Hypo 1.012 vs flukes

[hrdneglcry]

I have a grouper that has flukes. He has had gill fulkes and skin flukes. I started a Hyposalinity treatment about a week ago after I got the salinity down to 1.012. There was a remarkable improvement. He started to eat again. Before it was every 3-4 days. But after a week he still scratches and flashes. Is this normal? I was going to do 35 day as per recommended on here. Humblefish is recommending down to 1.009. Everyday and if it slips to start over. I thought after a week he wouldn't be scratching and I'd be just waiting out the eggs. Any tips?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a grouper that has flukes. He has had gill fulkes and skin flukes. I started a Hyposalinity treatment about a week ago after I got the salinity down to 1.012. There was a remarkable improvement. He started to eat again. Before it was every 3-4 days. But after a week he still scratches and flashes. Is this normal? I was going to do 35 day as per recommended on here. Humblefish is recommending down to 1.009. Everyday and if it slips to start over. I thought after a week he wouldn't be scratching and I'd be just waiting out the eggs. Any tips?

Hypo salinity is 1,009 and praziquantel (prazi pro)?is the remedy Treated for an 8 day period, water change and one more treatment for 8dsys with added oxygen
FW dip and low salinity will offer relief

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I have a grouper that has flukes. He has had gill fulkes and skin flukes. I started a Hyposalinity treatment about a week ago after I got the salinity down to 1.012. There was a remarkable improvement. He started to eat again. Before it was every 3-4 days. But after a week he still scratches and flashes. Is this normal? I was going to do 35 day as per recommended on here. Humblefish is recommending down to 1.009. Everyday and if it slips to start over. I thought after a week he wouldn't be scratching and I'd be just waiting out the eggs. Any tips?

1.012 for 35 days is the standard for Neobenedenia flukes. 1.009 is the standard for Cryptocaryon, a protozoan. The trouble is, 1.009 is pretty stressful, so you don't want to go that low if it isn't necessary.

There are rare brackish water flukes and hypo won't work on them.

More info:

Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity Jay Hemdal 2024 This term refers to a long-term bath treatment for marine fishes in which the salt content of the water is lowered and held below the point that certain parasites can survive. The salt level reached, and the time of the treatment are the two variables...

www.reef2reef.com

Jay

 

[hrdneglcry]

Update: It has been a few weeks. I had salinity at 1.012. After a week he was still scratching his face. I went down to 1.009 but you could see he was distressed. I left it as low as I could. Maybe 1.010 or 1.011. I added some prazi pro. This is a quarantine tank. The scratching stopped. He was by the air stone in the bubbles but that was after the Prazi. He doesn't linger there now. I have the start date written down. In the display tank two Bluejaw Triggerfish do not have it. I think the male bullies the grouper to the degree that stress makes him susceptible to the flukes that they are not getting. I don't know if after 35 days the display tank will be fluke free. The Triggers have no syptoms. But it is hard to cure to the Grouper and and I don't want to go through it again if this works. When he gets larger they will not be able to bother him. But now he is not very big. Only 5". The Trigger male is larger and I had another pair in there once and the female would bully him too. Not bite. but menace.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Update: It has been a few weeks. I had salinity at 1.012. After a week he was still scratching his face. I went down to 1.009 but you could see he was distressed. I left it as low as I could. Maybe 1.010 or 1.011. I added some prazi pro. This is a quarantine tank. The scratching stopped. He was by the air stone in the bubbles but that was after the Prazi. He doesn't linger there now. I have the start date written down. In the display tank two Bluejaw Triggerfish do not have it. I think the male bullies the grouper to the degree that stress makes him susceptible to the flukes that they are not getting. I don't know if after 35 days the display tank will be fluke free. The Triggers have no syptoms. But it is hard to cure to the Grouper and and I don't want to go through it again if this works. When he gets larger they will not be able to bother him. But now he is not very big. Only 5". The Trigger male is larger and I had another pair in there once and the female would bully him too. Not bite. but menace.

IMO - the trouble is that the triggers don't show symptoms, but could very easily have a sub-clinical infection. then, if you add a species of fish more prone to serious infection, they will get acutely ill.

Jay

 

[hrdneglcry]

How slowly do I raise the salinity back to normal? Ever have an instance where a fish after weeks of hypo all of sudden looked like it would die? I had another factor that could have caused this but right now I am not sure what happened. The salinity jumped four points from .010 to .014. The fish was so distressed he didn't run from the net. But something toxic may have gotten into the tank. So could that much of a salinity jump cause this? I removed him to another tank in case its a toxin from an adhesive. 1.012 salinity. If he lives I want to start bringing the salinity back up

 

[hrdneglcry]

IMO - the trouble is that the triggers don't show symptoms, but could very easily have a sub-clinical infection. then, if you add a species of fish more prone to serious infection, they will get acutely ill.

Jay

Hi Jay. Yes I don't want that. I was looking into getting a Puffer. I think partly what happened was that the Grouper was a skittish fish to begin with. I saw at least one the male Trigger act menacing toward the grouper. So I think that contributed. The stress. It has been a little over 35 days and the Triggers still have no issues. I think it comes down to if the new fish are going to be stressed by the Triggerfish. They are Blue jaw Triggers but the male rushes my arm when its in the tank. He also bites the aquarium vacuum.