Fluke Tabs and African Dwarf Frogs.  8/14/07 I have spent the last three days searching the Internet for any information regarding fluke tabs and ADF's. I've mailed veterinarians, with no reply back. You're my last hope! I would like to eradicate hydra in my frog aquarium by using fluke tabs. I've discovered that fluke tabs are safe for turtles, most fish and their fry, not safe for invertebrates and scaleless fish. But I can't find a thing about whether or not they are safe for my frogs! So my question is: Are Fluke Tabs, when used for eradicating Hydra, safe for my African Dwarf Frogs? <I vote not... Please peruse: http://www.google.com/search?q=use+of+organophosphates+and+amphibians&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7PCTA> Sincerely, Melissa <I'd remove the ADFs during the use of organophosphates. Bob Fenner>

Re: Fluke Tabs and African Dwarf Frogs.   8/15/07 Thank you so much for your reply! I wish your answer had been "fluke tabs are perfectly safe for ADF's"! But at least now I know not to use it with them in there. Again, Thank you! Melissa <Ahh, from the Latin, small "sweetness", even "honeybee"... Shades of A.A. Milne! Cheers, BobF>

Black Moor - Anchor Worm  12/30/06 Hi hope you can help, I'm new to fish so don't know much about them. I've had a Black Moor for 4-5 months now, this is my first ever fish and I don't seem to be having much luck. <Not much to do with "luck"... but knowledge in action> After 2-3 weeks of having Jet (Black Moor), I noticed a small insect <Mmm, not an insect, a crustacean> on the tail of his body and a few hours later it had moved <... not Anchorworm then... perhaps a fish louse? to his gills. I done some research on this and found out this was Argulus. <Yes... Fish Louse...> I went to the fish shop for help who said this was quite common? <Can be... seasonally, regionally... depending on where folks/dealers are getting their livestock mostly> and told me to pick this off with tweezers,  clean out the whole tank, and that should be it so that's what I done   (Although I wasn't so sure myself). <Mmm... no... should treat the tank/water for intermediate forms not feeding/on the fish host... With an organophosphate... DTHP/Masoten et al. names, or Dimilin likely> A few weeks later again I noticed a silvery tic tac shape attached to Jet with a string and I think this was an Anchor Worm? <Yes, possibly> I again went to the fish shop for help who purchased me with Omnipur. On the bottle it says 'with  broad range effect against the most common ornamental fish diseases'.  That day when I had came home I was watching Jet and at one  point he shook very hard and all of a sudden the Anchor Worm had came off and  lay at the surface, I scooped it out (I heard that you cannot pull Anchor  Worms from a fish as they are hooked under the skin)? <Not so... You can and should remove the adults in this fashion... with tweezers> Tonight when I was doing a water change a bit of the fish's toilet appeared and it looked like a very small Anchor Worm in between it.. Is this possible, can an Anchor Worm come out of Jet when he's passing waste? <No... this appearance is something else> I also have another 3 wee fish in the tank, I can't remember what they are called but if it helps they are small (red, brownish) in color and follow one another all the time. They seem perfectly healthy and I had purchased them before Jet. <They should be carefully observed over time...> Is there anything I can do to stop these Anchor Worms if they are breeding or any medicines I can try? My tank is a 17L and I change two and a half litres every 10 days. Hope you can help, Lisa :) <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/contrpdparasit.htm and the linked FAQs file at top. Bob Fenner>

Re: Black Moor - Anchor Worm   12/31/06 Thanks for replying. Do you know anywhere online that I can buy DTHP?   Thanks, Lisa <Mmm, yes... is sold under various commercial names... as listed on the link you were referred to... Write the etailers you deal with and ask re Dylox, Neguvon... likely most available as a component of Fluke Tabs... but this acetylcholinesterase inhibitor is found in at least a dozen products. BobF>

Fluke Tabs Safe   10/29/06 Are these "fluke tabs" absolutely safe for the fish? Thanks. < If used as directed they are deadly to invertebrates such as snails. If the snails are very numerous their decomposing bodies start a very strong ammonia spike that will affect the fish. Many people use this to treat Malaysian Burrowing snails. The snails are livebearers and make up most of the gravel. Then the tank is treated and the snails are all killed. Their bodies are high in protein. Buried under the gravel the bodies are being broken down by bacteria. The bacteria use oxygen and generate ammonia as waste. The combination is very bad for fish and when they have problems they blame the medications. I would recommend that you check for ammonia spikes when using any medications.-Chuck>