It's Not A Fluke.. Or Is It?
Good Morning Scott,
<Hi there!>
Many thanks for your quick response. After observing my fish further, it would appear that my blue face angel has
white, clear patches over his eyes. The patches seem to be loose. This fish only seems to scratch his head from time to time, not the rest of the body.
<Hmm...>
Do you think this could be flukes????? I have seen some type of thread item on both eyes about 3-4mm in length and orange in colour (worm)? It's hard to get a good look as he is shy at the best of time.
<That is a distinct possibility>
My purple tang is also looking well fat (like never before) even if I don't feed the tank for 24 hours. This is really unusual. I'm now starting to lean towards some type of internal / external worm in the system.
<These fishes do occasionally come in with internal parasites...>
I used to have a powder blue tang that passed away a year ago as each morning he would have what appeared to be bad white spot but by the afternoon it would be totally gone. Anyway the bug finally beat him and he died (poor thing). However after doing a heap of research, it would appear that monogenetic flukes (I think this is the correct name) can act in this way, leaving he host and return early in the morning? Quite possible that it was never white spot and monogenetic flukes (can look familiar to the naked eye). They may have been lying dormant and ready to attack in force. Understand that large angels are prone to this. Any ideas would be great as I'm thinking about treating the tank again with
Sterazin (by Waterlife in the UK).
Thanks again Che  
<Excellent insights and research, Che. As you suggest, large angels are certainly prone to contracting these creatures. I'd utilize a treatment course using a Formalin-based product, if you suspect this to be the case. You really want to use it as a dip, rather than an ongoing treatment, but it is known to do the trick! You can find out more about treatment of flukes on the WWM site. Good luck! Regards, Scott F>

Flukes
Hello WWM crew!
<Bob, it's Bob>
Is it safe to dose a marine fish-only system ( retail ) with Praziquantel? Flukes are becoming problematic, and are costing too much time. We dip all new arrivals in FW, but still are experiencing this problem. Within a week of arrival, Angels and Tangs are covered in these disgusting worms.
We now dip all outgoing fish before departure, but as you can imagine, this is difficult, especially on weekends.
<Mmm, yes, can be done... and I would amend your bath/dipping procedures adding formaldehyde to the mix (about an ounce per five gallons, a one-gallon capful per two gallons...) of 37 % food-grade>
Since you guys are my best info buddies, I ask for your help again. What do ya think, and how do I fix this?
<Mmm, Praziquantel can be used in marine (not freshwater) systems with fluke problems (both mono- and digenes)... Do you have sub-systems for your marine fishes? Or capacity to separate them completely? I might look around for other suppliers if this is a constant problem... And to all, if you're dealing much with fish livestock from the wild, and/or a mix of species imported, do invest in a copy of Edward J. Noga's "Fish Disease, Diagnosis and Treatment"... wish this was less expensive, more widely distributed... can be had through on-line book sources... Bob Fenner>
Thanks in advance,
Bob Hartline
The Aquarium, Concord, Ca.

- That's 'Todes, not Toads -
I have just noticed about 7-9 extremely small parasitic trematodes (or flukes) in my salt water reef tank. <Are they on your fish or around and about?> What can I do? <Not all 'todes are necessarily parasitic. Unless these are directly on your fish or you corals, I wouldn't be too concerned.> I just put my black percula into the tank yesterday after treating him with formaldehyde and malachite green for a week.  I just put the fish in the tank last night before I saw any of the trematodes.  I know they will begin to multiple and ruin my fish tank if left alone. <Not necessarily.> Although I do not have a lot of corals in there currently, what I do have is precious and currently I have no where else to place the corals to allow me to treat the tank with any solution. <Perhaps it's time to obtain such equipment.> It is a 29 gallon saltwater tank with an anemone, black percula, royal Gramma, 10 blue legs and scarlet reef hermits, one serpent star, and a couple corals (none of which have been purchased in the last 6 months).  The ammonia = 0, nitrite = 0, pH = 8.3, alkalinity = 8-10, calcium = 400ppm.
How can I prevent the spread and overgrowth of these unwanted parasites? <Again, I'm not convinced these are parasitic - there are only a couple of treatments that work against the 'todes and if you must treat, you'll have to remove all the invertebrate livestock from the tank. Fenbendazole, Piperazine, and Praziquantel are the most common treatments for nematodes and Cestodes, but are typically administered in baths for the affected fish. I'd keep a very close eye on things for the mean while, looking for problems with the fish, not necessarily just crawling around.>
Jennifer
<Cheers, J -- >

Unwelcome Hitchers (External Parasites?)
Hello everyone.  Hope all is well today.  If I may,  I'd like to get your  help IDing a problem a few of my fish are having.
<I'll try! Scott F. here today>
I noticed a few days ago that my Tomato Clown had a small, flat, almost translucent disk shaped spot on it body, right behind the side fin so not near its gill. It's actually left a mark on its fin as well, maybe an irritation mark?
<Could be>  
It looked like it was not fully attached, maybe only at one point.  Now he has a few more, one is underneath his body and I can tell it is definitely not fully attached because it's vertical to its body and the bottom of it moves back and forth with him swimming/current.  The fish's body on one side only also shows some signs of like puckering marks or scar type marks that are a little darker than his body but I think he always has these marks and not sure if its related to these parasite-type things he has now - not lateral line disease.  I did some research on your site/web looking up parasites but none fit this
description,  and also checked out isopods, but these things do not look like a worm at all. Checked out flatworms too, but what my fish have no color.
<Curious>  
It's not Ich, been there done that and can ID that bugger...I know the tank has a few flatworms, as I've just recently spotted about 3 of them in my tank and I got a positive ID off your website, awesome pix posted by the way...It wouldn't be them attached to my fish right, don't they just eat amphipods?
<I don't believe that they'd be attaching to fishes>
  (I'm gonna siphon them out anyway next time I see 'em) What is on my fish remind me of a tiny shard of shiny glass (like the little shiny things you find in granite?), very very flat, like a piece of paper and circular in shape, the largest one is maybe the width of a small BB and the rest are a little smaller. They are almost translucent or clearish white. My coral beauty also has one now as well as the Hawkfish.  The fish all seem normal and not bothered by it.  They are eating as usual and swimming about. I don't see any labored breathing or anything.  My water quality is all within good range. I just ran all numbers by you last month so I'll spare you the details here, its all the same with the exception of my specific gravity being higher than usual.
Its normally 1.21-1.22  and it was 1.25. I'm very SLOWLY bringing that back within normal range (my normal range that is) with some water changes with lower SG than normal. I would like to figure out what these things are so I can do something to get rid of them.   I do remember that the tomato clown had one of these marks way back, when we first got him (tank is only like 8 months old).  It went away and I put it off to maybe he scratched himself on something and it left a mark, then healed up...guessing I was way wrong. I would try to get a pix but I don't think they would show well as they are sort of clearish, plus I don't think you can open the pix I send, as I tried once before.  
If these things ring a bell with you, an ID would be great,  if not, could  steer me in some direction as to what they MAY be I can try to do some more research, and possibly try to match up a picture off the web of what it may be.
As usual,  thanks a ton for taking the time to read/reply.  This site is an invaluable tool - thanks for sharing you knowledge...
Jan
<Well, Jan, I'm thinking that you may be seeing some form of monogenetic trematode, such as Benedina or other little nasties...Just a guess. Typically, external parasites, flukes, and worms can be knocked out with long-duration (like 30-60 minutes) of Formalin-based remedies (at a bout 200mg/l concentration in saltwater). Net the affected fishes and place them in a dedicated container for the treatment. Worth a shot, IMO. Hope this helps. Regards, Scott F>

What's in Fluke Tabs?
Hi Chuck! I bought the Fluke tabs. Do you know what are the active ingredients? It's not written on the product. Thanks! Dominique
<The active ingredients are Mebendazole and Trichlorfon.-Chuck> 
 

Praziquantel Also Bob, I am wondering if you can help me. We have some incident of trematodes in our system.  These worm/fluke is in the fish and when we fresh water dip the fish, the worm came off from the fish.  Some people I talk to say to treat with Praziquantel or PraziPro from Hikari.  Do you have any info as far as treating the entire system with PraziPro (side effect, other problems etc). Thank you, Fred <Ah, yes. For trematodes, treating their systems as well as fish livestock, 2 to 10 mg Praziquantel/liter (or 7.6 mg/gallon)... the lower does for Monogeneans will do it, the higher for digenes. There are also methods (not applicable here) for injection and oral administration, baths... Cheers, Bob Fenner> Re: Praziquantel Thanks Bob, what about PraziPro?  Is it safe? <Yes... is just Praziquantel and a stabilizing agent: http://www.uskoi.com/prazipro.htm>   I know it is a lot more expensive but no need to dilute. <Agreed> I heard you need to dilute Praziquantel with Vodka? <Heeee! Can use this solvent... or not> Also, how can you tell the difference between Monogeneans and digenes. Thank you, Fred <Mmm, sorry for the added confusion. I would not worry re the digenetic trematodes... they can/will perish along with the rest or die out quickly enough due to the lack of intermediate hosts (Di as in two... two or more other life forms to pass through before getting to their determinate host (your fishes)...), as opposed to Monogenes that have a direct life cycle. Bob Fenner>

Cloudy eye on yellow tang
Quick question I hope you can answer for me
<Will try>
I purchased a yellow tang about 2 weeks ago and after several days he developed a cloudy looking eye with a small bubble on it.  Some of his fins also seemed a little torn.  I first thought it was due to new rocks I added causing him to injure himself
<More likely poor, diminished water quality... perhaps related to the new rock>
however I asked the man at the store and he told me to dip him in freshwater which I did.  When I dipped him little white "discs" fell off of him.
<Good observation>
  He looks a little better now but I'm not sure what else I should do.  Your help would be appreciated ! The water has been tested and is perfect in all aspects.  The only other fish are 2 clown fish .  I also have 6 snails and am purchasing a cleaner shrimp today.  I feed them pellet crumbles and occasionally dried seaweed.   Thank You
<Wish you had a small power microscope... could look at these discs, maybe send a pic along... Very likely what you observed was flukes of some sort... You can read re these, their avoidance, treatment on WWM... use the search tool there, the indices. Bob Fenner>

DTHP
Dear Robert,
         Read your web article about DTHP. Where can I get this material
<Is sold as such, by itself and in concert with other materials for pet-fish use in various products... mainly labeled as Masoten, Dylox... see a LFS re if you're looking to treat small volumes. We can chat if this is for thousands, much more volume.>
and have you heard of it being used against Gyrodactylus?
<Yes... you can see this through a literature search... the most recent work of Ed Noga, Nelson Herwig... Bob Fenner>
Steve

Sick Lionfish, incl. Monogenetic Trematodes   03/07/06
Dear Bob,
<Chris>
Lately my lionfish has suffered from monogenes ( the worms that move around the fish and cause cloudy eyes....looks like ick)
<Yes.... trematodes... direct lifecycle types... can be real trouble...>
I didn't know what they were until it was too late because the lionfish was not scratching and it continued to eat like a pig.
<For others, and highly unlikely for the last time, a/the simple pH-adjusted FW bath/dips that have been advocated for so dang long, will/would take care of these flatworms... Dang! Okay.>
I attempted to feed it medicated food several occasions however it didn't seem to cure whatever was growing on the fish..
I didn't learn what it was until my friend pointed it out and called em monogenes. That night that he came over my lion had stopped eating.. So I gave him a 4 minute freshwater dip and then placed him into a 50gallon breeder tank with no substrate and medicated water with Copper Safe and Formalin 2. I did the formalin 2 for 3 days and I didn't see a whole lot of improvement
<Might have been too late by then>
and then I followed up with three days of Tetracycline and 3 days of half dose of Maracyn. The fishes eyes cleared up and improved 98% and the monogenes all seemed to fall off.
<Oh! Good!>
The fish has been in the quarantine tank for roughly 10days.. The tail that had tail rot seemed to stopped rotting and it seem to remain the same size. I saw the same
conditions on Saturday. The tail looked like it wasn't getting worse and the eyes looked pretty clear. However the fish hasn't ate for 14 days. So I decided maybe if I move the fish back into the main tank
<...? Is this a/the source of the Trematodes?>
it would start to eat and heal up. I noticed that when I caught the fish he gave me a hard time catching him and when I placed him in the main tank its tail looked much worse then it looked on Saturday however prior to catching it the tail seemed to be the same as it looked on Saturday. Overall the rest of the body is in great shape. Its a 14 inch lionfish and it has a huge home to live in. The tank he resides in is 240 gallon tank. I know you say the best way to get rid of a bacterial problem is to have stable water.
<Generally, yes... Given the animal/s are "strong enough" otherwise>
My water in my main tank is testing just fine right now. Was I right for moving him into back into the main tank?
<Doesn't read like you had much choice>
What is the best way to win over a bacterial infection and to get a fish to start eating again seeing the situation that I am in now?
Sincerely,
Christopher Faiola
<IF the animal can be made to eat, eats, to "sneak" a broad-spectrum gram negative antibiotic into its food would be my choice here. If not, to make a bath of this, in concentration, and soak the fish in it for ten, fifteen minutes (with aeration). Bob Fenner>
 

Re: PB tang parasite?   1/31/07 Thanks Bob, I've adjusted his diet to get him eating more Nori than mysis, and he's taking to it.  I did a 2 gal water change using clean water from my main tank and didn't add anything back in because he seems to slowly be getting better.  Any idea what kind of parasite this is? Here's another pic.   Thanks again <Would take a scraping and a look/see under a dissection scope, but my guess is on monogenetic fluke/s of some sort... Hence the "de-wormer" rec. Do give this a read-over and consideration. Bob Fenner>

Localized fading skin color from parasites and L. amboinensis behavior... Flukes?  9/26/07
Aloha,
<Howzit?>
I have recently transplanted to the mainland from Hawaii. I mailed my little family of fish (kept for 2-3 years previously) to our current continental location. They were in a FO tank without live anything except the bacterial additive I used to set them up initially. As you know, Hawaii has very strict laws regulating the keeping of live rock or live sand, etc.
<Ah, yes>
Now, my current set up is FOWLR and some inverts.
46 gal bowfront (running for 3 months)
Remora C HOT skimmer
9 watt UV sterilizer
Emperor 400 with carbon and Poly Filter (I know it is not the best, but I already had it)
Current 96 watt compact fluorescents (10,000 K and actinic blue)
20-30 lbs mixed live/dead/Tufa rock and fake ornaments (Some of the fish are very attached to their ornaments and I don't have the heart to take it away)
Thin layer of mixed live and dead sand (approximately .75 inch)
Old inhabitants moved from Hawaii:
Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto)
Pajama Cardinal (Sphaeramia nematoptera)
Yellow Clown goby (Gobiodon okinawae)
Two ocellaris clowns (Amphiprion ocellaris)
Since moving to the mainland the following are new:
Fire fish (Nemateleotris magnifica)
<Mmm... social animals...>
7-9 Peppermint shrimp (Lysmata rathbunae)
One "white antennae" Peppermint (Lysmata wurdemanni)
Two cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
<... will be some attrition amongst these shrimp with molting...>
25 assorted snails (Astrea, Nassarius, and Cerith)
<Too many...>
Live rock and Tufa rock
Water parameters:
Specific Gravity 1.0235
Temp. 78 degrees Fahrenheit
Ph 8.2
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
Ammonia (unknown. I tested it then realized my kit was for fresh water- time to get a new kit. I keep both fresh and salt water tanks, but am newest to marine tanks, as you can tell. I'm assuming the levels are OK since the fish and inverts are all seemingly happy.
<Likely so>
Colors are vibrant and the shrimp produce eggs like crazy. I add iodine for the shrimps and calcium for the snails. Coralline algae seem to like it too.
<Ah, good>
Here's the problem: I sometimes see the Clown Gobi and the male ocellaris with clear/opaque non-pigmented spots. In the middle of these "spots" sits a tiny white dot which I am assuming is a parasite. These dots move around the body of the fish (I don't see them actually moving, but the next day, they are in a different place on the body of the fish). Sometimes it is on the tail, and sometimes near the dorsal fin, etc. Sometimes they are not detectable at all. When the little white parasite is gone, the color returns to the skin. The fish, so far, get only one or two dots. Only the ocellaris scratch (the female gets white dots without the blanching of the skin around the parasite). I have not observed the parasites on the other fish. The parasites do not seem to affect the fish in any noticeably negative way.
They all eat well (a variety of flake, Cyclop-eeze, frozen, table shrimp, once in a great while they get live brine, and Selcon periodically.
I am nervous about this since I am still battling what I think was velvet in another tank.
<Do strictly maintain separate gear... not even wet hands twixt...>
It is now fallow with four snails, a banded coral shrimp, one hermit crab, and a rock/sand crab stow away (small sand colored burrowing crab, almost impossible to see unless he moves). The sole remaining fish survivor is an IndoPacific Sergeant Major damsel named "Nemo" because he is missing his right fin. Nemo is tough and will probably recover. He has never stopped eating "like a pig", and seems to be doing well in quarantine. Sorry for the digression.
My questions are:1) What do you think this parasite is? (it acts most like the freshwater Chilodonella as described by National Fish Pharmaceuticals
<Mmm, no... you wouldn't be able to see this... Perhaps a trematode... a Fluke of some sort...>
2) What should I do about it? Will the shrimp take care of the problem, or should I quarantine and treat the fish and let the tank go fallow for 2 months?
<Mmmm, you could try an anthelminthic... My fave currently, Prazi... quantel, -pro...>
I would hate to lose these fish too, especially since they are family pets (all have names), I feel very responsible for them since I am of the thought that we should treat all the creatures we invite into our homes with the best care possible. 3) If I need to treat the fish, what should I use? Copper, Malachite green, something else? Are these medications too strong for my little fish?
<Yes...>
I have not seen the cleaner shrimp "clean" any of the fish. They are relatively new. The larger cleaner shrimp seems aggressive. He/she will lunge at the fish if they come too near. (It could be self defense because when I put it in the tank, it unfortunately landed on the clowns' favorite fake anemone. Needless to say, the clowns were very upset and proceeded to attack the shrimp. I had to intervene at this point and "shoo" the shrimp into the rocks.) It also intimidates the peppermints and has taken over their favorite "hang out".
<Will eventually eat them...>
Is this normal behavior for a grouchy L. amboinensis?
<Yes>
Should I consider putting it in with the banded coral shrimp in the "velvet" tank?
<Will likely be eaten there by the CBS>
I know banded coral shrimp can kill other shrimp. I have seen a large one sever the arm off a smaller one, yet on the web I have seen pictures of banded coral shrimp and L. amboinensis shrimp living in the same tank. What do you suggest?
<Another or larger system>
One other thought. Should I get a cleaner goby or two?
<I do like these...>
Or will it suffer the same fate and get this parasite also?
<Perhaps so>
Would the small fish in my tank be more likely to let the cleaner gobies pick at them?
<Mmm, no... not more than the Lysmata spp.>
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Mahalo in advance,
Lyn
<Read re the Prazi... and consider a larger tank. A hu'i hou! Bob Fenner>

Unknown parasite on butterflyfish please help. Flukes? 8/7/07
Hi,
I Have a show size masked Heniochus Butterflyfish in a 225gal fish only. He has small clear flatworm looking parasites behind his gills and eating his fins. He is constantly shaking I think trying to shake them off. What could this be and how do I kill it out of my tank?
<Likely flukes... a pH-adjusted, slightly slower spg bath with formalin should do it here if this is a digene (has a complex life cycle)...>
My butterfly was in my quarantine tank for a month and a week and showed no signs of any thing. My quarantine tank is a 110L treated with Coppersafe. Out of desperation I treated my main tank with copper
<May have to treat all with an organophosphate...>
and I have still had to fresh water dip my fish 3 times and they still keep coming back.
<Need the formalin...>
The only other fish I have in there is a yellow tang and a regal tang and they have never shown any signs of the parasite.
<Many trematodes are quite species specific>
I have turned off my uv sterilizer recently, my skimmer is still running. My copper in the aquarium is reading 1.5. They look like clear little flatworms
<Ahh!>
and are moving around on that fish only mainly behind his gills and on his fins. they have frayed the ends of all his fins. Please Help
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/fshwrmdisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>