Help! Butterfly fish

Humblefish · Jan 12, 2017

TJFitz1980 said:
After I dip him can he go back into the display or does he need to go to a qt...and the worse question...is this going to destroy my entire tank

If he has flukes (photos below on what to look for - little white oval things), then the entire DT can actually be treated with a medication called Prazipro: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/prazipro.247598/

FYI; More info on flukes here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/flukes-–-general-guidelines.224423/

Empress · Jan 12, 2017

And Prazipro is most potent during the first 24 hours. After that time, it starts to dwindle down.

TJFitz1980 · Jan 12, 2017

Ok here is a question. If prazipro is safe to use in tank...why not avoid stressing the fish with fresh water dips and just treat the tank

Empress · Jan 12, 2017

TJFitz1980 said:
Ok here is a question. If prazipro is safe to use in tank...why not avoid stressing the fish with fresh water dips and just treat the tank

Fresh water dips help to dislodge many of the flukes beforehand. Do the dip in a black or dark blue bucket and shine a flashlight on the bottom. If you see little white oval shapes, then you got flukes. Then you'll use Prazipro. If you don't have flukes or other worms then you won't need Prazi.

And you CAN use Prazipro in DT, but only after you confirm that you really need it.

Don't use it if you don't need it. That's why you'll do a fresh water dip first. Hope that helps. [emoji846]

melypr1985 · Jan 12, 2017

Empress said:
Fresh water dips help to dislodge many of the flukes beforehand. Do the dip in a black or dark blue bucket and shine a flashlight on the bottom. If you see little white oval shapes, then you got flukes. Then you'll use Prazipro. If you don't have flukes or other worms then you won't need Prazi.

And you CAN use Prazipro in DT, but only after you confirm that you really need it.

Don't use it if you don't need it. That's why you'll do a fresh water dip first. Hope that helps. [emoji846]

To add to this^: Prazipro causes the flukes to spasm and die. If a fish is heavily infested with them the bulk spasming of the flukes while they are dying can actually cause the fish harm, even to the point of death. So a freshwater dip is a great way to lessen the amount of flukes on the fish before dosing prazi. It's minimally invasive and much less stressful on the fish than it is on us. I've done literally 100's of freshwater dips and only lost a few fish that were at death's doorstep already. If he doesn't survive the dip, you probably wouldn't have been able to save him no matter what you did. I hope that helps

TJFitz1980 · Jan 12, 2017

Ok guys. I'll do the dip when I get home...I was in the process of getting the qt set up but realized I leave out of town tomorrow afternoon. So guess I'll dip this evening and hope for the best.