More detail on Flukes

[melypr1985]

Yep.. I tried a few more times but I just cant get him yet. I fed defrosted meaty foods and he went crazy for those, so I was wrong.... he's still eating. I'll be tearing down the tank to catch the rest of the fish this evening when I get the QT up and running, so I'll have to dip him right before then. Figure that's better anyway, as far as stressing him out goes. That way I only have to catch him once.

 

[Humblefish]

I actually put the filters cartridges in my sump when I bought the power filter. so they are seeded.

What are the filter cartridges? Like the little ceramic noodles?

 

[melypr1985]

What are the filter cartridges? Like the little ceramic noodles?

Its like a plastic grid type of thing. Not ideal, but I can always use the ones with the cotton if I cut out the carbon right? I was also going to get some (I think) matrix? It looks like rocks but its really porous... my budget didn't allow for that today though. I want to get it on Friday when I have some actual fish money to spend. I also got some seachem stability and a sponge (like the one in your picture) just in case. Figure it doesn't hurt to have as much bacteria in there as possible. Got an ammonia alert badge too. I hope I'm on the right track here.

 

[melypr1985]

@Humblefish I know you get asked this a LOT and I've even seen you answer it before. BUT.... Which antibiotic should I get? I figure with my luck right now I'm going to need that too. I prefer one that I can get at my LFS and not have to order it. Thanks!

 

[Humblefish]

@Humblefish I know you get asked this a LOT and I've even seen you answer it before. BUT.... Which antibiotic should I get? I figure with my luck right now I'm going to need that too. I prefer one that I can get at my LFS and not have to order it. Thanks!

Kanaplex is a pretty good one. So is Furan-2. You can actually combine them, if need be.

 

[melypr1985]

Kanaplex is a pretty good one. So is Furan-2. You can actually combine them, if need be.

Awesome. I saw both at the LFS. I'll pick them up on Friday. So I suppose I'll start treatment with the Prazipro since the ick doesn't seem to be bothering anybody. (the only fish showing any signs of ick or flukes is the purple tang) Then on Friday I'll start adding the copper to the Qt, so i'll end up doing both at the same time when I add the second dose of prazipro. After all that's done I'll do the kanaplex and furan-2 just to top it all off for safety. Sound like a good plan?

 

[helldiver]

If it is flukes: Prazipro is reef safe, so you can use it in a DT.

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, 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”.

 

[helldiver]

this is what Humble fish sent me

 

[melypr1985]

this is what Humble fish sent me

Thank you... I have read this a few times today just to be sure I had it right. I couldn't catch him to dip him yet, but I'm going to get my QT late tonight. I'm hoping to have all of them out by the morning and into the Qt with treatment. I'll dip him before he goes into the QT for sure.

I tell ya what I just thought of. Since it could be till the morning before I can get the tank and everything set up, should I just does the prazipro into the display so they are getting help while they wait for me to be ready? Like helldiver said... it's reef safe. So wouldn't it be better to have them in the meds as soon as possible?

 

[Humblefish]

I tell ya what I just thought of. Since it could be till the morning before I can get the tank and everything set up, should I just does the prazipro into the display so they are getting help while they wait for me to be ready? Like helldiver said... it's reef safe. So wouldn't it be better to have them in the meds as soon as possible?

Here's what I'm worried about with the PT. Prazi causes flukes to spasm and then dislodge from the fish. If a fish is too heavily infested with flukes, all those spasms occurring simultaneously can actually kill the fish. Performing a FW dip prior to using prazi on a heavily infested fish makes some of the flukes just drop off (without the spasms), so when you treat with prazi it isn't so severe.

If it weren't for the PT and your thinking flukes have already reached his eyes, your plan would be a good one.

 

[melypr1985]

Well Humblefish, I'm rather embarrassed and ashamed that I didn't wait to hear back for very long. I was impatient and just put the prazi in my display in a desperate, overreaction. The purple tang is still alive, but I can't tell more than that as of yet. I really should know better than to ask, act, then get the answer. <- dumb, really dumb

Now that I've confessed to being stupid..... I was able to get the 40 breeder last night along with a 7 stage RODI unit. I'm making water right now to finish off the qt. I need 20 more gallons. It shouldn't take too long to make 20 gallons with this unit so I should be able to get this done today during nap time.

I'll say being patient is always better (obviously I have a hard time with this), but its really difficult to be patient when I have all the tools to get the job done, but one of my tools is taking such a long time to do its job. Then I have to wait for the salt to mix!

 

[melypr1985]

I still feel like an idiot. I didnt even want to tell the truth about my impatience, but figured that would derail any further help i might need/get. I got some terrible pictures. Hes pretty skittish of me right now. Still eating, much more active today. The qt is almost full of saltwater but i realized my hob filter wont fit on this 40! Ill be making a trip to petco to get a new one when the baby wakes up.

 

[Humblefish]

@melypr1985 It's gonna be OK. If he was gonna die from flukes spasms, it probably would have happened by now. Once you have all the fish in QT, begin antibiotic treatment right away (this is mostly for the PT's benefit.) Once he starts looking better, eating, etc. then slowly start ramping up the copper. Take 4-5 days to get it up to therapeutic levels instead of what the instructions say on the bottle.

You will need to do another round of Prazipro, but that's 7 days after the initial dosage was done.

 

[melypr1985]

@melypr1985 It's gonna be OK. If he was gonna die from flukes spasms, it probably would have happened by now. Once you have all the fish in QT, begin antibiotic treatment right away (this is mostly for the PT's benefit.) Once he starts looking better, eating, etc. then slowly start ramping up the copper. Take 4-5 days to get it up to therapeutic levels instead of what the instructions say on the bottle.

You will need to do another round of Prazipro, but that's 7 days after the initial dosage was done.

Thanks. I'm really good at kicking myself. I'll make sure to get the antibiotics asap then since I'm still planning on having them in QT today. Let me ask though, I dosed the prazi last night around 8 or so. If I take the fish out of the DT and the prazi and put them in the QT should I put the prazi in there too? Is roughly 24 hours in the prazi enough for a first round? Maybe I should leave them in the DT for a few more days to get the full help of the prazi? This would allow the newly made saltwater a little more time mixing, heating and aging really. Plus I have to go get a new HOB filter that fits on the darn tank. I'll do what you tell me and wait for confirmation first.

 

[Humblefish]

Thanks. I'm really good at kicking myself. I'll make sure to get the antibiotics asap then since I'm still planning on having them in QT today. Let me ask though, I dosed the prazi last night around 8 or so. If I take the fish out of the DT and the prazi and put them in the QT should I put the prazi in there too? Is roughly 24 hours in the prazi enough for a first round? Maybe I should leave them in the DT for a few more days to get the full help of the prazi? This would allow the newly made saltwater a little more time mixing, heating and aging really. Plus I have to go get a new HOB filter that fits on the darn tank. I'll do what you tell me and wait for confirmation first.

Prazi works it's magic in about 24 hrs, so you should be good to go. You weren't running carbon or your skimmer or anything while doing prazi, were you?

 

[melypr1985]

Prazi works it's magic in about 24 hrs, so you should be good to go. You weren't running carbon or your skimmer or anything while doing prazi, were you?

Nope. I made sure to turn off my skimmer and reactor before putting it in the tank. Yay! ok, so I'm about to leave to get a new filter and assuming the water in the Qt is ready to go by then, i'll be transferring them all over tonight. Thanks! I'll keep ya posted too.

 

[melypr1985]

Ok. I have the Kanaplex and I also have Focus. I know I can feed both together with the focus as a binder. The kanaplex has directions on putting it directly in the water too. Which should I do? Can I do both at the same time (meaning feeding it and dosing it in the water)? Seems like feeding would be better since it would go directly into the fish's body. Whatcha think?

 

[Humblefish]

Ok. I have the Kanaplex and I also have Focus. I know I can feed both together with the focus as a binder. The kanaplex has directions on putting it directly in the water too. Which should I do? Can I do both at the same time (meaning feeding it and dosing it in the water)? Seems like feeding would be better since it would go directly into the fish's body. Whatcha think?

In QT, dose it directly into the water. Kanamycin aka Kanaplex is easily absorbed by a fish's skin. The only reason to use Focus is to bind the medication to food, which makes it "reef safe" to feed in a DT.

 

[melypr1985]

In QT, dose it directly into the water. Kanamycin aka Kanaplex is easily absorbed by a fish's skin. The only reason to use Focus is to bind the medication to food, which makes it "reef safe" to feed in a DT.

Gotcha. That's what I'll do then. I've only caught 3 fish so far. This sucks. I really don't want to tear up my rocks. Anybody know how to make a bottle trap for my coris wrasse

 

[Humblefish]

Gotcha. That's what I'll do then. I've only caught 3 fish so far. This sucks. I really don't want to tear up my rocks. Anybody know how to make a bottle trap for my coris wrasse

http://www.3reef.com/threads/diy-fish-trap-catches-six-line-wrasse.144822/