hey guys, just had this guy in the QT for 2 days with 2 clowns. He ate both times over the past 2 days so I started Prazi today. He’s in rough shape now, he wouldn’t come out from underneath the pvc pipe. Now I noticed him right next to the air stone. There is a very small white spot on his tail. He looks to be uncoordinated. Should I go right into copper treatment now? Also two other clowns with him are doing fine.
Purple Firefish
- Thread starter Heavymman
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Big G
captain dunsel
Have you noticed any aggression from the clowns? They can be brutal. They don't necessarily "bite" but they can intimidate fish to hiding. Can you get us a better picture of the spot? That's a beautiful fish. Also it would be better if you can place a powerhead into the tank aimed up at the surface where it is actively "rippling" the surface of the water. Much higher O2 exchange than an airstone. 
Big G
captain dunsel
That looks bacterial to me. There is a really, really bad bacterial infection(s) in the industry these days along with velvet. Kanaplex + Furan2 would be what I'd do if that was my fish ASAP and the high O2 exchange with the powerhead.
Big G
captain dunsel
Firefish are called "dartfish" because of their skittish behavior. It's kinda normal for them to hide, dart around when scared.
If it was doing well before the Prazi dosage, I'd consider doing a rather large water change to reduce the prazi in the tank. Did you do a freshwater dip before the prazi dosage?
If it was doing well before the Prazi dosage, I'd consider doing a rather large water change to reduce the prazi in the tank. Did you do a freshwater dip before the prazi dosage?
You should very slowly dose PraziPro, don't do a full dose at once. This can cause a LOT of issues for fish. And your answers aren't quite an 'answer'. Were asking if the fish looked sick/injured before. Being skittish is 100% normal, eating is a good sign. I've seen fish start dying from PraziPro.
Additionally, prazipro can be toxic when mixed with some meds. To the point where you should't mix prazi with anything.
Also, that water looks SUPER cloudy.. That means bacterial bloom, which means lack of oxygen in the water. Any fish with even a slightly illness is going to have a really hard time with these tank conditions.
It sounds like there's a whole lot going on here. Step one Aerate the water, point a powerhead towards the surface of the water at the extreme least.
Additionally, prazipro can be toxic when mixed with some meds. To the point where you should't mix prazi with anything.
Also, that water looks SUPER cloudy.. That means bacterial bloom, which means lack of oxygen in the water. Any fish with even a slightly illness is going to have a really hard time with these tank conditions.
It sounds like there's a whole lot going on here. Step one Aerate the water, point a powerhead towards the surface of the water at the extreme least.
Big G
captain dunsel
Here's a couple of things to know about Prazipro. First the dosage is a bit high at 2.5 ppm. It's just fine to dose at 2.0 ppm and it will work just fine. Second, the ingredient that keeps the praziquantel in solution, Oxybispropanol, robs O2 from the water.
Big G
captain dunsel
So there are a couple of possibilities here. First the fish could have had a rather large number of flukes on its gills before the dosage. When dosed, the flukes spasm while still attached an this greatly inhibits the fish's ability to breathe. Second, the fish maybe very sensitive to prazi. So, I'd do a rather large water change and get the prazi out and run some carbon to help remove as well.
