Flukes Prazipro Advice

[Frigideus]

I posted a thread a couple days ago about a Japanese Swallowtail Angel having flukes and now I think I am a bit more sure. The question I have now is how I should proceed.

I was told on my previous thread that Praziquantel (Prazipro) is generally safe for DT dosing and won't harm any of my corals or invertebrates long-term. However, I am a new reefer so I am more prone to making mistakes and I don't really know if I want to take that chance. I have a lot of delicate small feather dusters and porcelain crabs in my DT as well.

On the other hand, I do not have access to a quarantine tank. My LFS told me I could toss her into a Rubbermaid bucket with an airstone and administer the dosage that way. Is this correct, and how should I proceed? Would it be similar to dosing in a DT, or is it a different process? Is there anything else I need?

Here is a bit of footage of her swimming. She swims slightly lopsided and twitchy but she eats and breathes normally and seems fine overall. The spot is visible on her left side and there are some white light photos of her on my previous thread.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Tahoe61]

@Jay Hemdal

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/internal-fish-diseases.1033380/

This thread would get a better response in the Fish Disease Treatment section of the forum.

 

[winxp_man]

The first signs of flukes on angelfish include cloudy eyes, rapid breathing, and excessive scratching against objects in the aquarium. Other symptoms may include hiding, loss of appetite, and discolored blotches on the fish.

With this said. Aside from the head shaking. Are you seeing any other issues I listed above or strange behaviors?

Can you post a timeline to all of the things that took place?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I posted a thread a couple days ago about a Japanese Swallowtail Angel having flukes and now I think I am a bit more sure. The question I have now is how I should proceed.

I was told on my previous thread that Praziquantel (Prazipro) is generally safe for DT dosing and won't harm any of my corals or invertebrates long-term. However, I am a new reefer so I am more prone to making mistakes and I don't really know if I want to take that chance. I have a lot of delicate small feather dusters and porcelain crabs in my DT as well.

On the other hand, I do not have access to a quarantine tank. My LFS told me I could toss her into a Rubbermaid bucket with an airstone and administer the dosage that way. Is this correct, and how should I proceed? Would it be similar to dosing in a DT, or is it a different process? Is there anything else I need?

Here is a bit of footage of her swimming. She swims slightly lopsided and twitchy but she eats and breathes normally and seems fine overall. The spot is visible on her left side and there are some white light photos of her on my previous thread.

Any advice is appreciated!

How long have you had this fish? The swimming behavior is more like is seen with swim bladder issues common to newly acquired Genicanthus angels.

The large spot isn't a fluke, you won't see them like that.

You can dose your DT, that is usually the best way to go. Here is a post about that:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dosing-praziquantel-pzq.1105700/

 

[Frigideus]

How long have you had this fish? The swimming behavior is more like is seen with swim bladder issues common to newly acquired Genicanthus angels.

The large spot isn't a fluke, you won't see them like that.

You can dose your DT, that is usually the best way to go. Here is a post about that:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dosing-praziquantel-pzq.1105700/

@Jay Hemdal @winxp_man I have had this angel for maybe 4-5 days? So it's pretty new. I got her on my LFS's restock day. How do I help the swim bladder, and what could the white spot be? She sometimes itches/flashes in addition to the twitch which is why I think it might be flukes but I don't know for certain. She will occasionally hover at the back of the aquarium and wind up for a good itch. Other than that she seems to eat and breathe without difficulty.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal @winxp_man I have had this angel for maybe 4-5 days? So it's pretty new. I got her on my LFS's restock day. How do I help the swim bladder, and what could the white spot be? She sometimes itches/flashes in addition to the twitch which is why I think it might be flukes but I don't know for certain. She will occasionally hover at the back of the aquarium and wind up for a good itch. Other than that she seems to eat and breathe without difficulty.

It could well have flukes - based on the itching that you've seen. If it has a swim bladder issue, that could be in conjunction with the flukes. There isn't any treatment for that, but some fish recover on their own from that....

 

[Frigideus]

It could well have flukes - based on the itching that you've seen. If it has a swim bladder issue, that could be in conjunction with the flukes. There isn't any treatment for that, but some fish recover on their own from that....

@Jay Hemdal Thanks! So I assume I just treat for flukes and hope the swimming bladder issue goes away on its own? She was eating enthusiastically today so I am less worried but I obviously don't want to let the problem degrade. I only ask this because I saw some posts of fish getting swim bladder issues/going moribund after Prazipro treatments but I don't know how common that is.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal Thanks! So I assume I just treat for flukes and hope the swimming bladder issue goes away on its own? She was eating enthusiastically today so I am less worried but I obviously don't want to let the problem degrade. I only ask this because I saw some posts of fish getting swim bladder issues/going moribund after Prazipro treatments but I don't know how common that is.

Correct - if it also has a swimbladder issue, there is no effective treatment (but the internet will give you some ineffective ones!)

There isn’t any direct relation between using Prazipro and swimbladder issues.

Be sure the tank has good aeration, not just circulation, when dosing Prazipro.

 

[Frigideus]

Correct - if it also has a swimbladder issue, there is no effective treatment (but the internet will give you some ineffective ones!)

There isn’t any direct relation between using Prazipro and swimbladder issues.

Be sure the tank has good aeration, not just circulation, when dosing Prazipro.

@Jay Hemdal Sorry for reviving this post one last time, but you seem like the guy to ask about fish health! She also has kind of a cloudy patch on one of her fins. Is this also a part of flukes, or something else? Also, would a rubbermaid tub with an airstone work for Prazi at the same gallon per dosage? I'm still pretty intimidated by the thought of dosing my DT straight up as this is the first time I will be attempting to medicate a fish in my life and I'd rather only make a mistake on the angel than on my whole tank! Should I do a freshwater dip?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal Sorry for reviving this post one last time, but you seem like the guy to ask about fish health! She also has kind of a cloudy patch on one of her fins. Is this also a part of flukes, or something else? Also, would a rubbermaid tub with an airstone work for Prazi at the same gallon per dosage? I'm still pretty intimidated by the thought of dosing my DT straight up as this is the first time I will be attempting to medicate a fish in my life and I'd rather only make a mistake on the angel than on my whole tank! Should I do a freshwater dip?

No - skip the freshwater dip, that is only a diagnostic tool and you need to use a microscope to look for flukes in the dip water.

The problem is that most marine fish flukes are egglayers. Any dip or outside the DT treatments will fail if you return the fish to the DT before all of the eggs have hatched and died for lack of any fish host - about 30 days.