Flukes I can't seem to get rid of

TheRealDmorty217 · Jul 23, 2016

Long story short, everything is QTed and proactively treated with PP or praziquantel powder and CP. I have a banner fish that went thru 3 weeks of CP at 40mg and a additional 3 weeks at 60mg/g because of a cloudy eye that wouldn't go away. Went thru a total of 6 PP treatments in 6 weeks, still cloudy eye. Have since treated a additional 7 times with prazi, either Hikari or praziquantel powder. I have dosed both for the tank volume not excluding rock displacement simultaneously... I have even dosed at 9mg a Gallon, still a cloudy eye... what is up with this fish, why can't I kill the flukes? I can see flukes on the fish after treatments so I'm confident it's flukes. Fish eats like a pig but can't get rid of the flukes.

melypr1985 · Jul 23, 2016

Sweety I'm sorry but the eye isn't cloudy because of flukes. Please dont run him through any more prazi or CP treatments. Is it just the one eye that's cloudy? Is it swollen at all either now or before?

TheRealDmorty217 · Jul 24, 2016

They are both cloudy. Not swollen, Epsom salt doesn't clear it up either. It's without a doubt flukes, I can see them on the fish after I don't treat PP for a week-10 days. Again it's flukes, I can see flukes like I said and others will start head shaking and eat less. I treat head shaking stops and fish go back to eating

najer · Jul 24, 2016

Have you tried a tap water dip?
Only had flukes once on a wrasse and it cleared it with a 5 minute dip.

TheRealDmorty217 · Jul 24, 2016

When I catch the 2 bannerfish in the tank, they will be going to a LFS... I formalin dipped when I got them and into QT they went with CP and PP. the smaller of the two chases the larger which can't be helping the cloudy eyes but, aggression won't cause flukes. More importantly why can't I kill these flukes. I have treated PP every 2 days for a week and a half straight and still I'm dealing with this problem. Can one fish be harboring flukes that are PP resistant? Everyone else is fine until I don't treat PP for 10 days then others start showing signs of having them

TheRealDmorty217 · Jul 24, 2016

melypr1985 said:
Sweety I'm sorry but the eye isn't cloudy because of flukes. Please dont run him through any more prazi or CP treatments. Is it just the one eye that's cloudy? Is it swollen at all either now or before?

What is it then? Have been in the hobby for 18 years now, I'm sure it's flukes... what do you think it is?

maroun.c · Jul 24, 2016

+1 for freshwater dips and formalin dips. Also antibiotic treatment in QT might help just in case it's a bacterial infection.

melypr1985 · Jul 24, 2016

The cloudy eyes say infection in the eyes. The infection could have been caused by the flukes for sure. Since your positive this is flukes..... have you tried API General Cure? It's powdered prazi + Metroplex.... after that, if doing formalin dips or freshwater dips dont get them off then I'm at a loss as to how to help you.

@Humblefish

TheRealDmorty217 · Jul 24, 2016

the bannerfish has been thru metroplex and 7 days of Nitrofuracin green, thought that would of helped if it was a infection? I'm at a loss too. I think I'm just going to take the banner fish to the LFS that runs formaldehyde in thier fish system.

Breakthecycle2 · Jul 24, 2016

I still think its most likely ICH that has caused the eye infection.

Humblefish · Jul 24, 2016

To help clear this up (pun intended), here is a photo of what flukes look like in the eyes:

If it is flukes, there are prazi resistant strains. The only solution for those are formalin baths (at least 2 - spaced one week apart), followed by transfer to a sterile QT. A FW dip would also confirm whether or not this fish has flukes.

TheRealDmorty217 · Jul 24, 2016

Breakthecycle2 said:
I still think its most likely ICH that has caused the eye infection.

I agree with this, they came from a place which for sure has flukes and I assume every fish has ich

TheRealDmorty217 · Jul 24, 2016

Humblefish said:
To help clear this up (pun intended), here is a photo of what flukes look like in the eyes:

If it is flukes, there are prazi resistant strains. The only solution for those are formalin baths (at least 2 - spaced one week apart), followed by transfer to a sterile QT. A FW dip would also confirm whether or not this fish has flukes.

The cloudy eye was the entire eye of both eyes and has since receded to only the black or what I equate to the pupils. There aren't flukes present on the eyes that I can see. When I see fish start head shaking and eating less it's it's in conjunction with oblong, opaque spots on the tail or pectoral fins typically. Dose PP or praziquantel and the spots disappear. That all points to flukes?? The tank is ich free, I'm sure of that. What's the fallow period for flukes, 14 -21 days? I will freshwater dip the fish when I catch it but by that point I will be taking it to the LFS

Humblefish · Jul 24, 2016

TheRealDmorty217 said:
What's the fallow period for flukes, 14 -21 days?

4 weeks

TheRealDmorty217 · Jul 24, 2016

Humblefish said:
4 weeks

Ok. So freshwater or formalin dipping is the only sure way fish don't have flukes? I mean I have read about prazi resistant flukes but never dealt with them until now. Also can you clarify one thing for me? If flukes can't swim then how do other fish become infected?

domination2580 · Jul 24, 2016

Current in the water.

Humblefish · Jul 24, 2016

TheRealDmorty217 said:
If flukes can't swim then how do other fish become infected?

Some of the eggs will invariably fall out of the fish, hatch and crawl onto the fish. Usually at night when they sleep close to the substrate.

Triggreef · Jul 24, 2016

So your original post says you treated 6 times in 6 weeks. Flukes can lay eggs in 4 or 5 days from what I've read. So if you treat 7 days apart, you've waited too long and there could already be eggs.

TheRealDmorty217 · Jul 26, 2016

Triggreef said:
So your original post says you treated 6 times in 6 weeks. Flukes can lay eggs in 4 or 5 days from what I've read. So if you treat 7 days apart, you've waited too long and there could already be eggs.

But they aren't sexually mature for 9-14 days so they can't reproduce.

TheRealDmorty217 · Jul 26, 2016

Humblefish said:
Some of the eggs will invariably fall out of the fish, hatch and crawl onto the fish. Usually at night when they sleep close to the substrate.

If I use the website you have in a thread awhile back (marineparasites) it says at my temp and salinity that there is only a 35% chance eggs hatch and only 5-9% chance of infection again, yet here I am