Gill flukes

[flukes]

How ironic that flukes's fish get gill flukes.
Well i think, ok here is the behaviour -
* Breathing heavy and fast
* swiming up and down, while twisting and turning
* rubbing against plants other discus and anything he can find like he is itchy.

Sounds like flukes?? Anyway i went to my local fish shop and he gave me some fluke pellets, that are aparently now illegal in Australia, so we made the deal down a dark alley in trench coats :P .. He said i should medicate the whole tank incase the other have it too. I dont want to add the medication until i know for sure its flukes or its just his personallity. The other 2 seem fine, its just him.

Anyone with advice comments would be great, i am not going to give them the "illegal" fluke pallets yet until iam sure he has it.

Cheers
Scott

[Proteus]

I wouldnt be too concerned about the so called "illegal" substance you have...

You will find that it is not illegal, just not importable anymore due to the contents, or the manufacturers lack of willing to declare the contents to Australian Customs & Quarantine...

Do you know what the tablets/pellets are called... that may help to ascertain the best treatment method...

[flukes]

Just had Fluke pallets on the jar, and use 1 tablet per 40ltrs so he opened the jar and gave me the tablets. So now i dont have any directions, but this LFS has never steared me wrong. I just dont want to medicate him if he doesn't have anything.

[flukes]

found some info on a site http://world.std.com/~enjolras/faqmeds.htm

Fluke Tabs (Aquarium Products)

What it treats:

Tapeworms
Parasitic Copepods
Lernaea (Anchor Worms)
Gyrodactylus (Body Flukes)
Dactylogyrus (Gill Flukes)
Argulus (Fish Louse)
Capillaria & Other Trematodes
NOTE: Not for use in a "reef" aquarium or with invertebrates! Use with caution on Piranhas, Metynnis species, scaleless fish, Marine Sharks and Lionfish; and change 75% of the water upon signs of stress!

Ingredients in each 500 mg. tablet:
methyl-5-benzoyl-benzi-midazole-2-carbamate
Dimethyl (2,2,2,Trichloro-1-Hydroxyethyl) Phosphonate

[flukes]

Need help quick, its now spread to my blue diamond and Ive read it hard to get rid of. Do i have to strip the tank down??

[kevkoi]

What a load of B*LL about flue tablets being illegal in Australia. There are 2 fluke treatments available. One is trichlorofon based and one is praziquantel based. The one you got was trichlorofon based, which IMO is the older treatment and the harsher one. Wardleys have one by the name of Para-ex or something like that. Aquarium pharmaceuticals (A Brisbane based company) has "Worm Rid" which is praziquantel based.

I much prefer to use praziquantel meds, but if you can't find it, the other one is fine.

Flukes are very easy to treat. Dose it with the full dose once today and do it a week later to make sure u got them all.

U've been harbouring some flukes in your tanks I suspect? Hit it twice (once today, and once a week later) with any of the fluke tablets and it will go away.

A discus keeper should always have 3 meds on hand. Metronidazole (for hexamita), Praziquantel/trichlorofon for flukes/tape worm, and something for whitespot and velvet, usually a malachite green/meth blue concoction of some sort.

kev

[flukes]

Thanks Kev,
Yeah this LFS thinks all his stock is illegal in australia.
What about water changes do i still keep them up??

[flukes]

another thing for down the track would it be worth getting a UV steriliser??

[kevkoi]

It would certainly be a good idea to install a UVC. George at SLS likes to call the UVC an 'insurance policy'. It's not the be-all-end-all of diseases with a UV installed, but it sure as hell keeps the mobile pathogen count lower in the tank.

kev

[flukes]

So if i use a UV sterilier will this lesson the chances of the fish getting flukes again?? I was just told by another keeper in melbourne that there is something in our water that makes them ictchy and what i could be confusing as flukes could be this contence in the water, any else heard of this??