Prazi resistant flukes treatment

[Makara23]

I have a few clown in QT tank that's already been through 4 rounds of prazi-pro, dosed 8 days apart at 100% dosage strength with water changes right before dosing. During the whole month of treatment, they were doing great and showed no more symptoms but as soon as I stopped, I saw them flash on objects. I now suspect the flukes they have are resistant to prazi.

Would it be ok if I soaked their food in pure prazi then feed, in case it's internal flukes? I really don't want to put them through 1.012 hyposalinity for another month, after having gone through 30+ days of prazi torture already. Or any other suggestions?

 

[fishguy242]

#fishmedic

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I have a few clown in QT tank that's already been through 4 rounds of prazi-pro, dosed 8 days apart at 100% dosage strength with water changes right before dosing. During the whole month of treatment, they were doing great and showed no more symptoms but as soon as I stopped, I saw them flash on objects. I now suspect the flukes they have are resistant to prazi.

Would it be ok if I soaked their food in pure prazi then feed, in case it's internal flukes? I really don't want to put them through 1.012 hyposalinity for another month, after having gone through 30+ days of prazi torture already. Or any other suggestions?

There actually isn't a "prazi resistant" fluke. What happens is that the fluke's life cycle just isn't broken by the prazi. There are two reasons for this: the timing of the treatments wasn't correct, or prazi-eating bacteria has grown due to multiple treatments, and the prazi is being broken down faster than it can work.

Clownfish are not particularly prone to flukes - is the flashing you see severe, and do you see other symptoms (rapid breathing, lethargy, skin discoloration)? If they scratch just once in awhile, it might not be flukes.

Assuming it is flukes though, I find that a 35 day, half salinity treatment works better than prazi. I use a specific gravity of 1.012.

Fenbendazole has the same drawback as prazi, and is also toxic to some fish (not clownfish though). Formalin dips work, but the fish must be moved to a clean tank. Organophosphates work, but they are too toxic for use in homes.

Jay

 

[Makara23]

Thanks jay!

The flashing isn’t terrible, I only caught each clown doing this once a day, but I didn’t sit there all day to monitor, so it could be more. They are healthy otherwise, no other symptoms of flukes.

I dosed 8 days apart, and 4 times. I would have thought this would for sure take care of the life cycle.

How long is prazi effective for before bacteria breaks them down? For now, I will hold off on treatment unless I see more symptoms or flashing gets more severe. If I were restart treatment, would dosing every 3-4 days instead of 8 help, in case bacteria breaks down prazi too quickly?