Flukes

[E36328i]

It is absolutely imperative the pH be buffered to somewhere near the pH of your tank. I work at a LFS and we see thousands of s/w fish a year, the ones we get with flukes that I F/W dip are always buffered with pH and temperature at least to the level of the display (and sometimes even higher). We have lost a number of fish before when an employee used old dip water and did not rebuffer the pH--the pH was somewhere in the range of 7.4-7.6.

Also, I do not understand why people here harp on and on about dipping in FW for 10-15mins. I have NEVER dipped longer than 5 minutes and some even more delicate species of fish cannot be dipped longer than 2-3 minutes before they start to go into shock. I would not give up on F/W dips. They are very useful and extremely effective for little impact on the fish. You just have to realize what works for some doesn't work for others. I would keep the F/W dips to no more than 4 times a week and no longer than 5 minutes on an extremely hardy specimen, much less on weakened or delicate fish (Angelfish I typically dip for 3 minutes in Pygmies and 1-2 minutes on the larger and more delicate species).

Keep your chin up you'll find a good Angel. They can be challenging to keep but once you get them doing good they are very hardy and rewarding.

 

[E36328i]

Also, another tip when doing F/W dips on delicate fish--I like to add a few drops of methylene blue with the Prazi-Pro and they work very well together. Keep in mind if you use a white bucket it will be permanently stained like a smurf!

 

[geaux xman]

Tracey, sorry to hear about the loss. Believe me, I can relate.

I'm likely to get an angelfish online next week. Should I acclimate the fish to the QT tank, make sure it is eating well for a couple days, then FW dip/prazipro treat/etc?

Or should I go ahead and FW dip the hour it comes in?

my LFS guy recommended FW dipping 3-5mins, and doing it every other day to not shock the fish as much.

 

[Tracey2]

Thanks for the support. I just feel awful because she was fat and eating flakes and pellets. I did use baking soda to up the ph and had the temp just a little higher than the QT tank so maybe I just did it too long.

This regal was fw dipped at the store when she came in and when I brought her home I did a prazi dip which she handled well. I do think she was ok for the first 5-10 mins in the fw and then I saw her dive for the top, thats when I removed her back to the tank, she just sank to the bottom.

The lump on her chin is gone so it was some type of parasite but I don't think it was flukes, I think it was some kind of isopod because it was large, she has a hole on her chin and a couple other spots on her side that look red.

So I guess I removed the fish from the parasite and returned the parasite to the QT tank so now should I drain my QT and start fresh or dose high copper or what to rid it of these nasty things?

 

[Tracey2]

P.S. I do have a regal in my DT that I have had for almost a year, she was never fw dipped but did go through cupramine, prazipro and paraguard treatment, she is very healthy.

I guess I think if there is something on your fish that is bothering it more than a fw dip would then fw dip would have some value but I will be very nervous to do it again because like I said before this girl was otherwise healthy looking and eating well so should have been able to handle the dip.

Earlier in this thread I mentioned my majestic in the DT has what might be flukes but with closer inspection it looks like she just gets marks on her where she has scraped against a rock although I don't ever see her scratch. I don't see marks on anyone else in the DT and no one in there twitches or scratches so I think I will just continue feeding well.

 

[LargeAngels]

That is too bad. The red spots was probably from flukes or other parasites. As stated previously above I don't dip long either, 2-3 minutes max.

 

[E36328i]

I find angels are very easy to kill if you dip them for too long. I have killed a few before just from stress so I would imagine long dip times in freshwater will be too much. The larger the angel the more delicate it is (in my experience).

Sometimes if the fish is infested with flukes the removal of such a large amount at once (and leaving small open wounds to where they were attached) can overload their immune system and kill them. Actually, I have lost a few Regal Angels due to this happening. Now when I get large angels I will use a small amount of prazi-pro in their acclimation water. I slowly ramp up the prazi-pro levels in quarantine as their appetite increases. When I feel they are sufficiently strong to handle the stress, I will give them a short 1-3minute bath in methylene blue + prazi.

Angels can be a total PITA sometimes, occasionally I just throw in the towel and lay off them for a bit. 'Course it's never long because they are far too pretty to swear off forever!

 

[gwhunter]

Would lifted scales and rubbing if already at .05 cupramine indicate flukes? I've got a maculous angel in qt showing these symptoms.

Matt

 

[geaux xman]

how do these angels fight off flukes at sea?

 

[Tracey2]

Large Angels, I must have missed the 2-3 min part, I wish I had made this mistake with a less expensive, less beautiful fish.

E36328i, its nice to know I am not alone in my angel killing, I feel so upset with myself for making this careless mistake.

gwhunter, I hope large angels will be able to answer your question.

geaux xman, good question, it would be nice to have a shrimp or two that would clean them up.

How large can flukes be, the lump on my regals chin was quite large, I still think there is something else in my QT. I plan to drain it and start over.

 

[LargeAngels]

Would lifted scales and rubbing if already at .05 cupramine indicate flukes? I've got a maculous angel in qt showing these symptoms.

Matt

If you have been at 0.5 for at least a week with the Cupramine then I would say it is flukes.

 

[gwhunter]

I've been at .05 for three weeks. The fish is eating an acting fine. I've got Prazi on hand, and issue with mixing the two?

Matt

 

[Tracey2]

I have mixed prazi and cupramine without a problem but it probably depends on the fish, I would start with a low dose of prazi.

 

[LargeAngels]

If you've been at 0.5 for 3 weeks then maybe the best course is to do a 2-3 min FW dip and then another a week later and then when you are finished with the Cupramine treatment do two 5-7 Prazi pro treatments. The FW can also tell you for sure if it has flukes as you will see them on the bottom if you do it in a clear container.

 

[unbreakable]

If I do treat, do I have to shut off the skimmer? If so, for how long?
Does PraziPro affect SPS corals in any way?
Will all the fish have a decrease in appetite?

I have a fox face i bought from LA/DD that seemed fine but I started to notice within 3 days of having it that it had white patches on its eyes. I'm not sure if I should treat or not, i've already had it for 3 weeks and it's been eating fine. I wouldnt want the other fish to stop eating