Fish Disease ID please.
- Thread starter Corey Chism
- Start date
- Tagged users None
They naturally have rounded spots on the face (photo below), but what I'm seeing from your picture doesn't look quite right. Some of those spots look irregular or like skin flukes. How long have you had this fish?
I think I would perform a FW dip to check for flukes (instructions below). If he has flukes, you will need to treat your entire DT with Prazipro.
Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes & "Black Ich", Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.
How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.
Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.
For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.
Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.
Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.
This is what flukes will look like in the FW dip:
Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes & "Black Ich", Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.
How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.
Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.
For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.
Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.
Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.
This is what flukes will look like in the FW dip:
Stringy white poop is a symptom of internal parasites or intestinal worms. The problem is it could be Hexamita, tapeworms, roundworms and no few others. Sometimes Prazipro takes care of these; other times you have to food soak metronidazole to deliver the medication directly into the gut where the little buggers live/breed.
melypr1985
totally addicted
Prazi can be done in the display, but metroplex would have to be soaked in the food with focus or dosed in a QT.
4FordFamily
Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
^^This. Dosing Prazipro is better for treating external worms such as gill flukes and turbellarian flatworms (black ich). However, food soaking metronidazole is better for treating intestinal worms such as Hexamita.
domination2580
Reef-a-nator
I have been dosing metro to my tank and twilliard has a huge post on it trying to eradicate dinos. He hasn't had any fatalities or bad outcomes. Nor have i. I personally would dose metro in the dt without hesitating. Coral are all fine aND growing, fish doing awesome, hermit is doing fine, snails are OK, and my starfish is doing great
melypr1985
totally addicted
I have been dosing metro to my tank and twilliard has a huge post on it trying to eradicate dinos. He hasn't had any fatalities or bad outcomes. Nor have i. I personally would dose metro in the dt without hesitating. Coral are all fine aND growing, fish doing awesome, hermit is doing fine, snails are OK, and my starfish is doing great
I'll need to read that thread. It would depend on the dosage that he is using to kill off the dinos and if that is sufficient for treating the fish. I have a friend who dosed metro (at the proper dosage for treating a fish for intestinal worms) in her display and killed off every single snail and hermit in her tank along with an anemone and a couple corals. Of course I wasn't there and wasn't able to witness fi she dosed correctly or not, but she insists she did. Discounting all that, it's still better to treat intestinal worms by feeding the med to the fish since it passes the meds through the intestines where the parasites live.
domination2580
Reef-a-nator
I agree. Twilliard doses 125 MG per 10 gallons of water. We have tried 250 MG per 10 gallons as well. The spoon that comes with metro from searches actually weighs out to be 155 MG per twilliard scale. But for intestinal worms it is best to get to where the works are so soaking with focus is the best bet to go.
