Flukes : Fatal or ?

[WuHT]

First question : Are flukes one of those disease that is pretty much guarnateed to wipe out your fish if left untreated ? (like ich/velvet ??)Or will the natural immune defense overcome this particular parasite ?

Second Question : If some of my fish are twitching, sometimes scratching, and has a few small spots on its dorsal/caudal fins ... but otherwise eating and very energetic ... should i react ??
I see my christmas wrasse chasing his tail some times. Obviously not normal behaviour.

Third Question : Anyone used Prazipro with shrimps/snails/crabs/LR ? Just want to hear some first hand experience, to supplement the info on the label.


Thanks in advance

 

[billsreef]

Flukes can reproduce rapidly enough and cause signifcant damage to the fins and gills, sufficient to cause high mortality rates. There is no immune response to them that is known. It's best to treat all fish. The typical flukes found on tropical fish are readily treated with a short (1 to 5 minute) fresh water dip, and this is my method of choice. Prazipro does work, but should be used in a QT.

 

[WuHT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12984531#post12984531 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by billsreef
Flukes can reproduce rapidly enough and cause signifcant damage to the fins and gills, sufficient to cause high mortality rates. There is no immune response to them that is known. It's best to treat all fish. The typical flukes found on tropical fish are readily treated with a short (1 to 5 minute) fresh water dip, and this is my method of choice. Prazipro does work, but should be used in a QT.

thanks alot billsreef.

I dont suppose you can give me a run-down on it's life cycle (ie do i have to leave the tank fallow) ... and how contagious flukes are from fish-to-fish as well as it possibly hiding out in inverts/live rock waiting to reineffect.

 

[billsreef]

There is quite a few different types of flukes with differing life cycles. The ones that typically show up the most often in our tanks have direct reproduction which causes them spread quite prolifically. Spread is via fish to fish and anything wet that goes from a contaminated tank to another tank. Typically they can't live more than a week or two without a fish for a host, so leaving a tank fallow is quite effective in only a short period of time. Keep in mind this is only for the most common found in our tanks. There are others with different life cycles and eggs that can last several weeks before hatching.

 

[WuHT]

thanks ... one last question : Do you know of a good online resource for me to read up more on flukes ? (going to take a picture of my fish to post ... maybe its not even flukes ..but knowledge never hurts)

 

[Macimage]

Here is a great thread on flukes:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1260067

Joyce