flukes question

[wyldchyld01]

hey guys n gals,

i have been told reliably that gill flukes are way way too small to see with the naked eye, however i have seen in threads that people comment a lot on their fish having flukes (normal on the side i can understand, you see something sticking out the side of the fish) but how does everyone discern gill flukes, or am i just misunderstanding and the "normal" flukes are what we are talking about cause i have never seen so many postings of fish with recurring (like these normal) fluke issues???

Brenton

[Merrilyn]

Good question Brenton. I believe that gill and body flukes are too small to be seen with the naked eye.

They can be diagnosed with gill and body scrapings examined under a microscope. Few of us would have access to a microscope, so we have to rely on the symptoms that our fish display.

Signs of gill and body fluke are flashing against hard objects in the tank, where the fish swims up to something, then quickly flicks it's body, as if it's trying to rub something off it's skin.

Fast breathing is another sign, but probably the most telling sign is a fish breathing out one gill at a time. Healthy fish will breathe equally from both gills, but a fish with gill flukes will breathe from one gill at a time as if 'resting' the other gill.

[kevkoi]

Geez.. this lady's efficient.

Said it all already. :lol:

[Merrilyn]

Well thankyou kind sir :D

But I'm pleased to know you agree :wink:

[electric molecular]

Just out of interest, what is the best treatment for flukes?

Claire.