Praziquantal treatment for hydra

hey guys i noticed that i had hydra in 2 of my 2foot tanks a little while ago ,probably from the rain water i occasionally use to start new tanks,they werent a problem at the time just the odd few here but since feeding bbs to fry the number has exploded ,first i tried marcos scrape an siphon but the numbers come back ,today i treated with praziquantel @2mg per litre ,i wondered if anyone else has had this problem and what methods did you use ? i hate chemicals but prazi seems to be the be the safest(definately not the cheapest) in regards to fish plants and filter life.

 

Where did you get the praziquantel from?

 

a pharmacy ,stuff is scarce and super expensive ,got a script from a vet

 

Yup - prazi is expensive....and yet again I learn a new use for it...lol.

My trick with Hydra? 9V Battery and a set of copper wire connected to poles. This trick only works if the tank has some salt in it...not the 1tsp per 100 tonic,but salt 200 to 300 gr per 100l of water. run current through tank for an hour or so... come back later and just vacuum them up...

 

Was it Praziquantel or Droncit the vet prescribed?

 

Do you understand why that works?

 

it was bilitricide the human meds, @azurekoi i got apisto and angel fry in these tanks so i didnt want to use the copper method ,also i have soft water.thought i would rather pay and have the meds on stand by for the future as it treats a wide range of pests and worms and is said to be very safe.

 

Doesn't seachem make a prazi medication?

 

@Sean J i looked everywhere for this stuff ,this is the only thing i could find,we could ask @Seachem

 

Oh Ok i know the product.


The method @azurekoi described is not a copper method. Here is the gist of what that method does and i am not going into technical details. just the layman's explanation.

Salt is sodium chloride. When electricity (DC or AC) is applied to a brine solution electrolysis takes place. Apart from the metal transfer from anode to cathode, this process produces Chlorine, chloramine, sodium hydroxide, ammonia and a host of other things. These chemicals are used in most water treatment facilities and disinfectant products such as bleach and insecticides. It is the chloramine that kills the Hydra.

The problem with this method in treating aquariums is that the chloramine will damage the fish respiratory functions and blind the fish. So if you resort to this method it is advisable to remove the fish. You will also need to add a product to remove the chloramine.

If you are interested in how this electrolysis works here is an appetizer to suck you in to the confusing world of chemistry.

http://electrochem.cwru.edu/encycl/art-b01-brine.htm

 

Duplicated post

 

There are no over the counter meds that contain Prazi. This is because it is a controlled substance and needs a veterinary prescription. Going into a touchy issue here which i will not debate. However

Droncit by Bayer, is the most common form of Prazi available. Any vet in SA should be able to prescribe and treat for you.

http://www.bayerdvm.com/products/droncit/droncit.cfm

 

Hi @KGB

You are of course right about Droncit, but Droncit is very svarce nowadays, with Drontal being the prferred substitude.
Also, Droncit is not cheap, and when compared per mg, Biltricide is the cheapest and most readily available med containing Prazi.

I dount Seachem has a product containing Prazi. Its heavily regulated in SA

Rgds

Marco

 

@Marco on the money bud.

My vet normally prescribes Droncit or Drontal. Will check the pricing of Biltricide. Was under the impression it was quite expensive when I last purchased it.

 

@KGB sorry i thought it was the transfer of the copper from the anode and cathode into the water that killed the hydra in that method azurekoi mentioned, as usually what ever kills snails will kill hydra ,of which one element is copper sulphate,see my train of thought?,i always like to know how things work so will read that link you posted.my vet couldnt find droncit phoned all their suppliers and came up with nothing ,drontal also by bayer and a number of others are available but they all have other active ingredients besides prazi and i just wasnt willing to take a chance.

 

@firemanmuzz i hope you have success and the prazi treatment works out for you.

 

You can buy it from most pet shops. It isnt registered with the Veterinary council nor the MRC. No one seems to act.

 

@KGB... Sure I understand how the method I described works... biochem and chem a little hobby of mine...he,he,but thanks for the explanation...saves me typing...lol

 

@azurekoi great stuff bud.