PraziPro for Flukes?

bar38455 · May 14, 2020

Hello,
I am new to R2R. I have a question. Looks like we have Flukes. Should I treat with PraziPro and is it ok to put in the reef?
150 gallon Powder Blue Tank, 7 Anthias, 2 Clown fish
75 gallon reef Purple Tang
Lifereef Skimmer and Equipment
57 watt UV

Thanks Brian

Big G · May 14, 2020

Welcome to R2R, Brian

Yep. Prazipro is reef safe except for any bristleworms or feather dusters that may be in your tank, which could die off causing a bloom.

laurichj · May 14, 2020

You say "looks like", if you're not sure a freshwater dip can be used confirm it. They'll fall off and turn opaque. Use a dark bowl and they'll show up easily.

I've treated with it recently, didn't notice any impact on my bristle worms, though it's commonly said it can kill them. Perfectly harmless on everything else. Killed off a lot of tiny tube worms but not enough to make an ammonia spike.

Made the skimmer go crazy, I just took the cup off to ensure enough aeration which put some microbubbles into the display.

http://www.marineparasites.com/paratreatmentcal.html is a great tool to verify dose timing.

My first pair of dosing didn't work, but I suspect I reinfected the tank. Two weeks after the 2nd dose I noticed them again. I did 3 doses the next time and they've been gone for months.

Since there's no harm in another dose or two and not much cost, you might want to consider it.

There are prazi resistant flukes, you'll know you have them if the first dose doesn't do anything.

bar38455 · May 14, 2020

Thank you! We are pretty sure its flukes. Tiny white string like about 1/8 inch long on Powder Blue Tang. It is doing good. Swimming and loves to eat as always. He seems fine for the time being. Trying to get a picture

laurichj · May 14, 2020

Flukes are clear in saltwater and oval; very hard to see. Usually diagnosed via behavior and a lack of spots then a FW dip. I could see one as a black oval bump on the black skin of a hippo tang, which is why I did a FW dip. You'll see pictures of them as white during a FW dip. Once I put him in a FW dip, they became much more obvious. In the attached picture you can see what look like dried water spots on glass just under the dorsal fin, those are all flukes. In the tank, I could see 1 and just barely. The behavior changes are what made me look closer.

Flukes – General Guidelines

Many thanks to "Newsmyrna80" for writing this. Reposted with her permission. Some facts: Flukes are not true flukes. They are actually parasitic flatworms belonging to the class of Monogeans. There are 13 families of flukes. However, only three families infect saltwater fish. 1...

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white stringy feces can be an internal parasite, and you'd want to use metroplex soaked food. There's also general cure which treats both.

Internal Issues

Internal Issues For simplicity’s sake, there are 6 basic problems a marine fish may experience on the inside: 1. Intestinal worms Symptoms: White stringy feces, pinched stomach, loss of color, fish eats voraciously but still seems to be losing weight. Treatment of choice: Praziquantel...

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