Flukes?

[jglover]

I lost a Sterbai last night for no apparent reason. He appeared healthy and active the day before, I came home to find him dead on his side. I did not him flash against the substrate once or twice the previous day but it was never a repeated thing, so I figured it was perhaps just an "itch" of some sort. Tonite, I noticed the other Sterbai breathing heavily and he was not shoaling with the pandas as he usually does, so I'm suspecting I may have picked up gill flukes in the tank. The Pandas seem fine, no heavy breathing or flashing and are still very active.

My question is how to treat for flukes. I know salt is recommended but will the cories handle it? I've also got some Maracide (malachite green) and I bought an API product this evening called General Cure, which seems to be a mixture of metronidazole and prazi. I have shrimp in the tank as well.....which of these course of treatment would be the best without doing in my shrimp?

Thanks!

John

 

[Star_Rider]

flukes can be nasty if it is indeed what you have.

what are the tank parameters? temp etc. how long has the tank been set up?

tank mates?

 

[jglover]

The tank is a cycled 15G tank with four Pandas, four Endler's, four Glolites and two male guppies, along with the ailing Sterbai. There are also four shrimp lurking amongst the plants.

Water has been good for the last month since I finshed cycling the tank, ammonia and nitrite both at zero, with nitrates holding around 10ppm. It's moderately planted and get 3%$ water changes twice a week (as it is heavily stocked for the size). The tank is also a bit overfiltered at 150gph and I run the tank at 76 deg F.

i'm not sure what the problem is, but flukes seem to be the most reasonable choice. I only noticed the one Sterbai flash once or twice against the substrate. Other than that, all the cories seemed fine, active and shoaling. Then one was dead and I noticed the other Sterbai was breathing labored and rapidly, generally motionaless on the bottom, sometimes, drifting off a bit to one side, and he seemed to have lost his appetite. The Pandas seem unaffected at this point. One guppy alos sometimes flashes his gills but the darned guppies are so hyperactive in thetank it is hard to get a look at them.

I do not seem any signs of redness around the Sterbai's gills but it is hard to see clearly as he tends to lie in and amongst the hornwort. It is just the flashing and rapid, labored breathing and loss of appetite that seems to suggest some sort of parasitic gill infestation.

Thanks!

John

 

[Star_Rider]

unfortunately..those could be SX of a multitude of problems.
flashing for instance can be caused by any irritant.
"3%$ water changes twice a week "

I am nut sure what the actual water change is..could you elaborate?

with heavily stocked tanks large water changes are a norm.

is this 30% twice weekly?

also keep in mind small tanks are prone to large swings as there is less water to dilute pollutants and build up.

one way to determine flukes is check the kills..if gill flukes.
also a problem with scaleless fish is what treatment to try.

 

[jglover]

"3%$ water changes twice a week "

I am nut sure what the actual water change is..could you elaborate?

with heavily stocked tanks large water changes are a norm.

is this 30% twice weekly?

Yep, that's 30%! , twice a week, Wednesday and Sunday, a python is wonderful thing! LOL As you can see, I'm also VERY good at typos!

John

 

[Agent_Scully]

I vote Jungle parasite fizzy tablets. Clears up flukes in no time.