Flukes – General Guidelines

[Pongo]

I have an adult H. melanurus that has started a strange behavior in the DT.

He paces back and forth rapidly in the center front of the tank just above the sand bed.
Then he throws himself against the sand bed kicking up sand everywhere.
He appears to be breathing fast, almost gulping.

No color change or spots are noted. There is no way I'm going to catch him to do a fresh water dip unless I get lucky and see where he beds down for the night.

Does this sound like activity that could indicate flukes?

He has been in the DT x 12 months. He went through two courses of TTM due to his tank mate dying after day 3 during the first course of TTM and the replacement also died on day two of the second round of TTM.
He was treated with Prazi Pro twice while going through TTM.

I suppose if he has flukes now he caught them from some other fish in the DT that didn't get Prazi during TTM/QT.

I'm going to dose the DT with Prazi Pro tomorrow unless someone has other suggestions.

 

[Alisha]

I think that is normal, i had a melanarus that did that every night when he was finding his resting spot. He swam back and fourth until he found the spot he wanted then he dove into the sand and stayed there all night.

 

[Pongo]

Thanks for your reply.

I've never seen him do that before and normally he is in bed 2 hours ago. Early to bed, early to rise.

He has now kicked up enough sand to completely cover a 6" x 8" plate of favia.

 

[Alisha]

Sorry to hear that, I hope you can clear him of whatever he has. Good luck!

 

[4FordFamily]

@Humblefish, I think the first post should have a clear photo of the sesame seed appearance the dead flukes look like post-freshwater dip. I tried to find it here and couldn’t on the first post — I imagine I’m not alone

 

[Humblefish]

@Humblefish, I think the first post should have a clear photo of the sesame seed appearance the dead flukes look like post-freshwater dip. I tried to find it here and couldn’t on the first post — I imagine I’m not alone

Done

 

[brwaldbaum]

Fish often flash when infected with flukes. Is it known whether fish are ever successful in dislodging at least some of the flukes this way, or is the scratching always in vain?

 

[melypr1985]

Fish often flash when infected with flukes. Is it known whether fish are ever successful in dislodging at least some of the flukes this way, or is the scratching always in vain?

I can't imagine it's a very effective way to dislodge the parasites, but I'm sure every now and then a fish manages to hit one (or squish it). Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. lol

 

[KMench]

@melypr1985 I was having some issues with my golden wrasse swimming a bit strangely in QT. I dosed prazi after she was in QT for about a week and then came back after 12 hours to find this fish deceased, but my pintail wrasse still alive. Think it was the prazi adding stress to a fish that already was struggling a bit? I’m still thinking about what could’ve killed this wrasse.


https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/i-think-my-wrasse-has-a-spinal-injury.402238/#post-4805088

 

[DanielJameS]

I’ve been doing a ton of additional research on flukes and wondering if anyone has any added info on some of these other varieties. It looks like the majority of what I see on flukes eludes to the variety that is sesame seed sized and shaped, and easily visible in a FW dip. However I’ve come accross several threads discussing varieties that are much much smaller, harder to spot and possibly of the gill fluke variety. Can anyone with experience comment in more detail on what some of the notable differences are in both the appearance and treatment of some of these different types? I watched a YouTube video of a guy doing a gill biopsy on a FW goldfish with tiny microscopic gill flukes and I’m really interested to know if there is a variety similar that affects our marine fish? Seem to be a lot of people battling this, encountering prazipro resistant strains or different types, and one local LFS just had a major issue with some type of fluke infestation. How common are the “not so common” types of flukes in marine fish these days?

 

[Ric365]

i've been trying fw dip on my majestic and multibar angelfish, and it does very help against flukes!! thnks @Humblefish you help many lifes

but my question is,

1. does the flukes stay in our substrate in my QT?

2. should i replace all of my media (tank, return pump, plumbing etc) to removes all of this pest?

3. when i need to do water change on my qt? (right now i'm using cp medic in my qt)

 

[Humblefish]

1. does the flukes stay in our substrate in my QT?

2. should i replace all of my media (tank, return pump, plumbing etc) to removes all of this pest?

3. when i need to do water change on my qt? (right now i'm using cp medic in my qt)

Adult flukes, larvae and eggs sometimes "fall out of the fish" and infect the tank itself. Therefore, you must treat the entire QT with praziquantel (or formalin or hypo) in order to completely eradicate the pathogen: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/prazipro.247598/

 

[ClowinRound]

@Humblefish, need you help. Is this fluke? Did not notice any signs of heavy breathing or weird swimming the last few days. Came home to find half my fish dead and this guy in this shape.

 

[Humblefish]

@Humblefish, need you help. Is this fluke? Did not notice any signs of heavy breathing or weird swimming the last few days. Came home to find half my fish dead and this guy in this shape.

I don't see a photo.

 

[ClowinRound]

I don't see a photo.

Sorry didn’t attach

 

[Brew12]

Sorry didn’t attach

That looks like damage from a bacterial infection to me.

 

[Humblefish]

That looks like damage from a bacterial infection to me.

+1 I think I also see velvet on the pectoral fin in the first photo: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/

 

[ClowinRound]

That looks like damage from a bacterial infection to me.

I FW dipped and seen a few “somethings” floating around. It decimated my tank. Last 2 chromis died this morning.

 

[Humblefish]

I FW dipped and seen a few “somethings” floating around. It decimated my tank. Last 2 chromis died this morning.

Did any of the things look like below?

 

[ClowinRound]

No, they looked translucent. I read in the velvet link that their appetite decreases. They had been eating up until that afternoon. My gold bar maroons were hosting their BW like they had since I put them in 3 weeks now. All fish went in at the same time from established tank with no issues. Where could they have picked it up?