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View Full Version : Using Tirchlorofon Against Flukes - updated info



zar
Thu Nov 08, 2007, 02:16 AM
Hi all

i found a few old posts about using trichlorofon here, with people reporting mixed results. After reading about it on the net and talking to a few discus owners/breeders i decided to do it. The posts here made me a bit paranoid though, especially the ones with the discus losing their color after treatment etc..
Does anyone have more info on when this does happen or what the cause is, or what should not be done when treating with trichlorofon or any other useful info on this topic? i thought i'd be good to have some decent info on this drug if it's so powerful against flukes..

at the moment, i'm using para ex tablets, even though they recommend one tablet 20mg per 40L , ie. 0.5mg/l, i'm using dieter untergasser's dosage of 0.8mg/l or 100mg/125l.
my temp is 26C for most of the time, luckily brisneyland is pretty cool at the moment.
from the user instructions and other posts i've read, temp above 27 is a no no, because trichlorofon becomes toxic to fish.
other important info i've found on another forum is that trichlorofon is quite dangerous for humans as well, should be used with care, no skin contact, no breathing in of the dust and no eating of course. (this is also mentioned in the user instructions that comes with the tablets)
i'm assuming that putting your hand into your tank during the first 5 days of treatment is also not a good idea since the trichlorofon is active for 5 days according to the user instructions that come with the tablets.
when it comes to other fish, it apparently kills bristlenoses,corys and i've heard it kills ALL tetras, but someone from our lfs who sold the tablets said that bigger tetras, (cardinals were menitioned of medium size) would be ok.
does anyone know what else cannot be treated with trichlorofon?
dwarf cichlids?
lastly the medication is redosed after 7 days, i'm planning to do a waterchange on day 7 and then redose again...

i'm hoping that this thread will become useful,(maybe even a sticky?) for people who want to use trichlorofon and it'd be great if we get some of the more experienced discus keepers/breeders to tell us their methods,dos and dont's and results with using trichlorofon.

cheers
zar

ozarowana
Thu Nov 08, 2007, 01:53 PM
Trichlorfon is a pesticide. It can be purchased at the hardware store as lawn grub killer. It is toxic under any condition, it's just how toxic that matters when treating fish (like a few other meds). I have also read flukes can build resistance to it.

So yes handle it with care.

For flukes, any med will require repeat doses to break the lilfe cycle. This is why I like PP better. It works with most fish (ones I have anyway) and is only in the tank for a short time. You can see if it is active or not and also stop if required (I don't usually stop, but let it die out).