment - up to 5 weeks total treatment time if doing 3 doses of praziquantal.

Levamisole treatment should be weekly for 4 treatments.  Praziquantal treatment should be every other week (at least) for 2-3 treatments and it is left in for a week at a time.  It can be dosed the day after levamisole treatment.  Remove any carbon or Purigen from filters before dosing.

Have enough dechlorinated water to do a 50% water change immediately if any adverse symptoms are seen in the fish.

 

A typical treatment regimen: 

1. 50% water change with careful siphoning of debris from the bottom of the tank.

2. Dose with levamisole and black out the tank for 24 hours.  Then 50% water change siphoning the entire bottom of the tank.

3. Dose with praziquantal directly after the second 50% WC.

4. One week later, 50% water change siphoning the bottom thoroughly.  Dose with levamisole following directions in step 1-2.

5. One week later (start of week 3 of treatment), repeat all steps 1-4 over another 2 weeks time.

6. Repeat all steps 1-5, then do last WC one week later after third dose of praziquantal.

Not all snails will tolerate treatments, so best to remove any snails in the tank.

 

Condensed, weekly schedule:

Week 1: siphon debris and do 50% water change, levamisole x 24 hrs, siphon.  Treat with praziquantal and leave in until next week.

Week 2: siphon, levam x 24 hrs, siphon.

Week 3: siphon, levam x 24 hrs, siphon, then prazi.

Week 4: siphon, levam x 24 hrs, siphon.

Week 5: siphon, levam x 24 hrs, siphon, then prazi.

Week 6: siphon.

[Cory]

For paracleanse. do a treatment, wait 2 weeks do another treatment and observe. This gets the eggs that hatch out inside of the fish in the second treatment.