Can rays get gill flukes?

[Hunkles]

I have recently rehomed all my fish to a vet because I had a gill flukes infestation that survived everything I tried. I have an empty 240 I'm letting it fallow but am still nervous to add anything even after the fact. I was thinking maybe a Cortez ray because I don't think they can get flukes but I'm not sure and Google hasnt helped. So can rays get gill flukes?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Yes - sharks and rays can get gill flukes, but they may or may not be the same species that affect boney fishes. There is actually a gill fluke that lives on spotted eagle rays that is unique to that species.

The big issue is that most fluke infestations can be treated with hyposalinity, but rays don't tolerate that.

 

[Slocke]

I know my local aquarium struggles with flukes on their eagle rays. They've tried everything and still lose rays to them sometimes

 

[Hunkles]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Yes - sharks and rays can get gill flukes, but they may or may not be the same species that affect boney fishes. There is actually a gill fluke that lives on spotted eagle rays that is unique to that species.

The big issue is that most fluke infestations can be treated with hyposalinity, but rays don't tolerate that.

Hypo was one of the many things I tried with my fish. It did absolutely nothing after 35 days.

 

[Hunkles]

I know my local aquarium struggles with flukes on their eagle rays. They've tried everything and still lose rays to them sometimes

Thanks for the info though that's a real shame. I guess I'll just have to step up my quarantine. The unfortunate thing is eventually something always seems to slip through the cracks.

 

[littlefoxx]

Have you considered a hard restart? I had an issue with stuff in my tank too and got frustrated and lost all my fish but my eels during hypo. I pulled all my eels and took all the rock out and bleached it, filled the tank with ro only and let that sit for a few weeks for my sand, then put the rocks in, added salt and brought it up to proper salinity and cycled the tank fully then added my eels back in. No issues. Got a damsel and a clownfish in there now that are thriving. Slowly stocking my tank again. Just a suggestion, it worked for me

 

[Hunkles]

Have you considered a hard restart? I had an issue with stuff in my tank too and got frustrated and lost all my fish but my eels during hypo. I pulled all my eels and took all the rock out and bleached it, filled the tank with ro only and let that sit for a few weeks for my sand, then put the rocks in, added salt and brought it up to proper salinity and cycled the tank fully then added my eels back in. No issues. Got a damsel and a clownfish in there now that are thriving. Slowly stocking my tank again. Just a suggestion, it worked for me

That's kinda what I'm doing I actually upgraded tanks after I gave my fish to a ocean care group. I used all new sand but have my old rock mixed with new rock. I didn't bleach my rock though because I assumed that by the time the tank cycled properly (I always wait at least a month) any parasite would be dead without a proper host.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hypo was one of the many things I tried with my fish. It did absolutely nothing after 35 days.

Hmmmm, 1.012 works great for Neobenedenia, Gyrodactylus and Dactylogyrids - except for some rare brackish water flukes. Did you confirm the fluke diagnosis?

 

[Hunkles]

Hmmmm, 1.012 works great for Neobenedenia, Gyrodactylus and Dactylogyrids - except for some rare brackish water flukes. Did you confirm the fluke diagnosis?

Yes 100% gill flukes. The patient zero apparently came from a wholesaler known for low quality fish that has fresh, brackish, and salt. So my best bet is it was some kind of euryhaline fluke.

 

[SharkPond]

Yes 100% gill flukes. The patient zero apparently came from a wholesaler known for low quality fish that has fresh, brackish, and salt. So my best bet is it was some kind of euryhaline fluke.

I was fighting this for a while as well. Tried everything and nothing cured them from the gill
Fluke. Then I tried Seachem paragaurd in an hospital tank and it actually worked. It took multiple doses but they were 100% gone.

 

[Hunkles]

I was fighting this for a while as well. Tried everything and nothing cured them from the gill
Fluke. Then I tried Seachem paragaurd in an hospital tank and it actually worked. It took multiple doses but they were 100% gone.

Never tried paraguard. will keep that in mind