How long do Flukes live outside the aquarium?
- Thread starter Lukara
- Start date
Is this safe for use with mollusks? That and do you know anywhere you can buy less than 50 grams? I would only need about 10 or so.
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I don't know how long flukes can live out of water but I do know that they will quickly die without a host to feed on, I am quite sure that they cannot live for a week without a host. To the best of my knowledge salt will do nothing to kill flukes. If there is some information out there on the contrary I would like to read it.
There are other reasons that a fish will scratch or flash besides flukes, one of them is a significant change in water chemistry. Did you do the 50% water change with water directly out of the tap? If so then the noticeable change in pH may have been the cause of the scratching.
I too use the prazi as a preventative treatment for all new fish since it is such a gentle medication. I have read some accounts of Fluke Tabs being hard on fish, so I am glad that I was able to get my hands on some prazi.
Lakura, that is an interesting idea on dissolving the prazi, I don't know how well it would work, but you could give it a try and let us know.
WetmaNY, I have read on the Simply Discus message board that
acetone can help prazi dissolve, here are a couple of quotes from a moderator on that board, "In acetone, mix 3 parts acetone to one part prazi, then pour chalky substance over the tank water... be careful as it too much acetone will cause oxygen depletion....use only pure acetone." And, "One of the ways to get Prazi to go into solution is to use a little Acetone. This works great and seem to have no effect on the fish, or the water quality because the acetone is broken down by bacteria in the water."
HTH.
There are other reasons that a fish will scratch or flash besides flukes, one of them is a significant change in water chemistry. Did you do the 50% water change with water directly out of the tap? If so then the noticeable change in pH may have been the cause of the scratching.
I too use the prazi as a preventative treatment for all new fish since it is such a gentle medication. I have read some accounts of Fluke Tabs being hard on fish, so I am glad that I was able to get my hands on some prazi.
Lakura, that is an interesting idea on dissolving the prazi, I don't know how well it would work, but you could give it a try and let us know.
WetmaNY, I have read on the Simply Discus message board that
acetone can help prazi dissolve, here are a couple of quotes from a moderator on that board, "In acetone, mix 3 parts acetone to one part prazi, then pour chalky substance over the tank water... be careful as it too much acetone will cause oxygen depletion....use only pure acetone." And, "One of the ways to get Prazi to go into solution is to use a little Acetone. This works great and seem to have no effect on the fish, or the water quality because the acetone is broken down by bacteria in the water."
HTH.
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A little off-topic, but aren't weekly 50% water changes a lot? Most people get by fine with bi-weekly 35-45% changes. Of course, if you are overstocked this may not apply.
And another pointer. Make sure you vacuum all your substrate when treating for any parasite. Many treatments wil cause the parasite to fall off the host, (fish) and onto the gravel. Therefor it is a good idea to vacuum the gravel to get any eggs, larvae, or adults that have not been killed.
And another pointer. Make sure you vacuum all your substrate when treating for any parasite. Many treatments wil cause the parasite to fall off the host, (fish) and onto the gravel. Therefor it is a good idea to vacuum the gravel to get any eggs, larvae, or adults that have not been killed.
Saltwater will kill most nematodes--the osmostic imbalance dessicates them. If it doesn't work on fish flukes, I stand corrected, but I think many commercial hatcheries use salt baths as treatment.
Head of the hatchery operations just emailed me indicating that formalin, salt, and hydrogen peroxide were the only approved treatments for external parasites in trout--has to do with them being on the menu for many people.
Head of the hatchery operations just emailed me indicating that formalin, salt, and hydrogen peroxide were the only approved treatments for external parasites in trout--has to do with them being on the menu for many people.
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Wetman, thanks, I will consider using it as well for my quarantined fish.
Goldfish freak, hello again. Yes, the water change I made was with water directly from the tap. I pre-treat my change water in a bucket with dechlorinator and baking soda. I've been doing this ever since I got my tank in December and haven't had any problems with fish becoming overly stressed. They don't lose their color and my SAE's actually go after the hair on my arm when I do my weekly maintenance. The PH from my tap water is 7.4 and in the tank it's between 6.8 to 7.0 depending on the time of day. I've done PH tests about an hour after my water changes and it was always been within 0.1 - 0.2 difference of the PH reading before the water change. Any suggestions on getting the water in the bucket down to a PH of 7.0 which won't be harmful to my plants?
I suspect that it probably was the change in the chemistry of the water that caused one of my fish to scratch itself. Since I'm paranoid about if they have flukes or not I spent a lot of time watching them today and they didn't scratch about the tank as far as I saw. I will continue to check throughout the week.
As for the pantyhose idea, I will try it and let you know. I don't know how effective it would be when using prazi in powder form, however, I managed to get my hands on tablets (yay!) and am thinking that it just might do the trick.
Rocketman, I'm not overstocked at all
Quite the contrary, actually. I do 50% weekly water changes to reset the proper nutrient levels for my plants.
Dave, in a previous post, Cearbhaill said that he got prazi from Goldfish Connection for $15 US for 100 grams (3.5 oz).
Goldfish freak, hello again. Yes, the water change I made was with water directly from the tap. I pre-treat my change water in a bucket with dechlorinator and baking soda. I've been doing this ever since I got my tank in December and haven't had any problems with fish becoming overly stressed. They don't lose their color and my SAE's actually go after the hair on my arm when I do my weekly maintenance. The PH from my tap water is 7.4 and in the tank it's between 6.8 to 7.0 depending on the time of day. I've done PH tests about an hour after my water changes and it was always been within 0.1 - 0.2 difference of the PH reading before the water change. Any suggestions on getting the water in the bucket down to a PH of 7.0 which won't be harmful to my plants?
I suspect that it probably was the change in the chemistry of the water that caused one of my fish to scratch itself. Since I'm paranoid about if they have flukes or not I spent a lot of time watching them today and they didn't scratch about the tank as far as I saw. I will continue to check throughout the week.
As for the pantyhose idea, I will try it and let you know. I don't know how effective it would be when using prazi in powder form, however, I managed to get my hands on tablets (yay!) and am thinking that it just might do the trick.
Rocketman, I'm not overstocked at all
Quite the contrary, actually. I do 50% weekly water changes to reset the proper nutrient levels for my plants.Dave, in a previous post, Cearbhaill said that he got prazi from Goldfish Connection for $15 US for 100 grams (3.5 oz).
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It is good that your are not scratching as far as you can tell. The prazi may have done the trick.
I am curious as to why you add baking soda to the water that you prepare to do your weekly water change. Baking soda will increase pH and KH in water. Since the water in your tank is 6.8-7.0, why would you want to raise it higher by adding the baking soda? I don't know how much baking soda you are adding to your water but if it is more than a very little, then a fifty percent water change would result in an pretty significant immediate change in pH. You mentioned that you have been battling flukes for months now, has it been approximately as long as you have had this tank, and do you only notice this scratching behavior after a water change? If so, then I believe that there would be your problem. You mention that the pH in your water tests only 0.1 to 0.2 difference an hour after your water change. I have noticed that when preparing water for my water change that it will test the same as the water in my tank after about half an hour of aerating it with a power head. Water will off gas and become stable with regards to it's pH quite quickly with good aeration. Try testing your water several minutes after doing your water change to get more accurate results of what the pH is of your water at that time.
I am curious as to why you add baking soda to the water that you prepare to do your weekly water change. Baking soda will increase pH and KH in water. Since the water in your tank is 6.8-7.0, why would you want to raise it higher by adding the baking soda? I don't know how much baking soda you are adding to your water but if it is more than a very little, then a fifty percent water change would result in an pretty significant immediate change in pH. You mentioned that you have been battling flukes for months now, has it been approximately as long as you have had this tank, and do you only notice this scratching behavior after a water change? If so, then I believe that there would be your problem. You mention that the pH in your water tests only 0.1 to 0.2 difference an hour after your water change. I have noticed that when preparing water for my water change that it will test the same as the water in my tank after about half an hour of aerating it with a power head. Water will off gas and become stable with regards to it's pH quite quickly with good aeration. Try testing your water several minutes after doing your water change to get more accurate results of what the pH is of your water at that time.
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OK repeating, does anyone know if prazi is safe for mollusks? None of the information leans either way.
Goldfish freak, I add baking soda to my change water because my tap water has a KH of only 1.7 which, from what I've been reading is a bit low to buffer the acids present. So I bring my KH up to 5.6 and inject enough co2 to bring my PH to the desired range (6.8-7.0) and keep my co2 levels between 20-30 ppm. Am I doing something wrong here?
I have been battling Flukes for quite some time now, shortly after I started the hobby in December. Back then I inquired about quarantining and the "trusty" LFS employee (who at the time appeared to know what he was talking about) told me that quarantining wasn't necessary. All I had to do was, "use common sense and make sure the fish looked healthy upon purchase" and "install a UV sterilizer and I would not have to worry about diseases." Stupid me, I listened to him. I bought and installed the UV and simply acclimated new fish directly into the tank. HUGE MISTAKE. I ended up with ick problems and flukes. Well I got rid of ick with Cupramine (after having tried MANY other ineffective treatments) and said goodbye to my plants. The fish (mainly my SAE's) scratched wether or not the water was changed recently.
Suffice it to say I am now equipped with 2 fully independent quarantine tanks and a much better understanding of things.
My next water change is Tuesday. I will do a PH test a few minutes after the change to see what the results are.
Sorry for my long posts by the way.
Dave, I have some shrimp in my tank and they suffered no ill effects from the treatment, however the effects if any may not be immediate. You might try calling the makers of PraziPond to find out.
I have been battling Flukes for quite some time now, shortly after I started the hobby in December. Back then I inquired about quarantining and the "trusty" LFS employee (who at the time appeared to know what he was talking about) told me that quarantining wasn't necessary. All I had to do was, "use common sense and make sure the fish looked healthy upon purchase" and "install a UV sterilizer and I would not have to worry about diseases." Stupid me, I listened to him. I bought and installed the UV and simply acclimated new fish directly into the tank. HUGE MISTAKE. I ended up with ick problems and flukes. Well I got rid of ick with Cupramine (after having tried MANY other ineffective treatments) and said goodbye to my plants. The fish (mainly my SAE's) scratched wether or not the water was changed recently.
Suffice it to say I am now equipped with 2 fully independent quarantine tanks and a much better understanding of things.
My next water change is Tuesday. I will do a PH test a few minutes after the change to see what the results are.
Sorry for my long posts by the way.
Dave, I have some shrimp in my tank and they suffered no ill effects from the treatment, however the effects if any may not be immediate. You might try calling the makers of PraziPond to find out.
The mollusks I speak of are snails. While shrimp are invertabrates they are not mollusks. I have two apple snails that my wife will kill me if I kill them.
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