# Deworming Or Not Deworming



## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

A recent thread n lack of replies/opinions really has me wondering about proper piranha keeping. Do you medicate a fresh fish or do you wait for it to show signs of sickness?


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## I Can Mate (Apr 8, 2010)

I medicate fresh fish with prazipro incase there is something I don't know it has from the wild.


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

I agree! But even if its not wild caught all Lfs feed feeders.to me it just makes sense to treat for parasites as well as worms for just peace of mind knowing my fish are healthy. Funny so many just assume their fish is healthy n don't treat. I don't understand why so many are worried about feeder fish but yet don't med their new fish. Thanks for your reply I can mate. Guess your the only one not scared to voice your oppion.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

I don't remember the exact number but from what i recall the vast majority of wild fish have some type of internal parisite though some would be more harmful then others. For wild caught fish I think its perfectly acceptable to dose with a med like prazi that has been used sucsessfuly before though if the fish appears to be healthy and fine its not absolutly nessisary, I have dosed p's with prazi pro with no signs of parisites more as a just in case preventative. My reds were captive but they have eaten some feeders but my sanchezi was wild caught though i dont know how log he has been captive before I had him or if he has or hasnt been dosed with and anti parisite meds before.

Finially i will close by saying dose at your own risk. It could deffinitly help p's with parisites though p's are sensitive to certain meds so know which types have been used sucsessfully before. Prazi pro is generally known to be safe for p's though i would still think if the fish was unhealthy or very stressed even a safe med could be harmful. Adding more then the recomended dose will not be more effective against parisites and could kill your fish.

I think a prazi dose could be good when you fist get the fish and mayby every year or more after that, but after the initial batch of treatment there is no real need to redose for along time unless your feeding feeders or you see possible indications of parisites.


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

I couldnt agree more! IMO it should just be something you do with any new fish by everyone.although I think hardly anyone does it. It sure isn't talked about with new piranha keepers n almost all new keepers fed feeders. I think most keepers wait until a fish doesn't act right, lose appetize, don't have proper growth ect before they seek or give medical attention, which is sad because if you dose a new fish n don't feed feeders you won't have a lot of these problems later, n sometimes later is too late.thanks cluster.


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

I think a few years back I read that one guy treated his P with internal parasite meds and that stunted the Ps growth...cant really remember what the details were but that was the conclusion reached by the people commenting, dont know how that could have been. I think the logic was that the parasite was eating the P's food (like a tapeworm) and that in that case the P was eating more; hence growing more/bigger. Anyway something to consider. It might have been on Pfury too. I think it's a good idea although I never did it with my sanch, to tell the truth I totlaly forgot about it.


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

Hmm the other forum has a thread bout dosing rhoms when their growth slows, n a increase in growth was noticed by a few different members. If anything I'd say it was the parasites that stunted its growth not the meds.you can't have a fish that has worms n the blame it on the meds because its growth was stunted.hell most the members here believe goldfish will stunt a piranha growth rate.when some of the biggest piranha n Cichlids I've seen were fed goldfish.


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## I Can Mate (Apr 8, 2010)

I thought that goldfish contains thaimese which affects the fish's b1 vitamin thaimin which I though controls only the metabolic rate to me doesn't really congtrol growth but hunger


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

I Can Mate said:


> I thought that goldfish contains thaimese which affects the fish's b1 vitamin thaimin which I though controls only the metabolic rate to me doesn't really congtrol growth but hunger


Interesting ICM. I've noticed that piranha that eat feeders usually have a greater appetite than one that doesn't.


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

Kind of funny. I just dosed with prazi today having forgotten to dose last year. I normally try to make it a habit to dose annually like stated before...
I don't feed live fish, but I do feed live ghost shrimp every few months and just last week I found something stuck to the glass. At closer inspection it turned out to be a worm, about 3/4" long. Never seen something like that before....

I always think about something someone said here a few years ago when the topic comes up about using prazi for better growth...
"They don't have prazi in the wild and they seem to grow just fine".

Not that this is about better growth.


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

Do they grow fine in the wild? Rbp rarely get larger than 6"in the wild.


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

BRUNER247 said:


> Do they grow fine in the wild? Rbp rarely get larger than 6"in the wild.


I don't know what to say about that. Never heard anything like that before, but then again I've never researched the subject either. I will say that if there is some truth to that statement I don't believe it has anything to do with internal parasites for the reason that there are far too many other species out there that do grow to large sizes in the wild without any problems at all.


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## rhom15 (Dec 20, 2009)

when i dose i always do a half dose see how thay react and go from there.when i use to feed live i would feed them rosy reds or minnos not goldfish neutrion value for goldfish is low so i heard go to a bait shop and get minnos


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Lifer374 said:


> Do they grow fine in the wild? Rbp rarely get larger than 6"in the wild.


I don't know what to say about that. Never heard anything like that before, but then again I've never researched the subject either. I will say that if there is some truth to that statement I don't believe it has anything to do with internal parasites for the reason that there are far too many other species out there that do grow to large sizes in the wild without any problems at all.
[/quote]
P's can get large in the wild but most of them die before adult hood from predation and disease. For every monster rhom and piraya still alive there where probably a good number of their eggmates that didnt even make it much past fry.


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## jamezgt (Jun 24, 2008)

BRUNER247 said:


> A recent thread n lack of replies/opinions really has me wondering about proper piranha keeping. Do you medicate a fresh fish or do you wait for it to show signs of sickness?


Thanks for recommending me those medications - you saved my flowerhorn and now he's eating like a champ! I'm thinking about dosing my piranha tanks, but still contemplating whether or not I should.


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

No worries! I believe it was George from sharkaquarium that said only 1% of the rbp that he's caught or seen caught that were over 6".


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

BRUNER247 said:


> No worries! I believe it was George from sharkaquarium that said only 1% of the rbp that he's caught or seen caught that were over 6".


 1% seems low but i do remember george saying something that there are alot of juvies as opposed to adults though i know there are certain areas that are good for large rhoms. I would assume after the rainy season there would be a ton of babies around that will grow untill next spawning season


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

He was pertaining too rbp. Not cariba or rhoms or whatever. Rbp I don't wanna put words in his mouth but if I remember right he was saying 1% of rbp over the years. Not just one or two seasons. I believe I read it in the terns debate thread. Every pic I've seen of rbp caught were all 6" or so. I've never seen a pic of a large rbp wild caught.have you? Every video I've seen people catching rbp were all small fish also.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Generally in videos of wild reds they dont look to be anything to large probaby 5-7". Generally dont see them beign imprted at large sizes though i doubt they would be either way since there are plenty of large captive raised ones that are alot cheaper to get.


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## T-wag (May 21, 2009)

people who live in the amazon prolly eat the bigger reds and throw the small ones back...hence mayb why there are more babies than adults???? just a theory


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

There are just as many grown rbp as there are babies if not more. Lil ones get slaughtered by everything.rbp in the wild don't eat like they do in tanks n are way more active, hence the more streamlined body.they just plain don't get as big in the wild compared to our lazy rbp that have food served to them.


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

What's this med you recomended to Jamezgt, Bruner? I might deworm my Sanchezi soon.


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## BRUNER247 (Jun 2, 2010)

Prazipro


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

BRUNER247 said:


> Prazipro


thanks


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