Ich or Flukes?

[jvmesle]

Last week I got two clownfish as my first additions to my 75 gallon. I fed NLS pellets initially and only Clownfish A ate it. Clownfish B wouldnt eat but I assumed he was being picky or didnt acclimate right away. Yet theyre both really active and they often dart around near my powerhead. Yesterday I noticed Clownfish A flashing slightly around my magnet cleaner and my rock. I havent seen Clownfish B flash at all. I also bought LRS fish frenzy yesterday and both fush ate yet Clownfish B only ate a bit. Today I fed again and Clownfish B didnt even go for it. Clownfish A still ate though. But i did notice that Clownfish B does have a tattered fin and is a little desaturated in color. Clownfish A looks perefectly active and normal even though it is flashing every now and then. I also do notice that both of them jerk there heads every now and then but Im not sure if thats them having their seizure talking or if its a symptom. I have not seen any white spots at all.

Could this be ich or flukes? I dont have a qt system and dont have room for one. But i heard you can treat prazipro in the display tank if they have flukes. But i dont want to buy the medication if it ends up being ich. Should I do a freshwater dip for 3 minutes to see if flukes fall out or will that cause too much stress?

 

[JustinM]

Sounds like flukes more than likely with the head jerking. I always treat with prazipro on all new fish. Fortunately we have 4 qt tanks to treat them in but yes prazipro is reef safe. I have treated in tanks before with no ill effect at all.

I know you mentioned no room for a qt but there has to be somewhere you can fit a 20l or 20h. I have 3 tanks in my bedroom for qt, only the 20l stays running all the time. It will really save you time, money, and a huge headache to just qt for a min of 30 days, longer if you can.

Best of luck!

Justin

 

[jvmesle]

Sounds like flukes more than likely with the head jerking. I always treat with prazipro on all new fish. Fortunately we have 4 qt tanks to treat them in but yes prazipro is reef safe. I have treated in tanks before with no ill effect at all.

I know you mentioned no room for a qt but there has to be somewhere you can fit a 20l or 20h. I have 3 tanks in my bedroom for qt, only the 20l stays running all the time. It will really save you time, money, and a huge headache to just qt for a min of 30 days, longer if you can.

Best of luck!

Justin

How would you recommend treating with prazipro in the tank? Ive been researching it but I keep getting different methods. And theres really no space for me. Im a young reefer that lives with my parents and they only let me keep my hobby in my room which is a small room with only a bed, closet, and a corner where all my outles are for my tank

 

[JustinM]

This is how I do it. I treat per the dosage on the bottle, 5 ml per 20 gallons or 30ml(1 oz) per 120. You have a 75 so that would be 18.75 ml if it's 75 gallons(need to account for rock and sand and what not). I always dose at night, just works easier for me. After your first dose, I do a 25% water change after 72 hours and run carbon and on the 7th day re dose and repeat the water change and carbon after 72 hours. We had a flame wrasse that took 3 doses so just watch the clowns and see if any more are need. Good luck!

 

[jvmesle]

This is how I do it. I treat per the dosage on the bottle, 5 ml per 20 gallons or 30ml(1 oz) per 120. You have a 75 so that would be 18.75 ml if it's 75 gallons(need to account for rock and sand and what not). I always dose at night, just works easier for me. After your first dose, I do a 25% water change after 72 hours and run carbon and on the 7th day re dose and repeat the water change and carbon after 72 hours. We had a flame wrasse that took 3 doses so just watch the clowns and see if any more are need. Good luck!

Should I so a freshwater dip before? I just came home from work and one of my clowns seems really pale

 

[JustinM]

I have only freshwater dipped a handful of times. I am still nervous doing it. He may be pale because he isn't eating. I would say it is up to you if you want to freshwater dip or not. If it is flukes, you will see them coming off around the 3 min mark.

 

[dh350twin]

I'm about to do a freshwater dip on all my fish. I believe somehow flukes got into my display. This particular tank is a FOWLR with no inverts so salinity level will get slowly dropped as well.

 

[lg2725]

I used Prazi in my DT a few months ago and only 1 of my corals negatively reacted to it. Even, that, it was only for a few hours and it was back to normal.

 

[jvmesle]

Did a freshwater dip and lost one of my clowns, the one who wasnt eating. He probably wasnt able to handle it especially since his stomach was super skinny. The other ones doing fine. While I did the dip I didnt really see any thing fall off, I feel like I saw a few white specs on the bottom but my eyes could be deceiving me. I still saw my surviving clown flashing a bit. No white spots still, dont know how I should proceed if hes acting healthy still

 

[JustinM]

Sorry about your clown. How long did you dip for, did you temp acclimate the water, how about the pH? For pH I usually just throw a couple splashes of tank water into where they're being dipped. It all depends how bad the infestation was to see how much came off. As for ich, just keep an eye on them. Sometimes the first outbreak is minimal but the second and third can come with full force.

Now that you FW dipped, dose the tank with prazi and hope there are no other infections.

 

[jvmesle]

Sorry about your clown. How long did you dip for, did you temp acclimate the water, how about the pH? For pH I usually just throw a couple splashes of tank water into where they're being dipped. It all depends how bad the infestation was to see how much came off. As for ich, just keep an eye on them. Sometimes the first outbreak is minimal but the second and third can come with full force.

Now that you FW dipped, dose the tank with prazi and hope there are no other infections.

I dipped for 5 minutes and did temp and pH acclimate the water. And Ill be sure to pick up a bottle of prazipro as soon as I can. All my lfs are closed today because of Easter and are closed every monday. So hopefully it doesnt get worst

 

[JustinM]

If it's flukes, I'm sure the dip killed a lot of them so you should be good till then.

 

[dh350twin]

I dipped the flagfin, blue face and Naso I had it Qt. Nothing came off.
I dipped a tinkeri and scribble and I didn't see anything come off them and they were removed from the DT. I plan on using Prazi Pro anyway in the DT

 

[scooter31707]

If the head twitching is occurring, it's not always meaning flukes. I had a experience one time when my fish was doing that and I was 100% sure it was flukes. Well treated them with 3 rounds Prazi-Pro. After that, they were still doing it, so it was recommended on here to conduct TTM as it could possibly be ich in the gills making them twitch. So I did and guess what. They didn't do it no more, so I had to wait 72 days to let the DT go fallow. So just be mindful it may not be flukes.