Praziquantel

[Carterfish]

Still can't find any further information on this. Also what about how long is needed to eradicate internal parasites?

I️t should take about 3-5 days to eradicate them. Then do water change. Repeat as necessary. I️t worked for me. I always keep prazipro on hand now.

 

[evmibo]

GC contains a lower (but still effective) concentration of praziquantel ... 2.0 mg/L vs. 2.5 mg/L. GC also doesn't contain Oxybispropanol (or any solubilizing agent) which can interact negatively with other meds by causing a bacterial bloom. So, those two considerations make it safer to use than Prazipro.

However, EVERYTHING has good & bad to it. The downside to using GC is if you were to encounter a prazi resistant strain of flukes then Prazipro would be more likely to overcome it than GC.

A 5 min FW dip is a great diagnostic tool to determine whether or not a fish has flukes. If you are more comfortable doing that than using prazi, go for it. Most people find doing a FW dip to be nerve-racking. ;Sour

Weighing my options here, if you don’t mind @Humblefish let me know what you think:

I’ve been looking over this thread again as I plan to get a couple new fish soon, and will be setting up the QT again...

The ease of General Cure sounds great, since it has metronidazole in combination with praziquantel, but the lower concentration of praziquantel is a slight concern.

In the past I’ve dosed prazipro for the two week period (2 dose process), followed by coppersafe at 1.5-2.0 for 28-30 days.

Is it possible to just dose prazipro + metroplex followed by my normal coppersafe routine? That way I get a full dose of praziquantel, full dose of metronidazole, and copper. Is that too stressful on the fish?

If I remember correctly (could be wrong here) you mentioned in a different thread that it’s hard to overdose metro? If that’s the case why aren’t people dosing a little extra GC to match prazipro’s praziquantel concentration? That would eliminate dosing two separate meds as mentioned in the previous paragraph.

 

[infinite0180]

I found this today while researching. I dont know if its mentioned in this thread already but deffinitely worth a read...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4824874/#!po=57.6087

 

[BluTang85]

Awesome information. I usually always us in my QT but have never used in my display. Thank u for this info

 

[ReefSlice]

If I want to dose this into my display tank (mixed reef) and I am running a very low dose of nopox, should I halt the nopox dosing as well as turn off the skimmer during treatment? How long would you guys say I should go without dosing and skimmer? I'm concerned about my nutrient levels going up but my clownfish really need the treatment! Thanks

 

[evmibo]

Weighing my options here, if you don’t mind @Humblefish let me know what you think:

I’ve been looking over this thread again as I plan to get a couple new fish soon, and will be setting up the QT again...

The ease of General Cure sounds great, since it has metronidazole in combination with praziquantel, but the lower concentration of praziquantel is a slight concern.

In the past I’ve dosed prazipro for the two week period (2 dose process), followed by coppersafe at 1.5-2.0 for 28-30 days.

Is it possible to just dose prazipro + metroplex followed by my normal coppersafe routine? That way I get a full dose of praziquantel, full dose of metronidazole, and copper. Is that too stressful on the fish?

If I remember correctly (could be wrong here) you mentioned in a different thread that it’s hard to overdose metro? If that’s the case why aren’t people dosing a little extra GC to match prazipro’s praziquantel concentration? That would eliminate dosing two separate meds as mentioned in the previous paragraph.

@Humblefish sorry to bug you but I’m really interested in your opinion regarding my questions above. Whenever you get the time I look forward to hearing back.

 

[Humblefish]

@evmibo Overdosing GC is a bad idea because the metro concentration (500 mg per 20 gallons) is already on the high side. What I've started doing is dosing powder praziquantel (9.5mg/gal) & metronidazole (25mg/gal) separately for maximum effectiveness. You can combine Prazipro + metro in order to achieve this, but watch out for a bacterial bloom (i.e. very cloudy water) due to the Oxybispropanol contained in Prazipro.

HOWEVER, I've had a few brushes with prazi resistant Capsalids over the past couple of months, and 2.0ppm (7.5mg/gal) vs. 2.5ppm (9.5mg/gal) praziquantel didn't seem to make much difference. In all cases, I had to resort to using formalin in order to achieve 100% eradication. Hyposalinity for a week would be a safer option, but from a business standpoint I cannot take the time needed (lowering & raising salinity) to do that. I'm in the early stages of experimenting with fenbendazole to treat prazi resistant flukes, but am still trying to figure out the proper dosage.

 

[tdowning]

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 about a week, 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.

If you are treating a known prazi sensitive species (ex. wrasse), you can run carbon or perform a water change 24 hours after dosing in order to limit exposure time. While praziquantel does remain active in the water column for up to 72 hours, only 24 hours are needed for it to eradicate external worms. Don't forget to still do the second round though!

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.

Edit: You can use this treatment calendar to determine when is the best time to add the second dose of Prazipro: http://www.marineparasites.com/paratreatmentcal.html

So for a 75 gallon QT tank, I’d use just under 4 teaspoons. Can I pour it directly into the tank?

 

[mattgsa]

This is a great thread full of great information. Thanks

 

[Humblefish]

So for a 75 gallon QT tank, I’d use just under 4 teaspoons. Can I pour it directly into the tank?

Best to mix it in a cup (especially if using GC powder), and slowly pour that over a high flow area of your QT.

 

[ReefWithCare]

I have a fairly wrasse in QT. I just did a water change and getting ready to prazi the QT as he is active and eating for 3 days now. Can I just drop carbon after 24hrs to save on water? Levels have been pretty stable in QT given he’s tiny and it’s a 29G QT. Just want to save on salt.

 

[ReefWithCare]

I have a longfin ruby fairy wrasse in QT. I just did a water change and getting ready to prazi the QT as he is active and eating for 3 days now. Can I just drop carbon after 24hrs to save on water? Levels have been pretty stable in QT given he’s tiny and it’s a 29G QT. Just want to save on salt.

 

[JBKReef]

If a fish has an active worm issue, and you treat with Prazi, do they breakdown and get passed naturally or is it possible to see the fish passing another "white stringy" poop that is actually just dead worms.

 

[Humblefish]

If a fish has an active worm issue, and you treat with Prazi, do they breakdown and get passed naturally or is it possible to see the fish passing another "white stringy" poop that is actually just dead worms.

As more worms get eliminated from the intestines, you should notice the stringy poop start to turn half white / half brown.

That's how you know you are winning the battle, and shouldn't have to treat for much longer.

 

[Micksfish]

I just wanted to add my experiences using Prazi with wrasses. I had a group of 5 leopard wrasses for about 9 months before I sold a few of them. About 3 months in they somehow got flukes. I had used prazi before with pretty good success and what I found works best, even for wrasses, is to do a single dose, wait 3 days and do a second dose. I have done this with a water change in between and without and have not noticed any differences. So since then I have done this process 2 more times and it has worked great. So dose, wait 3 days, dose again. Then on the 6th or 7th day, big water change and carbon. This is what has worked best for me and all of the wrasses I keep are still doing great. I currently have 5 wrasses in my tank. Just not all the leopards I had to begin with. I loved them, just couldn't get them to get along for long periods of time.

 

[Humblefish]

I just wanted to add my experiences using Prazi with wrasses. I had a group of 5 leopard wrasses for about 9 months before I sold a few of them. About 3 months in they somehow got flukes. I had used prazi before with pretty good success and what I found works best, even for wrasses, is to do a single dose, wait 3 days and do a second dose. I have done this with a water change in between and without and have not noticed any differences. So since then I have done this process 2 more times and it has worked great. So dose, wait 3 days, dose again. Then on the 6th or 7th day, big water change and carbon. This is what has worked best for me and all of the wrasses I keep are still doing great. I currently have 5 wrasses in my tank. Just not all the leopards I had to begin with. I loved them, just couldn't get them to get along for long periods of time.

I will just point out that redosing after only 3 days won't always eliminate the "next generation" of worms i.e. hatchlings.

Best to use this treatment calendar to determine when is the best time to add the second dose of Prazipro: http://www.marineparasites.com/paratreatmentcal.html

 

[egwich]

As more worms get eliminated from the intestines, you should notice the stringy poop start to turn half white / half brown.

That's how you know you are winning the battle, and shouldn't have to treat for much longer.

Thank you! Battling this right now and my tangs poop isn't so much long as stringy anymore but brownish yellow and hanging out but not super thin (looks different than the white long stringy) and I've been wondering if what I was doing is right.

 

[Jmas4]

@Humblefish said that for wrasses, you should only do the prazi treatment for 24 hours. Won't putting in 1/2 the amount on day one then putting the other half on day two then waiting 24 hours be better for a sensitive fish? The intial half dose will still be active. Or will this staggered dosing make the flukes more resistant?

And for wrasses, because they are sensitive to prazi, should I treat internal worms with metro instead?

Thanks and Happy Reefing

 

[Fishnut]

I have been trying to eliminate internal parasite in this small regal for over 6 months. Treated with prozi as well as feeding metro with focus on foods. The long stringy poops have darkened in color, but as you can see poops are still far from normal. I’m going to have to try another medication next. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[HotRocks]

I have been trying to eliminate internal parasite in this small regal for over 6 months. Treated with prozi as well as feeding metro with focus on foods. The long stringy poops have darkened in color, but as you can see poops are still far from normal. I’m going to have to try another medication next. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

That appears to be brown stringy poop. If it's not white in color it may very well just be an irritated digestive system. What do you feed?

 

[Tamberav]

Years ago I had a reisstant strain of flukes and ended up dosing prazipro at 3x the recommended dose. That did clear up the flukes although I witnessed my fish 'barf' when it was first added to such a high dose. I didn't lose any fish to the prazipro but I didn't have anything particularly sensitive. My only wrasse was a yellow coris.

I have used this at normal dose in the DT without losses but noticed I had to retreat more often. Makes sense now after reading that article. Thanks for that link.