How to reuse substrate after disease

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
N

Nate Dogg

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jun 7, 2011
691
1
16
Louisville
I lost my last shell dweller today. He had a long battle with camallanus. This camallanus worm is a beach to get rid of. My only question is how do I reuse the cichlid sand and black tahitian sand mix. I don't want to reinfest the fish I want to put in there. My thoughts are to put a bunch of bleach in the tank do a 1000% water change (yes three 0's) and prime, or take all the sand out use hot water on the tank (10 gallon) and put the sand in the oven for a hour or so at 250-300. I'm leaning to the oven idea. Anybody got a idea

I want to beat somebody to there question and answer it.

OtherMFKperson: why not throw out the sand, is it worth the time effort and money not to and reinfest your new fish?

Me: I don't want to throw $20 out the window. If I can fix it for free or near free.
 
Bleach can be used. See here for saftey http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/maintenance/a/bleach.htm

Prevention and Treatment
Larvae fall to the bottom of the tank, so infected tanks should be bleached.

The use of garlic in fish food is useful for controlling these worms.

See the article on capillaria, another intestinal worm, for suggested treatments.

One of the killie discussion lists provides this cure using a drug called levamisole hydrochloride.

Add 1.5 milliliter per 7.5 liter of 7.5% Levacide (levamisole hydrochloride) to each tanks to be treated. Mix the drug in a liter of water before pouring over the tank surface. If you obtain another version of the drug (e.g. 1.5%, 3%) then just adjust dosage as required. For 1.5% add 1 ml in 1.5l of tank water.
After 24 hours perform 100% (as much as possible) water changes while vacuuming the gravel. The water change is not required due to toxicity but to remove the possibility any offspring in the gravel.
No further treatments should be necessary.
 
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