Royal gramma fluke i think.

[PaulMrks]

Been flicking and acting wierd since yesterday.

 

Gave him a fresh water bath for 5 minutes.

 

I think a fluke fell off. White flake looking thing.

 

I didn't get a picture.

 

Put him back in tank water for another 10 mins with an air stone.

 

Did another fresh water bath for 1 minute.

 

Put him in another bowl of tank water.

 

Put him back in the tank because I don't have a hospital tank. I didn't see any white ich cysts in the bowls.

 

Now he's hiding behind a rock. Was breathing heavy it slowed down. But he's still there.

 

That white flake I'm guessing the fluke is what was bugging him it's gone now. Do I take any further action? I don't see any white spots on his body. They would be easy to spot he's very dark colored.

 

I can't cycle a hospital tank fast enough to stick them all in and treat with ich meds. But the clowns and fire fish are perfectly fine. I'm feeding a lot of garlic soaked foods. Actually I went from feeding once a day to 3 times a day to build up immunity. I'm feeding Seachem marine flakes with probiotics and garlic guard and vitamin C. And omega one mini pellets with garlic and other vitamins I think theirs spirunella in there too.

[PaulMrks]

Anyone?

[ajmckay]

So first off - there's a difference between crypto (ich) and flukes. Flukes are usually difficult to see, but at just the right angle you can see sort of whitish or brownish semi-translucent discs on the fish. Giving them a FW bath is an excellent way to give the fish some immediate relief - but it's not a cure. There are likely still flukes under the scales and protected from the FW dip effects.

 

Feeding garlic isn't a bad idea - I believe it helps stimulate appetite - but it's not going to "cure" the fish.

 

I would dose the tank with praziquantel asap. I've used the medication in my display reef tank before with no ill effects and I treat all new additions with it as a preventative measure.

[dandelion]

Wow I would be afraid to dose PraziPro in my display tank. I never dose any medications into my display tank.

 

One thing though if you do dose PraziPro make sure you turn off your skimmer for the duration of the treatment.

 

So first off - there's a difference between crypto (ich) and flukes. Flukes are usually difficult to see, but at just the right angle you can see sort of whitish or brownish semi-translucent discs on the fish. Giving them a FW bath is an excellent way to give the fish some immediate relief - but it's not a cure. There are likely still flukes under the scales and protected from the FW dip effects.

 

Feeding garlic isn't a bad idea - I believe it helps stimulate appetite - but it's not going to "cure" the fish.

 

I would dose the tank with praziquantel asap. I've used the medication in my display reef tank before with no ill effects and I treat all new additions with it as a preventative measure.

[PaulMrks]

Honestly I don't even know if he has ich or flukes. He's just. Freaking out because he was wild caught. Probably just really really stressed and the freshwater dip didn't help relieve that stress.

 

He only eats if I spot feed him frozen brine. He won't come to the top. He is looking better today. Still on the sand but not lethargic anymore. Was yesterday after the FW dip.

 

I did the FW assuming he had ich or flukes. Because he kept head diving into the floor. For all I know he had a grain of sand stuck in his gils because before he starting flicking I noticed his mouth was covered with sand he probably ate a pod or a worm and got sand in his gills.

[dandelion]

I would still treat with PraziPro regardless. I agree with AJ I treat all my new fish with that in my QT. why risk bringing in parasites when there's an effective and safe prophylaxis.

[ajmckay]

Obviously it's best to treat in a hospital tank - though if there are flukes or something they could be in your main display tank by now.

 

Still, fyi you don't need to "cycle" a hospital tank. You can get by just by doing water changes to keep toxic ammonia in check.

 

In your case though it sounds like you still need to figure out what is wrong... Prazi isn't effective against crypto (ich). A fw dip may seem to be effective at first, but it's only killing the parasites that are visible... Flicking about and acting strange are pretty good signs that something is bothering them. Not sure a little sand would cause that though as their gills are pretty good as sifting that sort of stuff out.