Here it is! Fenbendazole use against hydroids

[LobsterOfJustice]

I was having trouble with SPS dying and realized that the hydroids were growing up the skeletons as the coral was dying!

Yes this is exactly what I noticed. They will kill off SPS a few mm at a time, stinging at the line of tissue just where they can reach on their tiny stalks, then invade the newly dead tissue and repeat... happens mostly on the undersides shaded from light.

 

[rcmike]

Yes this is exactly what I noticed. They will kill off SPS a few mm at a time, stinging at the line of tissue just where they can reach on their tiny stalks, then invade the newly dead tissue and repeat... happens mostly on the undersides shaded from light.

Exactly. I honestly let It get way too far before I noticed what was going on. The last few years my over 40 up close vision has gotten worse and I didn’t see them until I put on some reading glasses. I was actually stunned to see so many. The rocks had been getting kind of grungy looking and I just thought it was some sort of algae with some detritus in it. Come to find out the hydroids were trapping detritus in them. I can blow most of it off but it looks just as bad the next day.

 

[rcmike]

Did my treatment today about 5 hours ago. No change noted yet and all livestock seems fine after removing all the snails. Any idea how long until I see some die off?

 

[rcmike]

This morning I noticed the heads were gone off the hydroids. . Looks like it’s doing something. The only coral I’ve noticed looking a little bad is a devils hand but I think it will be okay.

 

[menglish]

I think you will start to see changes by 3 days. They will not open and will die.
Tell me what is your treatment plan.
concentration and duration?

 

[rcmike]

I’m trying to follow what most in this thread are doing.
1.5 mg per gallon.
Turn off air to skimmer and don’t have any carbon.
A 25% water change after 24-30 hours and put in carbon and restart air to skimmer.
Then 10% water changes for next 3 days.
I’m using “fishbendazole” and removed all of the snails.

 

[menglish]

In my experiment, i use as much as 4mg for 1 week.
good luck

 

[rcmike]

In my experiment, i use as much as 4mg for 1 week.
good luck

I’m going to try this method first since it seems to have less impact on snails, etc. if it doesn’t work I might try a little more aggressive approach.

Since a 40% water change would end up close to the volume of my 110 reef and the rock is a little grungy looking right now I was thinking I might just take out all the rocks and swish them in he old tank water and maybe brush off the areas that have a lot of hydroids. Does anyone see a problem with doing this?

 

[menglish]

Just so you know
I treated 3 different times.
1mg
1.5mg
4mg for a week

Those buggers still came back
now i am trying to manage them with kalk paste and will see if tuxedo urchins will eat them. So signs that they do

good luck

 

[rcmike]

Just so you know
I treated 3 different times.
1mg
1.5mg
4mg for a week

Those buggers still came back
now i am trying to manage them with kalk paste and will see if tuxedo urchins will eat them. So signs that they do

good luck

I bought a sea hare and 3 seaweed blennies last week which have been reported to eat them. I have seen the sea hare eat them but he is way too slow to make a dent. Right now I have so many I’m sure they would spread faster than any predator could eat them. My hope is that if I don’t quite get them all the hare and blennies could take care of the rest.

I have read about urchins eating them, specifically long spine urchins. If I see one at the LFS i may pick one up. I had a huge one years ago that was really cool. Just had to be sure where he was when you went to mess around in the tank! Got tagged a few time and it wasn’t pleasant.

 

[gcdc26]

Great to see successful tanks!
Fenbendazole has many uses as long as rules are followed. Fenbendazole is one of the first steps to be pest FREE. When I first started this research it was from scratch, literally. Back when the company stopped production of interceptor I had to find other solutions.
Such as this list- http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=1086
There are MANY threads throughout the years posted online about hydroids and frustration.
The key was to find something that had little collateral damage to our tanks. A LOT of trial and error and yes I had deaths and surprising survivals.

Bottom line is that it work and awareness must be had about the risk of invert and coral death I have listed in this thread.
*there are corals of course I have not tested against so my disclaimer is to use at your own discretion as information becomes available*

Hi Twilliard and anyone else with experience,
I currently have digitate hydroids in a mixed reef tank. I saw in your post that you were previously researching interceptor as a treatment and was wondering if it was effective? I would rather treat with interceptor (still have a few pills of the original formula) than fenbendazole because I have many alveopora and goniopora in the tank that would be difficult to remove. Thanks so much for your help!

 

[rcmike]

I did the fenbendizole treatment last Friday and I missed a few astrea snails that were hidden when I took them all out. after I saw them I figured I’d just leave them in and see how they did. They are all still alive and seem to be acting normal. If they were going to have problems how long would it take them?

 

[skewlboy]

Any idea if prazipro has the same effect on hydroids?

 

[menglish]

So, here is my latest approach to deal with these clove polyps.
I made a thick Kalk paste solution in 3% hydrogen peroxide (the one you get at CVS, or any place). I made it very viscous so that it will sink to the bottom of the substrate.
I then turn off all my pumps and use a syringe to spot treat the areas with the BCP. I let this sit on the rocks for 1 hr with absolutely no flow.
after 1 hr, i turned on all the pumps to max. The tank did get cloudy and the ph increased a tad, but nothing to worry about.
Results: the rocks are cleaned, bleached white, even the corals (SPS) that i put it on looked clean. Really no signs of BCP. will have to see over time how this holds up.
I did this treatment at night when most of the fish were "sleeping" to prevent them from picking at the kalk paste.

Let me know if anyone else tries this.

 

[Jstn]

With all these people reporting failures i wonder if the key is using the safeguard dewormer, perhaps its one of the other ingredients working together?

 

[rcmike]

With all these people reporting failures i wonder if the key is using the safeguard dewormer, perhaps its one of the other ingredients working together?

It Looks like menglish was treating for clove polyps, not hydroids.

It seems to have worked on my tank for hydroids so far but it’s too early to tell for sure.

 

[Jstn]

i ordered some and plan on trying it (thomas labs)- i have a bad infestation and they stung my arm a few times bad. Is the general consensus still 1.5-2mg/gal and remove turbos, trocus snals ?

 

[Dimorb]

I am thinking on using this method but would like to hear if someone with nitrate reactors have done this before me?

I have alot of big fish in my aquarium and I need nitrate reactors to keep up with nitrate reduction. They are depending on bacteria will this method interfer with the filters? Any knowledge?

Anyone read this: https://www.researchgate.net/public...ndazole_and_flubendazole_to_aquatic_organisms ??

Do you know if anyone with nitrate reactors have tried this and what was the result?

Having a 2000 liters mixed reef with alot of fish and alot of money in this aquarium so a little nervous about dosing.

 

[Dimorb]

[/QUOTE]

I am thinking on using this method but would like to hear if someone with nitrate reactors have done this before me?

I have alot of big fish in my aquarium and I need nitrate reactors to keep up with nitrate reduction. They are depending on bacteria will this method interfer with the filters? Any knowledge?

Anyone read this: https://www.researchgate.net/public...ndazole_and_flubendazole_to_aquatic_organisms ??

Do you know if anyone with nitrate reactors have tried this and what was the result?

Having a 2000 liters mixed reef with alot of fish and alot of money in this aquarium so a little nervous about dosing.

No one?

 

[Jstn]

So i have a colonial hydroid issue and dosed 2 mg/gal of thomas labs fishbendazole to my DT, there is a long thread about this working and it did kill ~70% of my hydroids with out any coral issue minus one STN on SPS. I did remove all of my snails (trocus and turbos)

Whats interesting is i have praziquantel my DT a few times usually once a year (i have alot of wrasse), and i have this one Cirrhilabrus cf cyanopleura Rubyhead that has always hid under my rocks, almost to the point i though he was getting picked on not parasites since he has seen a few praziquantel treatments followed by a second one a week later. He is a large terminal male (bigger than my lineatus) and i have had him 5 years +. Well day two after the fishbendazole treatment he was full of life! Now a week later i plan on doing my second treatment to kill any hatches parasites and kill off the rest of my hydroids and the wrasse is doing amazing, no hiding and out a bunch.

I found this an interesting observation and wonder if in the future we can use this for praziquantel resistant wrasse parasites and wanted to share it here