Gill flukes

[flukes]

How ironic that flukes's fish get gill flukes.
Well i think, ok here is the behaviour -
* Breathing heavy and fast
* swiming up and down, while twisting and turning
* rubbing against plants other discus and anything he can find like he is itchy.

Sounds like flukes?? Anyway i went to my local fish shop and he gave me some fluke pellets, that are aparently now illegal in Australia, so we made the deal down a dark alley in trench coats :P .. He said i should medicate the whole tank incase the other have it too. I dont want to add the medication until i know for sure its flukes or its just his personallity. The other 2 seem fine, its just him.

Anyone with advice comments would be great, i am not going to give them the "illegal" fluke pallets yet until iam sure he has it.

Cheers
Scott

[Proteus]

I wouldnt be too concerned about the so called "illegal" substance you have...

You will find that it is not illegal, just not importable anymore due to the contents, or the manufacturers lack of willing to declare the contents to Australian Customs & Quarantine...

Do you know what the tablets/pellets are called... that may help to ascertain the best treatment method...

[flukes]

Just had Fluke pallets on the jar, and use 1 tablet per 40ltrs so he opened the jar and gave me the tablets. So now i dont have any directions, but this LFS has never steared me wrong. I just dont want to medicate him if he doesn't have anything.

[flukes]

found some info on a site http://world.std.com/~enjolras/faqmeds.htm

Fluke Tabs (Aquarium Products)

What it treats:

Tapeworms
Parasitic Copepods
Lernaea (Anchor Worms)
Gyrodactylus (Body Flukes)
Dactylogyrus (Gill Flukes)
Argulus (Fish Louse)
Capillaria & Other Trematodes
NOTE: Not for use in a "reef" aquarium or with invertebrates! Use with caution on Piranhas, Metynnis species, scaleless fish, Marine Sharks and Lionfish; and change 75% of the water upon signs of stress!

Ingredients in each 500 mg. tablet:
methyl-5-benzoyl-benzi-midazole-2-carbamate
Dimethyl (2,2,2,Trichloro-1-Hydroxyethyl) Phosphonate

[flukes]

Need help quick, its now spread to my blue diamond and Ive read it hard to get rid of. Do i have to strip the tank down??

[kevkoi]

What a load of B*LL about flue tablets being illegal in Australia. There are 2 fluke treatments available. One is trichlorofon based and one is praziquantel based. The one you got was trichlorofon based, which IMO is the older treatment and the harsher one. Wardleys have one by the name of Para-ex or something like that. Aquarium pharmaceuticals (A Brisbane based company) has "Worm Rid" which is praziquantel based.

I much prefer to use praziquantel meds, but if you can't find it, the other one is fine.

Flukes are very easy to treat. Dose it with the full dose once today and do it a week later to make sure u got them all.

U've been harbouring some flukes in your tanks I suspect? Hit it twice (once today, and once a week later) with any of the fluke tablets and it will go away.

A discus keeper should always have 3 meds on hand. Metronidazole (for hexamita), Praziquantel/trichlorofon for flukes/tape worm, and something for whitespot and velvet, usually a malachite green/meth blue concoction of some sort.

kev

[flukes]

Thanks Kev,
Yeah this LFS thinks all his stock is illegal in australia.
What about water changes do i still keep them up??

[flukes]

another thing for down the track would it be worth getting a UV steriliser??

[kevkoi]

It would certainly be a good idea to install a UVC. George at SLS likes to call the UVC an 'insurance policy'. It's not the be-all-end-all of diseases with a UV installed, but it sure as hell keeps the mobile pathogen count lower in the tank.

kev

[flukes]

So if i use a UV sterilier will this lesson the chances of the fish getting flukes again?? I was just told by another keeper in melbourne that there is something in our water that makes them ictchy and what i could be confusing as flukes could be this contence in the water, any else heard of this??

[Proteus]

just to stress what Kev stated... a UVC is extra insurance... less chance of anything spreading, if a disease is introduced or sustained...

the more I read up on them, the sooner I am going to get one...

[flukes]

I used some fluke tabs the other day and they killed one of my bn's, so i did a 75% water change and tried some aqua-serene multicure. Will this also effect the bn's, i also have cory's in there and they seem to be trying to avoid the medication, as its green and you can see it. Any advice people.

[kevkoi]

Oh dear.... see why I like the idea of a Discus species tank and bare bottoms? Makes it whole lot easier to treat sick discus. Bristlenose and fluke meds are a NO-NO. The Trichlorofon meds are the worst with any catfish and scaleless fish.

How are ur OTHER discus reacting to your 'melbourne water'? If you suspect it's something in the water, some activated carbon would be in order.

kev

[flukes]

yeah wish i did have a barebottom now! ah well the multicure looks like its working, look id rather lose a $3 bristlenose then a $50 discus. Although id rather loose neither but live and learn.
The multicure has the following ingredients.
methylene blue
malachite green
acriflavine.

Hopefully this works, otherwise i will strip the tank and make it a barebottom

[Proteus]

Scott, are these the new additions, or the original Discus you had out of curiousity???

[flukes]

the 3 i got off kev where the first discus that are actually mine, i had a mate staying with me that had a 6ft tank with out 8-9 but when he left they left. Then i got my first 3 off kev.

[Proteus]

ok...

how are they looking now???

[flukes]

look fabulous not a thing with the look of them its the behavour, they WERE acting like they were itchy, swiming against each other, plants or anything else the could find.

[Proteus]

I am sure if you follow through with whatever Kev suggests you have nothing to be concerned about...

[flukes]

you know my problem, i panic over the slightest thing and then probably do more damage to the fish then what the problem they had was doing. I go buy this tabs, wasn;t even sure if thats what they had and then lost a bristlenose. I ve got this theory drilled in my head that the slightest thing will kill these guys and in fact that thing thats going to kill them is my over reaction. Well live and learn...

Scott

[kevkoi]

:lol: Gee Scott, u seem to know urself pretty well.....
I'd suggest u hold back on the medications... Ur poor fishes are druggies already.... :lol: ... and it's only been 3 days! :P

[flukes]

lol i was hoping to get them addicted so then they would make me babies to swap for a fix!!! :lol: little S.O.B's better start making me some money we have to pay rent/morgage why can't they.

[Proteus]

Scott, just remember the age old saying...

Good things come to those that wait

:wink:

[chowchow]

A quick warning about fluketabs, if you intend to kill of your discus there is a much better and kind way of doing it. Give the fluketabs to your motherinlaw or if you havent got one save them until you do get one.
I killed of about 40 adult red turks. These where fish in exess of 7"
(17 cm tot lenght). It hits their nervesystem and they end up at the watersurface ond go around like a bat out of hell. This happens on day two in the treatment. Within a day or so they are dead. Belive me, its a terrible faith on something you love so much.
There is only two things in my book that treats flukes and that is coppersulphate and praziquantelum and then a continious treatment
that spans over 14 days. There is flukeverieties that needs 10-12 days to hatch and this way you kill them of until there is no eggs left.
A fluke need a host within hours after it is born or it will die.
Most flukes are born in the gills of fish were they live all their life
and they lay eggs here and most of the eggs stay within the gills.
I could sit here for hours and go on about this, but you see, I am only a Johnny twotuch on the keybord, and now I am getting knakkerd, so I shall wish you all a good night.
Kai

[kevkoi]

See Scott, I told you....
PRAZI-QUAN-TEL! :lol:

Save the fluke tabs for the mother-in-law :D

kev

[flukes]

I got a few left, i dont have a mother in law but i have a neighbours cat that keeps peeing on my front door, maybe i can find some use there :twisted:

[Mattzilla]

yep use prazi...

i have used it a few times with good success..

BUT,
i have learned that before using chemicals in my tank i try to imrpve the water quality to treat the problems. i first increase my water changes, and i also add 1-2 tbl spoons salt per 10 gal (40ltrs)

try this for a few days to a week and see if your fish can overcome their illness naturally first!!!!!!!

if that doesn't work then try using chemicals.... i have learned the hard way and lost discus in the past by adding chemicals too much. sometimes you may dignose the illness incorrectly and end up making the fish sicker.

i have found that in most cases if i see that one or some of my fish are sick, it means that i have let the water quality slide. so like i said, look towards the water quality before throwing chemicals iun your tank. since i have taken this approach, i have not lost a discus or added chemicals to my tank for illness for at least 5 months. and my discus are as healthy as they have ever been.

this is just my opinion, but has definately worked for me

matt

[flukes]

Yeah Matt, i hear you loud and clear, I learnt the hard way, i didn't loose any fish but i did treat for something the didn't have.