Flukes and medication

[hrdneglcry]

So I am fairly certain my grouper has flukes. He was scratching his face fornanlong time but I never saw anything. Thought it was the microbubbles from the new skimmer. But he hangs out near the top corner. He likes to stay where the air stone is making bubbles. I am fairly certain he has gill flukes and skin flukes. I have no quarantine tank and my female trigger also scratches her face. I was goinf to use the Praz medication by Hikari. I have read different reports about how safe it is for reefs. Moderators on here have posted they never had a problem with it harming corals or inverts as it is inly a dewormer. Others said they have seen it shrivel snails and melt the chitin on crabs. I may have to buy it. I don't eant my grouper to die and freshwater dips don't kill gill flukes. I don't want to harm my invertsbor corals but I don't think this stuff is going to harm them. If yiu have any experience with it please let me know.

 

[Pankney72]

I’ve used it. It was fine, got rid of the minor flukes quick and clean. No damage to corals or other inverts. Unfortunately the exact mechanism of action of this drug remains unknown but it is fairly specific to parasitic worms.

melting established chitin exoskeletons is a sign of much more serious issues than just flukes…

 

[hrdneglcry]

Thanks. Do you know if it will harm copepds? Was gonna get some chaeto with copeods in it. Thanks.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

I have used prazi in a mixed reef without issue. It is a fairly specific medication, and when dosed appropriately, should not hurt anything besides trematodes and cestodes (flukes and tapeworms). Dosing my reef didn't even effect my feather duster worm population.

If you have flukes that are resistant to praziquantel, formalin baths are very effective at eradicating flukes, but are definitely not reef safe, and need to be done while transferring the fish to a quarantine, then the tank sits fallow.

 

[Pankney72]

Thanks. Do you know if it will harm copepds? Was gonna get some chaeto with copeods in it. Thanks.

Difficult to prove a negative but I believe it should be fairly specific to the target organisms, meaning higher arthropods should be okay.

If it was me, I would go for it. If you’re nervous no harm in waiting and doing a couple water changes.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Difficult to prove a negative but I believe it should be fairly specific to the target organisms, meaning higher arthropods should be okay.

If it was me, I would go for it. If you’re nervous no harm in waiting and doing a couple water changes.

It did not affect my copepod population at all.

I always do a water change before adding, turn off the UV sterilizer, and take the collection cup off the protein skimmer and let it just overflow into the sump (it will make the skimmer foam like crazy). Leaving the skimmer running helps keep the oxygen levels up, as praziquantel will lower dissolved oxygen in the water. After 48 hrs of the prazi being in the water, I do a 15% water change, put in activated carbon, and put the skimmer collection cup back on.

 

[hrdneglcry]

Thanks. My Xenia closed as soon as the stuff went in the water. Or at least it hadn't been closed when I last looked. So I put it in my other tank. Might have been okay but just got it yesterday.

 

[hrdneglcry]

It did not affect my copepod population at all.

I always do a water change before adding, turn off the UV sterilizer, and take the collection cup off the protein skimmer and let it just overflow into the sump (it will make the skimmer foam like crazy). Leaving the skimmer running helps keep the oxygen levels up, as praziquantel will lower dissolved oxygen in the water. After 48 hrs of the prazi being in the water, I do a 15% water change, put in activated carbon, and put the skimmer collection cup back on.

So after jast two days it worked? The bottle says 5-7 days and one treatment usually does the trick.

 

[ReefHog]

I’d do a second treatment 6-7 days later in case there were any I hatched eggs.

 

[threebuoys]

Praziquantel works by causing flukes to go into spasms which cause them to release fro their host. One they fall off, they quickly die because of no food source. The QT protocol specifies that 2 or 3 cycles of prazi, 7 - 10 days apart work best. The reason, prazi has no effect on the fluke eggs that may be on the fish, in the fish gills, or elsewhere in the tank. Normally, the eggs hatch in 8 - 10 days.

 

[ReefHog]

You can use this to determine second dose.

Marine Parasites

Marine Parasites is a resource for the study of parasites in south Australian fishes.

www.marineparasites.com

 

[Sebastiancrab]

I have been fighting gill flukes recently and found Prazipro wasn't doing the job. I moved them to a hospital tank and they are currently on Cupramine which has prevented reinfection and they are healing. I recommend getting Hydroplex by Ruby Reef. It worked as a 10 minute saltwater dip and killed the bugs on the fish giving quick relief.

 

[threebuoys]

I have been fighting gill flukes recently and found Prazipro wasn't doing the job. I moved them to a hospital tank and they are currently on Cupramine which has prevented reinfection and they are healing. I recommend getting Hydroplex by Ruby Reef. It worked as a 10 minute saltwater dip and killed the bugs on the fish giving quick relief.

I'm glad you are having success, but be aware that cupramine or copper power or coppersafe has no effect on flukes. That's why the QT procedure uses prazi after the 30 day copper treatment. Prazi is consumed by bacteria in the water relatively quickly which reduces its effectiveness particularly after the second or third round of treatment when the bacteria population peaks and if significant water changes are not used after each round. That's one reason that the timing of the second and third rounds must be carefully followed.

 

[Sebastiancrab]

Well, my fish are well so how do I explain that? Please point to your support. Here is what Seachem has on their website under the FAQ section for Cupramine:

Seachem - Cupramine

seachem.com

 

[Tcook]

Well, my fish are well so how do I explain that? Please point to your support. Here is what Seachem has on their website under the FAQ section for Cupramine:

Seachem - Cupramine

seachem.com

They are talking about ich and velvet, not flukes.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

So after jast two days it worked? The bottle says 5-7 days and one treatment usually does the trick.

Technically it works in 24 hrs. The medication remains active for about 48 hrs in a reef tank environment before bacteria begin breaking it down. So redose 7 and 14 days later to catch any more eggs that may have hatched.

 

[Spare time]

Well, my fish are well so how do I explain that? Please point to your support. Here is what Seachem has on their website under the FAQ section for Cupramine:

Seachem - Cupramine

seachem.com

Seachem is sometimes wrong about their products lol. Just ask Randy

 

[threebuoys]

Well, my fish are well so how do I explain that? Please point to your support. Here is what Seachem has on their website under the FAQ section for Cupramine:

Seachem - Cupramine

seachem.com

@Jay Hemdal , the moderator for this forum, has dealt with flukes for decades and has frequently responded to similar questions. Just one of the recent posts https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/blenny-flashing-in-quarentine.882473/post-9743492

I haven't looked at Seachem's website recently, but flukes are not specifically listed on the cupramine bottle (at least not on mine).

 

[Sebastiancrab]

@Jay Hemdal , the moderator for this forum, has dealt with flukes for decades and has frequently responded to similar questions. Just one of the recent posts https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/blenny-flashing-in-quarentine.882473/post-9743492

I haven't looked at Seachem's website recently, but flukes are not specifically listed on the cupramine bottle (at least not on mine).

@Jay Hemdal , the moderator for this forum, has dealt with flukes for decades and has frequently responded to similar questions. Just one of the recent posts https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/blenny-flashing-in-quarentine.882473/post-9743492

I haven't looked at Seachem's website recently, but flukes are not specifically listed on the cupramine bottle (at least not on mine).

Yes, I have consulted with Jay at length on my parasite problem. It could be that Copper Power or copper doesn't and Cupramine does work. After Prazipro and Rally Pro were not working for me, in desperation I consulted with the team of my LFS guys which are top notch. They strongly recommended copper. I have also spoken with Don Miller the owner of Ruby Reef about his products and was very touched with his kindness and assistance. It is very possible that we are seeing some new strains of bugs coming in because of the supply chain issues. It could also be attributable to the strain I have.

 

[hrdneglcry]

Thanks. My Xenia closed as soon as the stuff went in the water. Or at least it hadn't been closed when I last looked. So I put it in my other tank. Might have been okay but just got it yesterday.

My Xenia was brand new and probably was closed from being in high flow. I have never kept it before. I read the fish still may scratch after the parasite has dropped because of the wound left. He still lingers near the top alot. My skimmer did the opposite. It stopped foaming. I may do a water change soon and put some carbon in. Also the medication is supposed to supress appetite. Something to keep in mind so you know less eating might be expected. I am still concerned. Something looks white near his gill. Gonna change water as its been three days since I put in the meds. Might wait but low O2 worries me. I added more aeration.