Resistant and hardy flatworm flukes

Joel Jacop · Aug 2, 2021

Hi I have some really resistant flukes they can tolerate hypo salinity and praziquantel and even really dangerous treatments like neguvon. the flukes make some fish scratch and hide for a week they keep scratching their gills and body and their scales fall off and then most likely die. I am really desperate to find a cure that works this disease has been affecting fish I buy for more then two years now. no angel fish or tang can ever live in my tank with this disease but I’ve noticed most wrasses are not really effected by the flukes. If there is anyone here who knows of a cure that has a high chance of working pls reply. Thanks

Jay Hemdal · Aug 3, 2021

Joel Jacop said:
Hi I have some really resistant flukes they can tolerate hypo salinity and praziquantel and even really dangerous treatments like neguvon. the flukes make some fish scratch and hide for a week they keep scratching their gills and body and their scales fall off and then most likely die. I am really desperate to find a cure that works this disease has been affecting fish I buy for more then two years now. no angel fish or tang can ever live in my tank with this disease but I’ve noticed most wrasses are not really effected by the flukes. If there is anyone here who knows of a cure that has a high chance of working pls reply. Thanks

It may be that you have one of the brackish water Capsalid flukes. These look like Neobenedenia, but hyposalinity won't work on them. Praziquantel rarely works on Capsalids, their eggs are resistant to any treatment.

The only treatment I know of is to remove all fish and let the tank lay fallow to 6 weeks. Any eggs will hatch, but the larva will die due to lack of a host.

Jay

Joel Jacop · Aug 3, 2021

Jay Hemdal said:
It may be that you have one of the brackish water Capsalid flukes. These look like Neobenedenia, but hyposalinity won't work on them. Praziquantel rarely works on Capsalids, their eggs are resistant to any treatment.

The only treatment I know of is to remove all fish and let the tank lay fallow to 6 weeks. Any eggs will hatch, but the larva will die due to lack of a host.

Jay

Hi thank you so much for replying i took some fluke samples to the lab back in 2019 it was confirmed that this species is a type of neobenedenia . I did ask the doctor what medication to use he recommended negovon and it killed all my fish I had back than . I am planning to remove them and keep the tank empty for a good two months. Do you know of any treatment that will work for this species of fluke and do you know any treatment that works for internal parasites because this two are the only disease that is effecting my tank . Any advice will be helpful thanks

Jay Hemdal · Aug 4, 2021

Joel Jacop said:
Hi thank you so much for replying i took some fluke samples to the lab back in 2019 it was confirmed that this species is a type of neobenedenia . I did ask the doctor what medication to use he recommended negovon and it killed all my fish I had back than . I am planning to remove them and keep the tank empty for a good two months. Do you know of any treatment that will work for this species of fluke and do you know any treatment that works for internal parasites because this two are the only disease that is effecting my tank . Any advice will be helpful thanks

Oral medications for fish is VERY difficult to do properly. You could try Fenbendazole, but it has to be dosed very accurately. Here is an article I wrote on hos that is done: