Need advice Fish acting very strange not looking good

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joeboots82520

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im about to place an algae sheet in the tank ill see if the peel is responsive at all i have soaked it with a little selcon
 

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another thing ive noticed is the fish have been "yawning" more than normal my male anthia lemonpeel and one clownfish (female) i dunno if this has any bearing on anything

Yawning is a symptom of flukes.

Flukes:

Symptoms - Flukes are parasitic flatworms which harbor mainly inside the gills. Physical evidence of flukes is usually not visible; however at least one genus likes to target the face & eyes, so you may notice visible symptoms in those areas. Behavioral symptoms such as yawning, head twitching, scratching (targeting the gill area) and lethargy are much more common. As the disease progresses, the worms move to the eyes, and this is when you may see visible symptoms (cloudy eyes). However, you can confirm the presence of flukes at any time by performing a freshwater dip. At around the 3-4 minute mark, you will see tiny white worms fall out of a fish (especially out of the gills) if a fish has flukes. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well. A dark/black bucket is preferred for the freshwater dip, as that makes the white flukes easier to see.

Treatment options - Prazipro. Performing a freshwater dip will provide temporary relief, but two rounds of Prazipro (5-7 days apart) is usually required to eradicate flukes. Formalin may be used as an alternative treatment. Hyposalinity – Scientific research also showed hyposalinity at 15 ppt for 2 days eliminated juvenile and adult flukes. When maintained for 5 days, egg hatching was prevented.

So dosing Prazipro into your DT might be worth a shot:


Prazipro (praziquantel): Treats flukes, black ich, and some internal parasites (worms).

How To Treat - In either a quarantine or display tank, dose Prazipro at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 20 gallons of water. DO NOT OVERDOSE (especially with wrasses), try not to mix with other medications (for various reasons), and provide additional gas exchange while treating with Prazi. Wait 5-7 days, do a 20-25% water change and then repeat dosage. The reason for the second dose is to eradicate the “next generation” of worms before they can lay eggs of their own. Because while Prazi does kill worms, it doesn’t eliminate any eggs they might leave behind.

Prazipro is generally considered reef safe, although it may kill any tube worms/feathers dusters you have. It may also eradicate bristle worms. If you have mass quantities of these, the resulting die-off can lead to an ammonia spike. After treatment is done, activated carbon may be used to remove any residuals (if you need to use a different medication next). If using a protein skimmer post-treatment, be advised that it will “over skim” for at least a couple of weeks.

Pros - Reef safe, effective dewormer that is relatively gentle on most fish.

Cons/Side Effects - Mild appetite suppression, moderate oxygen depletion, wrasses are sensitive to overdosing.
 
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man its crazy how the dumbest things can change a diagnosis......thanks for finding that information humble......i have prazi on hand as well I think I will give it a round since i know people who have used it in the DT with no ill effects and I have no worms to worry about....... i know a freshwater dip would be a better way to diagnosis if it flukes but to try and catch a fish and add more stress seems like a bad idea....would/can flukes cause stringy poop? just trying to put the symptoms together hoping its not 2-3 different issues.....but would that explain the labored breathing in the anthias?
 

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man its crazy how the dumbest things can change a diagnosis......thanks for finding that information humble......i have prazi on hand as well I think I will give it a round since i know people who have used it in the DT with no ill effects and I have no worms to worry about....... i know a freshwater dip would be a better way to diagnosis if it flukes but to try and catch a fish and add more stress seems like a bad idea....would/can flukes cause stringy poop? just trying to put the symptoms together hoping its not 2-3 different issues.....but would that explain the labored breathing in the anthias?


Stringy poop often means intestinal worms. Sometimes prazi will treat that, but metro is better for it. Prazi is safe for the DT but prazi isn't. You can feed metro in the food combine with Focus however. Labored breathing can be caused by many things including flukes in the gills. I think the prazi should come first, then re-evaluate the anthia's breathing.
 
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Thank you for all the replies and information. I started the prazi treatment today and will take it from there. The one anthia had been sitting in the rockwork all day in the same spot just breathing extremely heavy and did not come out to eat at all I'm afraid it maybe too late for her. I will update the thread with the outcome good or bad.
 
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Update: Both female anthias did not make it one died two days into the treatment and the other has been MIA for 4 days. I did the first dose of prazipro and completed a 30% wc The lemonpeels tail and fins seem to be growing back and all other symptoms have receded. I haven't been home a lot to monitor fish bowl movements but today I should be home all day to keep a close eye on them. Now moving forward should I do the second dose of prazi for another seven days just for good measure?? Also my alkalinity has been creeping up over the last week it is up an entire point 1 DkH since starting treatment I don't know if its related to my skimmer and carbon being offline or an adverse effect from the prazipro that my hard corals have slowed consumption just curious if anyone else has ever had this happen? Thank you all for your advice and knowledge it looks as if all my other fish are going to pull through.
 

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Now moving forward should I do the second dose of prazi for another seven days just for good measure?? Also my alkalinity has been creeping up over the last week it is up an entire point 1 DkH since starting treatment I don't know if its related to my skimmer and carbon being offline or an adverse effect from the prazipro that my hard corals have slowed consumption just curious if anyone else has ever had this happen?

I would do the second round, to kill any possible hatchlings before they mature enough to reproduce. (Praziquantel doesn't eliminate worm eggs.)

I don't know whether or not Prazipro impacts alkalinity; @Randy Holmes-Farley would know more on that aspect of it.
 
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Thanks Humble I will definitely do the second dose starting today.....the increase in alk hasn't been extremely sudden so nothing seems to be ill effected. I will just step back the timing on my dosing pumps and start testing daily and monitor.
 

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