Flukes best course of treatment

[BranchingHammer]

Hi everyone,

I just started quarantining a baby hippo tang from my LFS on Friday. The tang is less than two inches long or so, but it's in a 20g long QT tank right now and eventually it will go into my frag tank before I have to rehome it to a larger tank. I saw at the store that it was healthy for a couple weeks and was eating, but didn't sell. It seems really healthy and active, except I noticed some scratching this morning, which makes me think of flukes immediately. Here is what I know about the fish, what was occurring at the LFS, and what medications/treatments that I have on hand:

- Many of the tangs in that system at the store have flukes
- The system was treated with paraguard within the past few weeks
- The tang is very healthy, except for the scratching I observed today
- The tang eats pellets, flakes, frozen food, need to try nori and caulerpa as well
- I have prazipro, ruby reef rally pro, copper, focus, freshwater dips, and antibiotics

The only complication here is that I am leaving for vacation on Thursday for a week (Not ideal, but there was another person who suddenly wanted to buy the hippo, so I purchased it early). What is my best course of action to treat the flukes or potential disease while I am gone? I will have an automatic feeder that feeds pellets and flakes, and some caulerpa in the tank as well for algae grazing. I have two oversized sponge filters and a powerhead in the tank, with additional ceramic rings for biological filtration. Should I perform a freshwater dip to check for flukes/relieve any symptoms? I want to treat with prazipro or rally pro, but I don't know if I should do it before, during, or after vacation?

Any advice is appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read this and reply!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi everyone,

I just started quarantining a baby hippo tang from my LFS on Friday. The tang is less than two inches long or so, but it's in a 20g long QT tank right now and eventually it will go into my frag tank before I have to rehome it to a larger tank. I saw at the store that it was healthy for a couple weeks and was eating, but didn't sell. It seems really healthy and active, except I noticed some scratching this morning, which makes me think of flukes immediately. Here is what I know about the fish, what was occurring at the LFS, and what medications/treatments that I have on hand:

- Many of the tangs in that system at the store have flukes
- The system was treated with paraguard within the past few weeks
- The tang is very healthy, except for the scratching I observed today
- The tang eats pellets, flakes, frozen food, need to try nori and caulerpa as well
- I have prazipro, ruby reef rally pro, copper, focus, freshwater dips, and antibiotics

The only complication here is that I am leaving for vacation on Thursday for a week (Not ideal, but there was another person who suddenly wanted to buy the hippo, so I purchased it early). What is my best course of action to treat the flukes or potential disease while I am gone? I will have an automatic feeder that feeds pellets and flakes, and some caulerpa in the tank as well for algae grazing. I have two oversized sponge filters and a powerhead in the tank, with additional ceramic rings for biological filtration. Should I perform a freshwater dip to check for flukes/relieve any symptoms? I want to treat with prazipro or rally pro, but I don't know if I should do it before, during, or after vacation?

Any advice is appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read this and reply!

paraguard is very ineffective despite its claims and You dont need a speech but knowing that other fish in LFS has any known symptoms is a good reason to walk away. Scratching can be flukes, velvet or skin irritation. What other symptoms are you seeing such as heavy breathing, loss of appetite, darting across tank, etc?
IF and assuming flukes, PraziPro would be your go-to treatment, applying initial dosage known as an interval for 8 days, do a water change and do one more 8 day dose interval
Use airstone with prazi as it does reduce both oxygen and appetite. If running a skimmer, leave cup off first 24 hrs

 

[fodsod]

I've had good success with Prazipro. I believe @vetteguy53081 recommends treating the tank, then 8 days later, do a water change, then treat again for another 8 days. I think that's supposed to cover the current fluke and any that hatch in that period of time to ensure you get all of them.

I believe it's recommended to add an air stone and keep your skimmer running (it will overflow with Prazi most likely) to help aerate the water.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

You could dose presumptively with Prazipro, spaced 8 days apart. You just need to ensure the tank has good aeration (not just circulation).

Jay

 

[BranchingHammer]

paraguard is very ineffective despite its claims and You dont need a speech but knowing that other fish in LFS has any known symptoms is a good reason to walk away. Scratching can be flukes, velvet or skin irritation. What other symptoms are you seeing such as heavy breathing, loss of appetite, darting across tank, etc?
IF and assuming flukes, PraziPro would be your go-to treatment, applying initial dosage known as an interval for 8 days, do a water change and do one more 8 day dose interval
Use airstone with prazi as it does reduce both oxygen and appetite. If running a skimmer, leave cup off first 24 hrs

Ok, looking at the tang now, I see a slight pale dot on its body. It is not raised like ick, and is fairly large (a couple mm), do you think it could be velvet or flukes? I guess the best thing would be to confirm if flukes using freshwater dip to see? I also see either a bubble or little white dot on the very end of the tailfin which concerns me. It's hard for me to tell if it's a bubble or a small piece of detritus, or not.

As for breathing, I did not notice any rapid breathing or erratic/darting swimming behavior.

I am hesitant to treat with copper prophylactively while on vacation, but I could try, as long as I put some more pre-seeded ceramic/rock media in there. I also have the option to do auto water changes for ammonia reduction with medication-treated water if absolutely necessary.

You could dose presumptively with Prazipro, spaced 8 days apart. You just need to ensure the tank has good aeration (not just circulation).

Jay

I have the two sponge filters in there for aeration, plus a powerhead for circulation. I could add an additional airstone as well if necessary. I cannot run prazipro along with copper, correct?


Thanks for your fast responses, much appreciated!

 

[BranchingHammer]

I can also try to get a picture of the fish, but it will probably be difficult to see any of the concerns that I am looking at. Let me know if that will help

 

[MnFish1]

I can also try to get a picture of the fish, but it will probably be difficult to see any of the concerns that I am looking at. Let me know if that will help

This may not be perfect - but if you're leaving - I might suggest bringing the fish back to the store to continue QT - with your meds - kind of like a 'fish-sitter'?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok, looking at the tang now, I see a slight pale dot on its body. It is not raised like ick, and is fairly large (a couple mm), do you think it could be velvet or flukes? I guess the best thing would be to confirm if flukes using freshwater dip to see? I also see either a bubble or little white dot on the very end of the tailfin which concerns me. It's hard for me to tell if it's a bubble or a small piece of detritus, or not.

As for breathing, I did not notice any rapid breathing or erratic/darting swimming behavior.

I am hesitant to treat with copper prophylactively while on vacation, but I could try, as long as I put some more pre-seeded ceramic/rock media in there. I also have the option to do auto water changes for ammonia reduction with medication-treated water if absolutely necessary.


I have the two sponge filters in there for aeration, plus a powerhead for circulation. I could add an additional airstone as well if necessary. I cannot run prazipro along with copper, correct?


Thanks for your fast responses, much appreciated!

Ceramic beads may absorb copper but right now we’re at assumption stage as to what fish has. Pics and even video under white light intensity will be very helpful
You mentioned vacation- I came back recently without worrying about my tank. As suggested- consider returning fish to place of purchase and enjoy your trip to the fullest and deal with a new addition upon your return
Vacations are to be stress free, oh and expensive

 

[BranchingHammer]

This may not be perfect - but if you're leaving - I might suggest bringing the fish back to the store to continue QT - with your meds - kind of like a 'fish-sitter'?

Ceramic beads may absorb copper but right now we’re at assumption stage as to what fish has. Pics and even video under white light intensity will be very helpful
You mentioned vacation- I came back recently without worrying about my tank. As suggested- consider returning fish to place of purchase and enjoy your trip to the fullest and deal with a new addition upon your return
Vacations are to be stress free, oh and expensive

Here is a link to the video. Not sure if it helps much. I can check to see if they can take the fish back to QT it, but my guess is that they will just want to resell it/not have room to QT it in its own tank. It is an option that I will look into, though. The fish seems healthy now, I just want to figure out as much as possible what it might have to see if it's a possibility to treat it while I'm away.

 

[dwest]

Here is a link to the video. Not sure if it helps much. I can check to see if they can take the fish back to QT it, but my guess is that they will just want to resell it/not have room to QT it in its own tank. It is an option that I will look into, though. The fish seems healthy now, I just want to figure out as much as possible what it might have to see if it's a possibility to treat it while I'm away.

My opinion is to either do nothing before you leave (my vote) or one round of prazi just before you leave. If flukes are the major concern, I think treatment can wait.

 

[BranchingHammer]

Ok so the white speck on the tail fin is no longer there, which makes me suspect it was a bubble or a piece of detritus since the tang hides at the bottom under a bag of ceramic rings sometimes. The only spot that concerns me is a small, faded/white patch that is a couple mm in diameter that could be a fluke?

My opinion is to either do nothing before you leave (my vote) or one round of prazi just before you leave. If flukes are the major concern, I think treatment can wait.

How effective would a 72 hr prazipro treatment be before I leave?

My other option is ruby rally pro, does anyone know how harsh this would be on the fish? The recommended time for treatment says 3 days on the bottle. I could run a course of that before leaving? It claims to treat external parasites, gill flukes, and secondary infections, which could be good.

 

[dwest]

Ok so the white speck on the tail fin is no longer there, which makes me suspect it was a bubble or a piece of detritus since the tang hides at the bottom under a bag of ceramic rings sometimes. The only spot that concerns me is a small, faded/white patch that is a couple mm in diameter that could be a fluke?


How effective would a 72 hr prazipro treatment be before I leave?

My other option is ruby rally pro, does anyone know how harsh this would be on the fish? The recommended time for treatment says 3 days on the bottle. I could run a course of that before leaving? It claims to treat external parasites, gill flukes, and secondary infections, which could be good.

What I meant was do one prazi dose right before you leave, then water change and second dose 8 days after the first dose when you return. I have never used Ruby rally but for flukes, I’d do prazi.

Unless I was confident in a diagnosis, I would go on vacation without medicating the fish and (try) to forget about him. Easy to say but hard to do.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Here is a link to the video. Not sure if it helps much. I can check to see if they can take the fish back to QT it, but my guess is that they will just want to resell it/not have room to QT it in its own tank. It is an option that I will look into, though. The fish seems healthy now, I just want to figure out as much as possible what it might have to see if it's a possibility to treat it while I'm away.

The fish appears normal in video and does not display from what i see any behavior associated with flukes. Fish is distant in video and I dont see white blemish you mentioned which can be post injury from netting or other injury. I do not recommend a three day treatment for a recommended 18 day regimen especially with glycol agent in praxi - its something you want to monitor and not start , then walk away.
Wish there was more encouragement but as you can guess, not an ideal scenario and you, and again its you who has to decide to return fish - Even place on hold until you return OR take your chances and hope for the best. Other risk is infecting other tank mates

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok so the white speck on the tail fin is no longer there, which makes me suspect it was a bubble or a piece of detritus since the tang hides at the bottom under a bag of ceramic rings sometimes. The only spot that concerns me is a small, faded/white patch that is a couple mm in diameter that could be a fluke?


How effective would a 72 hr prazipro treatment be before I leave?

My other option is ruby rally pro, does anyone know how harsh this would be on the fish? The recommended time for treatment says 3 days on the bottle. I could run a course of that before leaving? It claims to treat external parasites, gill flukes, and secondary infections, which could be good.

white speck, likely a sand grain which is not abnormal.

 

[BranchingHammer]

The fish appears normal in video and does not display from what i see any behavior associated with flukes. Fish is distant in video and I dont see white blemish you mentioned which can be post injury from netting or other injury. I do not recommend a three day treatment for a recommended 18 day regimen especially with glycol agent in praxi - its something you want to monitor and not start , then walk away.
Wish there was more encouragement but as you can guess, not an ideal scenario and you, and again its you who has to decide to return fish - Even place on hold until you return OR take your chances and hope for the best. Other risk is infecting other tank mates

Agreed, I don’t really want to treat a fish without observing it during the treatment. If I keep the fish during my vacation, I might freshwater dip it tonight or tomorrow to relieve it since it is scratching. That way if there are parasites, it would be going into the week more healthy. I would also not medicate while I was gone and start medicating when I return. I guess I’m just weighing the risk of it getting a serious illness while I’m gone versus the likelihood of not being able to add this specific fish to my frag system. I just wanted to give it a good home since it was so small and stuck in a 4-5g partitioned tank at the store for a few weeks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Agreed, I don’t really want to treat a fish without observing it during the treatment. If I keep the fish during my vacation, I might freshwater dip it tonight or tomorrow to relieve it since it is scratching. That way if there are parasites, it would be going into the week more healthy. I would also not medicate while I was gone and start medicating when I return. I guess I’m just weighing the risk of it getting a serious illness while I’m gone versus the likelihood of not being able to add this specific fish to my frag system. I just wanted to give it a good home since it was so small and stuck in a 4-5g partitioned tank at the store for a few weeks.

What you can do as may be the safest and most effective- Give the fish a 60 minute Ruby Rally Pro bath and then introduce.

 

[BranchingHammer]

What you can do as may be the safest and most effective- Give the fish a 60 minute Ruby Rally Pro bath and then introduce.

Do you mean introduce to the frag tank directly after the dip?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you mean introduce to the frag tank directly after the dip?

Your intended tank. Frag tank ok as no other fish would be infected with any potential issues

 

[MnFish1]

My opinion is to either do nothing before you leave (my vote) or one round of prazi just before you leave. If flukes are the major concern, I think treatment can wait.

I agree with this - unless you can have a professional person come and do it or take it to a / sitter. The vast likelihood is that it will get more messed up. It's (New phrase) 'Hemdals law' - everything happens the day before you leave for vacation.

 

[BranchingHammer]

Ok, thank you all for the advice. My current plan is a 60 min ruby rally pro dip to reduce any current symptoms/parasites for the next few days/week. It would probably be best to introduce into the frag tank, but there are two wrasses in there right now waiting to be introduced to my display after an observational QT. I would have to move the wrasses first before placing the hippo into the frag tank, and I don't think 3 days of observing the aggression towards the wrasses in the display is enough? The QT tank is fairly established, I started it with Dr. Tim's ammonia at 2ppm and waited until it fully dropped to zero around 2.5 weeks later. I also used some established media from my display and frag systems.

Your intended tank. Frag tank ok as no other fish would be infected with any potential issues

What would be the main advantage to introducing the tang into the frag tank versus back into the QT? I can add more filtration (ROX carbon to the frag tank if necessary).

When I leave, I am planning on feeding small amounts of herbivore flake / mysis pellet which it already eats using an auto feeder. Also, I was going to put a ball of caulerpa in there as well with lighting to keep it alive. This way, there is an abundance of food but it avoids decomposing food in theory.