Freshwater Dip

[melypr1985]

Gill flukes smaller than eye/body flukes?

There are more than one species of flukes, which is just a common name for the different flatworms that feed on our fish. For the most part they look like opaque sesame seeds after a freshwater dip.

 

[Mfreddy]

There are more than one species of flukes, which is just a common name for the different flatworms that feed on our fish. For the most part they look like opaque sesame seeds after a freshwater dip.

Not sure if it's a good enough picture, Meredith, I sent the same pic to Humble a few minutes ago. They are very small compared to the 3.5 Fiji sand that I also caught while my Niger freaked out as I netted him.

 

[Mfreddy]

Sorry, Tonga reef flakes

 

[Mfreddy]

Sand on bottom, everything on top came off during the dip

 

[melypr1985]

I see the sand and one speck at the top that is white-ish in color. Hard to say what it is from that picture though.

 

[cracker]

Great info Thanks ! Especially the point that the dipper freaks out more than the dipee .

 

[Mfreddy]

The Niger (Vader) went into a cave and has been pouting. He even missed dinner. After I couldn't net him last night so I left the net in the tank overnight because I thought it would be easier today. It's a coated net that was cleaned in rodi water. He carried it across the tank. 12" net, 7" fish. When I put him in FW he laid down until I touched him on the tail and then he would swim. This is a fish that's in my face every time I approach the DT. He'll be over it soon.

 

[Humblefish]

I can't tell for sure from the photo. How many white things came off him during the FW dip?

 

[Mfreddy]

Seems like more than a dozen, maybe 20. I think I have to point out that he's been swimming in the powerheads for 6 months and for the past few months the emporator has hung out at the bottom of the tank on each side of the overflow a lot. Clown trigger healthy and fat, a little bit of obsessive swimming that might be a bit of flashing. Puffer eats like a horse, spends a lot of time in the rocks because the angel picks on him. Snowflake hasn't eaten in 2 weeks after eating daily for 2 months.

240 gallon tank, matrix and bio balls in the sump, skimmer and UV with 1 month old bulb, 1 1/2 cups rox in a bag located in a high flow area by the return.

 

[Humblefish]

@Mfreddy This is what I would do in your shoes: Dose Prazipro, wait 5-7 days, do a 20-25% WC and then dose Prazipro again.

There is enough evidence (12-20 white things came off during the FW dip, trigger likes to swim in front of powerheads) to suggest that flukes are probably still present in your aquarium, just at a sublethal population.

 

[Mfreddy]

Thanks Humble. I was hoping that was still an option before going the quarantine route.

 

[izzyishh]

Reviving this would you recommend FW dip small nano fish like gobies as well?

 

[Brew12]

Reviving this would you recommend FW dip small nano fish like gobies as well?

I would do it on any fish. I don't feel size matters.

 

[brwaldbaum]

When I started in this hobby (meaning this February), I purchased a flame angel. I put her in a 20 gallon quarantine tank and observed that she was shaking her head. I gave her a freshwater dip in a 5 gallon tank, and within minutes, hundreds of tiny white specks came off of her and eventually settled to the bottom of the dip tank. Not one of those specks looked large enough to be a dead fluke.

What were those white specks?

 

[Brew12]

When I started in this hobby (meaning this February), I purchased a flame angel. I put her in a 20 gallon quarantine tank and observed that she was shaking her head. I gave her a freshwater dip in a 5 gallon tank, and within minutes, hundreds of tiny white specks came off of her and eventually settled to the bottom of the dip tank. Not one of those specks looked large enough to be a dead fluke.

What were those white specks?

Odds are that they were flukes. There are many species of flukes that can infest a fish. These may have been a smaller variety.

 

[brwaldbaum]

Are flukes the only parasite that will be visible after a freshwater dip? Some members of RC seem to believe that a white "dust" after a dip consists of velvet trophonts, not flukes.

 

[Brew12]

Are flukes the only parasite that will be visible after a freshwater dip? Some members of RC seem to believe that a white "dust" after a dip consists of velvet trophonts, not flukes.

Its possible, but the only way to know for sure would be a microscope with around 40x magnification.

Velvet trophonts are normally 80 to 100 microns, or the width of a human hair and smaller than the average dust particle size. Another perspective on this is that BRS felt filter socks are rated to remove 200 micron particles and larger.

Another comparison would be copepods. The smaller varieties tend to be 300 to 500 microns with tigger pods on the larger end at 1000+ microns. So, if what you are seeing is around 1/5th the size of a copepod or smaller, it is possible.

 

[Eggpaul]

It could be, as humble said, from aggression from other fish or a bacterial infection. In this fish's case I believe it was a mild infection that healed on it's own once the flukes were taken care of. That doesn't always happen of course, but he was pretty healthy other than those two issues so it worked out pretty well for him.

Do we keep the air stone in the FWD container? What for? The first post here said not to keep it in there, but in your video you have it in there the whole time.

 

[melypr1985]

Do we keep the air stone in the FWD container? What for? The first post here said not to keep it in there, but in your video you have it in there the whole time.

Keep the air stone going the whole time.

 

[Rahul1129]

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”.

Video by melypr1985

When i buy a fish first i should acclamate the fish or first i should do a freash water deep??