Mysterious fish deaths are more common now (Flukes)

[Mark 75g]

I just noticed that my yellow tang looks like it has snow flakes all over it. Also the coral beauty looks like it might have ich as well. Do you think it might have been ich that killed my other fish. The anthias looked great yesterday with no signs and today it was dead.

 

[tangfish]

Concur about treating the eel, but just want to make sure prazipo is eel safe. Also, have you are anyone else here in RC had to deal with treating flukes on an eel or heard of anyone having to treat an eel?

 

[billsreef]

I've treated eels with FW dips for flukes. Haven't had occasion to use prazi on eels, but I'm not aware of any reason it should be a problem with them.

Mark,

Flukes usually don't kill fish that fast, they usually look really ragged and it's generally secondary infection that does them in. If you don't find flukes on any of the survivors, I'd suspect something else such as amyloodinium or ich.

 

[Mark 75g]

Can ich kill the fish that quickly. The naso tang and the sailfin did not look like they had any ich on them. The sailfin just started swimming very slow and just hid under the rocks. Then it just died. Same with the naso, swimming great one day then it just slwoed down and hung out behind the rocks. Did not look like anything on its body except these dark grey or black spots.

Just did a 30g water change on the 175 and di notice that my salinity was almost at .30. Just lowered it to appx .27.

 

[billsreef]

Ich usually takes a few weeks to be lethal. In most cases, when losses are rapid without obvious symptoms before hand, amyloodinium is the most likely cause.

 

[tangfish]

Thanks for the input. Tuesday the prazil should be here and I will have to treat the whole tank, fish and eel. It's 375 gal.

 

[Mark 75g]

Thanks Bill. What is the best way to treat. I am unable to catch the fish that are still alive and put into a quarantine tank. Very active and swimming behind rocks.

 

[Tanque Verde]

May I float this question again for some of you knowledgeable folks:

I read in this thread that whatever flukes may now exist in my tank should die off after 4-6 weeks if I don't add another fish in the meantime. Can anybody confirm? Leaving my tank fish free for 6 weeks will eliminate flukes?

 

[tangfish]

Yes, if your tank is 100% fluke free. Question is can you be 100%? You can also use PraziPro and be fluke free in 5-7 days. No, I don't work for them, but just a idea.

 

[Psionicdragon]

I wonder what happens if you have your UV sterilizer on while the med is in the tank. Does it become lethal or does it get null'd?

From researching, I noticed others had soak their food in prazipro. What was the issue with that?

 

[hottuna]

did someone in this thread a ways back say that cleaner shrimp will eat gill flukes???

 

[jlinzmaier]

did someone in this thread a ways back say that cleaner shrimp will eat gill flukes???

They may pick a few off but they aren't the answer to eradicating flukes. 'They won't even keep the numbers in check enough to prevent the animals from dying.

Jeremy

 

[RBU1]

This is an awesome thread....Been going for a long time too...Could use some opinions on this...

I have a 125 treatment tank setup with a coris wrasse, multicolored pygmy angel and a Blue Angel. I have been treating with Cupramine at .5 for about 3 weeks. About a week ago I noticed some white patches on the pectoral fins of the multicolored and the Blue angel both will some fraying as well. Chalked it up to water quality because I have not done a water change in about 4 weeks. I am not getting an ammonia reading, nitrite reading and my nitrates are about 30 ph around 8.2 and temp at 77. The multicolored has appeared to clear up but the blue is getting worse.....

About 3 days ago I noticed what I thought was the eyes of the Blue Angel starting to get cloudy and maybe even a little popped but not certain about the popped part. I have been working 16 hours the past couple days because of the snow storms that blanketed are area so I have not had a chance to do anything yet.

Keeping in mind I am still at .5 with the Cupramine....What should I do??? I am not sure if its bacterial or flukes. I would think there is no way its any other kind of parasite due to the cuprmaine at .5 for 3 weeks....Your help is appreciated. I will have a chance tonight to do something. I have 75 gallons of water made up for a water change...

How should I proceed????

 

[Green Thumb]

Do a water change asap, your not testing for nitrates, surely they are high by now.

 

[RBU1]

I think I am going to do a large water change and a FW dip on the Blue Angel. Will the FW dip help me rule out bacterial if stuff does fall off the fish?

 

[billsreef]

I would think there is no way its any other kind of parasite due to the cuprmaine at .5 for 3 weeks

There are plenty of parasites that are resistant to copper, with flukes being among them.

Will the FW dip help me rule out bacterial if stuff does fall off the fish?

It won't rule out bacterial, but will be diagnostic of flukes. Any little white flakes start appearing and falling off after a minute or two in the dip will mean the fish have flukes. Based on your description of the symptoms, odds are high you will find flukes by doing that dip. Odds are also good they have a secondary bacterial infection from the skin damage, but that usually clears up on it's own fairly quickly after the flukes are eradicated.

 

[RBU1]

There are plenty of parasites that are resistant to copper, with flukes being among them.



It won't rule out bacterial, but will be diagnostic of flukes. Any little white flakes start appearing and falling off after a minute or two in the dip will mean the fish have flukes. Based on your description of the symptoms, odds are high you will find flukes by doing that dip. Odds are also good they have a secondary bacterial infection from the skin damage, but that usually clears up on it's own fairly quickly after the flukes are eradicated.

Thank You..

So do you feel a FW dip is my best option in this case?

 

[billsreef]

I always like to do FW dips when flukes are involved and it's only a small handful of fish to deal with. It removes most of the flukes in short order and gets the fish quick relief. For follow up in confirmed fluke cases, either a couple of subsequent FW dips every two days or prazi in the QT to deal with any remaining flukes in the tank.

 

[RBU1]

I always like to do FW dips when flukes are involved and it's only a small handful of fish to deal with. It removes most of the flukes in short order and gets the fish quick relief. For follow up in confirmed fluke cases, either a couple of subsequent FW dips every two days or prazi in the QT to deal with any remaining flukes in the tank.

Several people feel its not flukes. They feel its a bacterial infection form the 3 weeks in copper.....

I think my plan of attack will be to do a 75 gallon water change tonight and monitor for the next few days to see if I see an improvement.

 

[billsreef]

Several people feel its not flukes. They feel its a bacterial infection form the 3 weeks in copper.....

I'd still a do FW dip in order to prove it one way or the other, especially because the odds of it being a bacterial infection from 3 weeks of copper treatment are rather slim I'd bet a beer on it :beer: