Best way to treat Flukes

[Clown2020]

Hi

I have 2 clownfish and a Pinked spotted watchman goby. Long story short I think the goby is the source of the flukes. Did a fresh water dip on the goby and clowns and saw several flukes in the bucket For all fish.

I also have a blood fire shrimp and snails. After doing some research hyposalinuty looks to be the best option. 1 week at 15ppt.

Will this be safe for the shrimp and snails? Do you think this will be sufficient to treat flukes?

Thanks

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi

I have 2 clownfish and a Pinked spotted watchman goby. Long story short I think the goby is the source of the flukes. Did a fresh water dip on the goby and clowns and saw several flukes in the bucket For all fish.

I also have a blood fire shrimp and snails. After doing some research hyposalinuty looks to be the best option. 1 week at 15ppt.

Will this be safe for the shrimp and snails? Do you think this will be sufficient to treat flukes?

Thanks

Actually, you probably have Neobenedenia flukes (else you would have needed a microscope to see them). The treatment for that is 15 ppt for 35 days. I've never exposed fire shrimp to that, and I worry that they won't survive. Another option would be to use Prazipro. The trouble with that is that it does not kill the fluke eggs. The eggs can take 30 days to hatch (thus the reason for the 35 day hypo treatment). To use Prazipro, you would dose the tank (with good aeration), then dose it again ten days later, and once again after another ten days. This doesn't get you to 30 days, but close.

The absolute best way to manage this would be to move the fish to a treatment tank, keep them in hypo for 35 days, leave the tank fishless for 45 days and then out them back.

Jay

 

[Clown2020]

Thanks for the advise. Decided to go down the prazi road. Can’t get prazipro but was able get Praziquantel tablets the following day. am part way through the third week of of treatment.

Goby is super active coming out of his cave and sitting up on the rock work and chasing his reflection on the side glass. All fish and shrimp are eating well. So prazi isn’t bothering the shrimp. I’m assuming treatment has worked on the fish given it’s been a month since I suspected flukes. If it was not working I’m assuming I would be seeing signs of very sick fish after a month?

Thanks again.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks for the advise. Decided to go down the prazi road. Can’t get prazipro but was able get Praziquantel tablets the following day. am part way through the third week of of treatment.

Goby is super active coming out of his cave and sitting up on the rock work and chasing his reflection on the side glass. All fish and shrimp are eating well. So prazi isn’t bothering the shrimp. I’m assuming treatment has worked on the fish given it’s been a month since I suspected flukes. If it was not working I’m assuming I would be seeing signs of very sick fish after a month?

Thanks again.

Neobenedenia can get knocked back by prazi, but if some eggs remain, the flukes can return in 6 to 8 weeks. Hopefully no eggs were left, and the fish are cleared.
Jay

 

[Clown2020]

I sure hope so. I haven’t been able to find much information on the pink spotted watchman goby other than being more of a meat eater. Would it be considered normal for them to be actively swimming at all levels of the tank and perching on the upper rock work? He’s eating like a pig and will even come out and feeds with the clowns I just always thought of Tony’s as bottom dwellers rather than hanging out on the rock work or back wall? Just want to make sure I’m not missing some kind of problem with him.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I sure hope so. I haven’t been able to find much information on the pink spotted watchman goby other than being more of a meat eater. Would it be considered normal for them to be actively swimming at all levels of the tank and perching on the upper rock work? He’s eating like a pig and will even come out and feeds with the clowns I just always thought of Tony’s as bottom dwellers rather than hanging out on the rock work or back wall? Just want to make sure I’m not missing some kind of problem with him.

I wouldn’t expect watchman gobies to swim all around a tank, but I haven’t kept that species. Feeding response is the best indicator - the first thing that most people see in a fish with a problem is when it stops feeding.
Jay