Suspect Flukes on My Clowns

[lucidblue]

Beginner here. I have 2 mocha clowns as the only fish currently in my 54g. Last night I noticed my darker mocha clown at the surface more often. This morning I saw it flipping its head back and forth and saw it flash against the sand. Not sure if it's my imagination or if it's face lost a little color. Based on research I was starting to suspect flukes. I just noticed long white stringy poop from both of them and took a video. I've had them for a week and they've been happy, playful and voraciously eating . The LFS had them for a month and they were healthy.

Quick backstory from 8/5: My original 2 very small regular ocellaris clowns suddenly died that I got from a different LFS. Water parameters were good, no visible signs of anything when I showed photos of dead fish, no stray voltage, then I showed another LFS (like them more, but further away) a video of my sump and said how low I had the return pump set and the thought was that they died of oxygen deprivation. Earlier the day that this all happened I had bought a purple firefish from the original LFS and put it in QT (it's still there), it has some discolorations on it but has been acting normal. I've been watching to see if it starts acting like it has flukes. On 8/6, I bought the 2 more mature mocha clowns from the more trusted LFS that's a lot further away and put them in the DT since we just thought it was just an oxygen issue due to return flow being set too low.

I now suspect the original 2 clowns had flukes and they probably died more quickly because of the oxygen issue in the tank. I then added these mocha clowns and the flukes were in the tank. Does the stringy poop go along with flukes or is that something else? Before I saw the stringy poop, I was planning to follow the protocol from this Humblefish thread and do it in my DT after a freshwater dip. I don't want to intermingle the clowns in with the firefish in QT and I suspect I need to kill off any flukes in my DT. I don't have anything else in my DT except live rock and a few hermits. Is this a good plan? Open to advice. My LSF is closed today, so I need to wait until tomorrow to get the PraziPro and another heater for the freshwater bucket. Water parameters have been good with Red Sea tests (stopped testing ammonia and nitrite because they were consistently 0. Nitrate = 5, pH 8 - 8.2, salinity 1.024 - 1.025). I need to test again today and just got a Hanna Phosphate checker to add to the mix.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but thought the backstory might be important.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Beginner here. I have 2 mocha clowns as the only fish currently in my 54g. Last night I noticed my darker mocha clown at the surface more often. This morning I saw it flipping its head back and forth and saw it flash against the sand. Not sure if it's my imagination or if it's face lost a little color. Based on research I was starting to suspect flukes. I just noticed long white stringy poop from both of them and took a video. I've had them for a week and they've been happy, playful and voraciously eating . The LFS had them for a month and they were healthy.

Quick backstory from 8/5: My original 2 very small regular ocellaris clowns suddenly died that I got from a different LFS. Water parameters were good, no visible signs of anything when I showed photos of dead fish, no stray voltage, then I showed another LFS (like them more, but further away) a video of my sump and said how low I had the return pump set and the thought was that they died of oxygen deprivation. Earlier the day that this all happened I had bought a purple firefish from the original LFS and put it in QT (it's still there), it has some discolorations on it but has been acting normal. I've been watching to see if it starts acting like it has flukes. On 8/6, I bought the 2 more mature mocha clowns from the more trusted LFS that's a lot further away and put them in the DT since we just thought it was just an oxygen issue due to return flow being set too low.

I now suspect the original 2 clowns had flukes and they probably died more quickly because of the oxygen issue in the tank. I then added these mocha clowns and the flukes were in the tank. Does the stringy poop go along with flukes or is that something else? Before I saw the stringy poop, I was planning to follow the protocol from this Humblefish thread and do it in my DT after a freshwater dip. I don't want to intermingle the clowns in with the firefish in QT and I suspect I need to kill off any flukes in my DT. I don't have anything else in my DT except live rock and a few hermits. Is this a good plan? Open to advice. My LSF is closed today, so I need to wait until tomorrow to get the PraziPro and another heater for the freshwater bucket. Water parameters have been good with Red Sea tests (stopped testing ammonia and nitrite because they were consistently 0. Nitrate = 5, pH 8 - 8.2, salinity 1.024 - 1.025). I need to test again today and just got a Hanna Phosphate checker to add to the mix.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but thought the backstory might be important.

I dont see any unusual behavior suggesting flukes or brook. As for pop, often when you feed mysis, brine shrimp ot both, Poop will mimic internals issues which i assume fosh are eating and dont show pinched belly?
Did you acclimate them and quarantine them them when you purchased?
What foods are you feeding ?

 

[lucidblue]

I did not QT as I mentioned because the QT tank was occupied with another new fish going through QT. The DT was empty due to the issue with prior clowns, which I now suspect could have been flukes and not just oxygen deprivation. I did acclimate them before putting in DT. Alternating a few different foods frozen mysis, brine shrimp and a frozen food the trusted LFS makes along with TDO Chromaboost. The weird head shaking and flashing on sand I only saw once, but some more time at surface as been more frequent.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I did not QT as I mentioned because the QT tank was occupied with another new fish going through QT. The DT was empty due to the issue with prior clowns, which I now suspect could have been flukes and not just oxygen deprivation. I did acclimate them before putting in DT. Alternating a few different foods frozen mysis, brine shrimp and a frozen food the trusted LFS makes along with TDO Chromaboost. The weird head shaking and flashing on sand I only saw once, but some more time at surface as been more frequent.

Adding the new clowns right after losing some to unknown issues is a problem.

I only see the mucus feces in the video, the clowns look pretty good otherwise. Still, the flashing is a sign of gill flukes, fish don't scratch for no reason, they don't get dry skin (grin).

You could dose your DT with Prazipro, 8 days apart, with really good aeration in the main tank.

Jay

 

[lucidblue]

Adding the new clowns right after losing some to unknown issues is a problem.

I only see the mucus feces in the video, the clowns look pretty good otherwise. Still, the flashing is a sign of gill flukes, fish don't scratch for no reason, they don't get dry skin (grin).

You could dose your DT with Prazipro, 8 days apart, with really good aeration in the main tank.

Jay

I realize now that was a hasty decision. Should I do the FW dip first? Should I just add an air stone or 2 for more aeration? I don't have a protein skimmer yet. Appreciate the help!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I realize now that was a hasty decision. Should I do the FW dip first? Should I just add an air stone or 2 for more aeration? I don't have a protein skimmer yet. Appreciate the help!

Yes - a FW dip will buy you some time if it is flukes (but the fish may not improve for a day or two later).

Jay

 

[lucidblue]

Yes - a FW dip will buy you some time if it is flukes (but the fish may not improve for a day or two later).

Jay

Appreciate the help! I'll get the Prazi and a heater for the dip tomorrow and get started. I'd rather be overly cautious and treat it. Trying to avoid more mistakes.

 

[lucidblue]

One of the clowns start popping his head out of the water a lot a few hours ago, so I just went to Petco and picked up another heater so I could at least get the FW dip done tonight and hopefully provide some relief until I can get the Prazi tomorrow. Regarding dosing Prazi, do I dose to the volume of just my DT or include the sump volume as well? I'm not 100% sure of the combined since sump isn't full, but I think I can estimate pretty close.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

One of the clowns start popping his head out of the water a lot a few hours ago, so I just went to Petco and picked up another heater so I could at least get the FW dip done tonight and hopefully provide some relief until I can get the Prazi tomorrow. Regarding dosing Prazi, do I dose to the volume of just my DT or include the sump volume as well? I'm not 100% sure of the combined since sump isn't full, but I think I can estimate pretty close.

Fingers crossed. Dosing prazi is for the actual total water volume, include the sump, but remove the estimated water displaced by any rocks.
Jay

 

[lucidblue]

Clowns seem happier since FW dip last night. Heading out to LFS now. Looking online noticed one LFS has Aqualife Praziquantel, I think this is powdered but not sure. Anyone have experience with this product vs PraziPro?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Clowns seem happier since FW dip last night. Heading out to LFS now. Looking online noticed one LFS has Aqualife Praziquantel, I think this is powdered but not sure. Anyone have experience with this product vs PraziPro?

That product seems to be repackaged praziquantel. They say to dose one time, but that is an error, it needs to be dosed twice, about 8 days apart.

It is difficult to get powdered prazi to dissolve (that's why prazipro uses a solvent). What i do is use either a baby brine shrimp net (hard to find now days) or some nylon stockings and wearing gloves and a mask, put the powder inside and then rinse/massage it through the net material out into the main tank.

Jay

 

[lucidblue]

That product seems to be repackaged praziquantel. They say to dose one time, but that is an error, it needs to be dosed twice, about 8 days apart.

It is difficult to get powdered prazi to dissolve (that's why prazipro uses a solvent). What i do is use either a baby brine shrimp net (hard to find now days) or some nylon stockings and wearing gloves and a mask, put the powder inside and then rinse/massage it through the net material out into the main tank.

Jay

I got both the powder and the PraziPro, but decided to go with the PraziPro for ease of use this time. I have approximately 60g total volume. Last night I dosed 3 tsp and added airstone full blast and pointed return nozzles up to add more oxygen. Fish seem to be doing better, not up on surface and I haven't seen more flashing and they're still eating like crazy. Is it okay to have hands in the water today after the treatment? I need to move the airstone, there is so much spray it's weighing down the mesh on the lid.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I got both the powder and the PraziPro, but decided to go with the PraziPro for ease of use this time. I have approximately 60g total volume. Last night I dosed 3 tsp and added airstone full blast and pointed return nozzles up to add more oxygen. Fish seem to be doing better, not up on surface and I haven't seen more flashing and they're still eating like crazy. Is it okay to have hands in the water today after the treatment? I need to move the airstone, there is so much spray it's weighing down the mesh on the lid.

Unless you are allergic or something, putting your hands in the water isn’t an issue. You’d have to drink 25 gallons of tank water to get the same dose as one tenth of a human pill.(grin)

That said, and although I never do, you should always wear gloves when working in aquariums.

Jay