Flukes?

[dbreeves]

After adding a Canary Wrasse, I lost three fish. Two died while I was out of town and the other (a pseudochromis) lost its color (I assume that was because of excess mucus), became covered in white spots, swam with one pectoral fin stuck to its side, and eventually died.

Over the span of two weeks, I did several water changes and I decided to add a clownfish. After spending a few days in the tank, the clownfish's coloration seems to have dulled and it twitches a lot. I'm afraid that I am losing this fish as well.

Surprisingly, the Canary Wrasse has looked fat and happy throughout all of this and my water chemistry has been completely normal.

I've been keeping aquariums for a very long time, and I haven't had a problem like this before.

Initially, I diagnosed the problem as ich, but now I am leaning towards flukes. The white spots were the last thing to develop on the pseudochromis and I suppose that the fish could have contracted ich after it was stressed by the flukes.

I just ordered a bottle of "Prazipro," and I hope that it will get here before my clownfish dies. Do you guys have any suggestions?

 

[Mrscribbled]

From the way it sounds you are not doing preventative quarantine?

Water chemistry means nothing if you have parasites. I highly highly doubt you are dealing with flukes. Most likely ich or even more likely velvet. You must remove. ALL fish into a hospital tank and treat via copper. You then must leave your display tank fishless (inverts can stay) for twelve weeks. Make sure all new arrivals are quarantined also. Read the stickies above about fish disease.

Flukes will not kill fish that fast and usually if infestation is that severe the fishes eyes will become very cloudy.

Marine ich is different than freshwater ich. Understanding the life cycles of parasites will help you understand treatment.

 

[dbreeves]

I know that it's a bad excuse, but I don't have the room for a quarantine tank.

Is there an alternative to copper?

 

[Mrscribbled]

You dont have room for a ten gallon tank? Laundry room? Utility room? Closet?

Tank transfer is the only other treatment I'd trust but requires multiple tanks. Cupramine is a safe effective copoer. If you have a sponge type material for filter purposes you can use that in a quarantine or buy a new sponge filter and a bottle of instant ocean bio spira. Either way you will have to set another tank up to save your fish and ensure your success in the future.

 

[dbreeves]

I think I could probably squeeze in a five gallon on my kitchen counter- I live in a very small apartment. I have a hang on filter that I plan on running without filter cartridges for the quarantine. Will that be sufficient to establish a biological filter?

 

[dbreeves]

Also, what treatments do you use in your quarantine tank when you buy a new fish?

I really appreciate your help.

 

[Mrscribbled]

Every fish I bring in, once eating gets two rounds of Prozi pro then 14 days of. Cupramine unless parasites have shown up then its a month of cupramine .

A five gallon will work fine for your fish. Unless your hang on back filter has been running on your display tank for 6 weeks or more you'll need to seed it with bacteria. I have had great success with instant ocean bio spira and Dr Tim's one and only. If you are dealing with velvet time is of essence. You will find reading about hyposalinity but it is ineffective towards velvet any some ich can withstand the treatment as well. Clown fish tend to do poorly in hypo also. I recommend a salifert copper test kit, and a seachem ammonia alert badge. The seachem ammonia test kits will work in copper treatment but all others will give a false reading. .4 ppm of copper is ideal.