Formalin or Hyposalinity for Prazi Resistant Flukes?

[PGT253]

Hey guys, I could really use some pointers here. I have a pair of clown in doing great in QT for 2 months. Last week, I added a new wrasse that went through TTM. All did fine the first couple days but the clowns have completely stopped eating for 3 days now. No spots but rapid breathing, and station at one corner/pvc. The wrasse is doing fine as usual. I am doing my first GC dose but the clowns are not looking better so I suspect I'm having a prazi-resistant flukes strain. What do you recommend as far as treatments for these stubborn flukes? Or maybe something else at play here that I'm missing?

 

[Big G]

Do you have supplemental O2 by air stone or powerhead aimed up and breaking the water surface tension? Did you do a freshwater dip to check for flukes?

 

[PGT253]

I only have a HOB filter + a small airstone. I haven't done a FW dip yet because I was going to treat for flukes with prazi anyway. But the clowns stop eating left me some concerns.

 

[PGT253]

Btw, clowns and wrasse have all gone through TTM

 

[Big G]

Sometimes the flukes are overwhelming the fish's gills that a freshwater dip will get many of them to release and give the fish better breathing. Those flukes that remain, especially on fish with heavy mucus coatings, like clowns, are somewhat protected from the fw dip and from the meds, and can be more difficult to remove. So the fw dip and the meds are a good double whammy process to free up the gill area on your fish.

 

[PGT253]

Sometimes the flukes are overwhelming the fish's gills that a freshwater dip will get many of them to release and give the fish better breathing. Those flukes that remain, especially on fish with heavy mucus coatings, like clowns, are somewhat protected from the fw dip and from the meds, and can be more difficult to remove. So the fw dip and the meds are a good double whammy process to free up the gill area on your fish.

Thank you. I think I'll give the fish a fw dip then proceed with hypo. I heard fish don't live long after formalin bath...

 

[deedubz]

Thank you. I think I'll give the fish a fw dip then proceed with hypo. I heard fish don't live long after formalin bath...

I've had good luck with hyposalinity and prazi resistant flukes(if it comes to that). I have formalin-ms on hand as an emergency/last resort, but I'm praying I never have to use it.

 

[Big G]

Thank you. I think I'll give the fish a fw dip then proceed with hypo. I heard fish don't live long after formalin bath...

Formalin is nasty stuff. Some evidence to support it causes cancer in fish a few years after usage. Hard to find it these days.

 

[PGT253]

I've had good luck with hyposalinity and prazi resistant flukes(if it comes to that). I have formalin-ms on hand as an emergency/last resort, but I'm praying I never have to use it.

Thanks! I'll go with hypo, but do you have experience with wrasses and hypo? I have 4 other leopard wrasses going through TTM now, and one of the guy wont stop flashing. I am 100% it's fluke as he has flashed continuously for 3 weeks now. Poor guy.

 

[deedubz]

Thanks! I'll go with hypo, but do you have experience with wrasses and hypo? I have 4 other leopard wrasses going through TTM now, and one of the guy wont stop flashing. I am 100% it's fluke as he has flashed continuously for 3 weeks now. Poor guy.

Short story- Yes. They did just fine.

Long story- I bought a handful of snails/crabs, didn't qt them, and got prazi resistant flukes and what I thought was ich. Did hypo/ttm simultaneously and then ended up having to do copper for velvet. On another occasion, one of those same wrasses was sent to me with prazi resistant flukes. She did absolutely fine in hypo that time too

 

[PGT253]

Short story- Yes. They did just fine.

Long story- I bought a handful of snails/crabs, didn't qt them, and got prazi resistant flukes and what I thought was ich. Did hypo/ttm simultaneously and then ended up having to do copper for velvet. On another occasion, one of those same wrasses was sent to me with prazi resistant flukes. She did absolutely fine in hypo that time too

I'll try to lower the salinity from 1.022 to 1.009 over 3 days. Last time, I dropped salinity from 1.018 to 1.012 in one run, all wrasses dropped overnight. They were in the tank for 3 weeks. It was a horrific scene in the morning...

 

[deedubz]

I'll try to lower the salinity from 1.022 to 1.009 over 3 days. Last time, I dropped salinity from 1.018 to 1.012 in one run, all wrasses dropped overnight. They were in the tank for 3 weeks. It was a horrific scene in the morning...

That's what I've done. I'll do a 1g water change every few hours for a couple days to slowly bring it down. Bringing it back up (after 5-7 days) needs to be done even slower. .001-.002 MAX per day