Gill worm / flukes /RMF       2/5/19 Dear Bob, <Branko> Flukes are back and this time they mean vengeance, we successfully eliminated them last summer with General cure, however we dont have access to it anymore and would take 45-60 days to get more. :( <Ohhh> We are struggling with Sera Tremazol (only stock solution available here), their recommended dose is slightly less than 5mg / l, while you recommended 20mg/l in one of the articles on WWM. <Yes> Additionally, while browsing online I've found one more method: " Another method that can be used for capsalid Monogeneans is hyposalinity. In one study, 15 g/L (ppt) salinity or lower for two days eliminated juvenile and adult Neobenedenia melleni. When 15 g/L was maintained for 5 days, the hatching of N. melleni eggs was prevented. It is important to note that some fish species may not tolerate this treatment method. " Will this kill eggs within 5 days, or they will hatch once salinity is brought up to normal? <I don't know; but am concerned here. MIGHT it be worth "nuking" the system (bleach, possibly formalin...) and bathing/dipping all fishes (formalin, pH adjusted freshwater), to get rid of adult forms?> This currently looks rather appealing to me, since it's easiest to administer. Additionally, we would setup a bath for all fish and put them through it, in order to eliminate adult specimens and relieve fish of pest while let hypo do the work on the eggs/remaining flukes. <Good> We have already dipped all fish through 5-7mins Freshwater with adjusted pH + Tremazol + Furan2 dip, we've clearly seen flukes coming off. Fish looked relieved for short period (24h) but now infestation is blooming again so we need to deal with eggs in the system which are not controllable using Tremazol. <Not fun> In one of our emails, you have mentioned that some fish aren't tolerant to Hypo, is there a list of those species which I could look at? Currently we have Wrasse, Clownfish (not ocellaris), butterflies, tangs, angels both dwarf and large, various watchmen gobies, blennies, Dottybacks, damselfish, file fish... <Of those you list, Clownfish are the most sensitive. I WOULD watch, be present while ALL are getting dipped> If there is no list it would help if you could pin point those that aren't good candidates for Hypo. Idea is to move fish that can't go into hypo to other system where we would try to nuke it with high dose of Tremazol to reach 20mg/l which you recommended. Kind regards, B. <I wish you good fortune. Bob Fenner>

Re: Gill worm / flukes - 02/04/19 /Now Sara Dear Bob, <Sara L. here today.> Flukes are back and this time they mean vengeance, we successfully eliminated them last summer with General cure, however we dont have access to it anymore and would take 45-60 days to get more. :( We are struggling with Sera Tremazol (only stock solution available here), their recommended dose is slightly less than 5mg / l, while you recommended 20mg/l in one of the articles on WWM. <So start with 5mg/l and see what happens. If that doesn't work, raise it to 8 mg/l, then 12 mg/l, etc.> Additionally, while browsing online I've found one more method: " Another method that can be used for capsalid Monogeneans is hyposalinity. In one study, 15 g/L (ppt) salinity or lower for two days eliminated juvenile and adult Neobenedenia melleni. When 15 g/L was maintained for 5 days, the hatching of N. melleni eggs was prevented. It is important to note that some fish species may not tolerate this treatment method. " Will this kill eggs within 5 days, or they will hatch once salinity is brought up to normal? <Possibly. I would have to read the study to know what the researcher/writer meant by saying that the low salinity prevented the hatching of eggs.> This currently looks rather appealing to me, since it's easiest to administer. Additionally, we would setup a bath for all fish and put them through it, in order to eliminate adult specimens and relieve fish of pest while let hypo do the work on the eggs/remaining flukes. We have already dipped all fish through 5-7mins Freshwater with adjusted pH + Tremazol + Furan2 dip, we've clearly seen flukes coming off. Fish looked relieved for short period (24h) but now infestation is blooming again so we need to deal with eggs in the system which are not controllable using Tremazol. <If what you're dealing with here is N. melleni, I wonder why the surviving fish didn't develop an immunity to the parasite after the first prolonged exposure.> In one of our emails, you have mentioned that some fish aren't tolerant to Hypo, is there a list of those species which I could look at? Currently we have Wrasse, Clownfish (not ocellaris), butterflies, tangs, angels both dwarf and large, various watchmen gobies, blennies, Dottybacks, damselfish, file fish... If there is no list it would help if you could pin point those that aren't good candidates for Hypo. <Hyposalinity will cause any and all marine fish a degree of stress. How much stress any given fish can stand is dependent on so many variables. Whatever you do, make sure you acclimate the fish to the reduced salinity slowly.> Idea is to move fish that can't go into hypo to other system where we would try to nuke it with high dose of Tremazol to reach 20mg/l which you recommended. <Unfortunately, in these situations, no one can tell you for certain what is best to do. If I were in your position, I would first treat all the fish with Tremazol. If you are unsure of the dose, start at 5 mg/l, then go to 8 mg/l, etc. Unless this is a bare bottom, fish and live rock only system, I would not apply hyposalinity to the system as a whole.> Kind regards, B. <Cheers, Sara L.> Re: Gill worm / flukes       2/5/19 Dear Sara, Tremazol didn't work in suggested nor increased dosage. We applied doses twice and we are still having issues fish are being eaten alive. <What else have you tried?> You will find quote regarding hyposalinity on this link on page 7: http://fisheries.tamu.edu/files/2013/09/Monogenean-Parasites-of-Fish.pdf <Wow. Great article. Unfortunately, it does not elaborate much on the use of hyposalinity for treatment of marine fish. I don't know if hyposalinity kills the eggs or not. Likely, if I had to guess, it probably damages them to the point that a significant percentage of them will never hatch. That might be sufficient to resolve the problem. Fish do have some ability to fight them off, when not overwhelmed. As far as which of your fish might not tolerate hyposalinity very well, again, it's hard to say. I would say that any fish that is not known to be particularly hardy in captivity, generally, is probably going to tolerate any sub-optimal condition less than the more hardy species. The problem I see here is that you are going to have to acclimate the fish to the hyposalinity, which will take at least days and preferably weeks. If I'm understanding you correctly, it sounds like you don't have that kind of time.> I'm not sure which type of monogenean it is, but its killing off some of our fish rather quickly, from the moment fish changes behavior its dead within 24h with clear signs of being eaten, both on fins as well as head area, occasionally there are open sores/wounds on the body as well. While other fish look perfect and acting normally. <Can you send in some pictures?> All fish are in our 3600 liter quarantine system that's divided into boxes, each box has its own drain which takes water down to central filtration unit, where biological filtration and mechanical filtration are. Afterwards water is pumped through the UV back into each box. Water can't go between boxes, it has to go through drain>filtration>UV>into box. While dosing Tremazol we did turn off UV and lowered skimmer foam so it doesn't skim the medicine out. Fish arrived from Bali, on 25th January, and we are battling flukes since day 2. That's why we are in need of changing the method, this has proven to be ineffective. <The article you provided, from TAMU, mentions a lot of different treatment options, one of which is copper. Have you tried copper in the quarantine system? Cheers, Sara L.> Re: Gill worm / flukes - 02/05/2019 Hello, I explained what we tried, Tremazol dosed fully twice, and fw bath with Nitrofurazone and Tremazol once. <Yes, I saw. I was wondering if you had tried anything else. I see the answer is no.> As for the article itself, yes it does explains vaguely and im unsure if it kills eggs was hoping you guys would know more about it :( <The more I think about it, the more I think the article must be saying that 5 days of hyposalinity "killed" the eggs. Because if hyposalinity merely prevented hatching, why would 5 days be required? The statement seems to imply that the eggs still hatched if exposed to less than 5 days. Thus, something must change after 5 days. The prolonged hyposalinity must cause some damage to the eggs after that period of time. I wish we could tell you for sure. It's not an easy thing to test/find out directly. The best anyone can do is observe to see if the eggs hatch. I suppose that if they don't hatch, then you might just as well assume they are "dead."> As for copper, we do dose it to 0.12-0.14ppm for controlling possible protozoan infestations, didn't try to raise the dose due to wrasse and Centropyge being in this system, lastly article says copper can control but not kill flukes so im keen on applying more efficient method with, preferably less stress to fish than having 0.2 Cu. <If all you need is 5 days of hyposalinity, maybe it's worth a shot. Again, my only worry is that you don't have time to acclimate the fish slowly enough. Tough choices.> As for pictures here are couple i have on my phone. <Yikes! I'm sorry you struggling with this. Do let us know if you use the hyposalinity and if it works. Cheers and good luck, Sara L.> Re: Gillworm / flukes - 02/05/2019       2/6/19 Hi, We did fw + Tremazol double dose + Methylene blue 6-7 min dip on all fish yesterday, lost only one since. (Already weakened meleagris leopard wrasse). We started pumping freshwater in the system slowly, sg dropped 1022>1016 within 5 hours, we let it stay at 1016 overnight and are lowering it down to 1010 today. Plan is to do it over the course of 6 - 8 hours. Fish look fairly better than yesterday, hiding less and overall looking more active. <Ah, good. Sometimes fish are pretty tough.> Your conclusion regarding 5 days seems logical, i hope you are right. It would make no sense to put fish through hypo if its not efficient, so i guess you are right. <::crossing fingers::> Thanks for your continues effort in helping with this matter. <I feel for you. I do hope all turns out well.> B. <Cheers, Sara L.> Re: Gillworm / flukes - 02/07/2019      2/7/19 Hi, 2 days straight no deaths. Dip+hypo definitely helped. I think its under control now. <Yay!> Thanks a lot for your help. <I'm not sure how much I helped, but you're certainly welcome.> B. <Cheers, Sara L.>

Coldwater box fish with flukes       3/31/16 I have an Ornate Boxfish that came to me last September in poor shape. He had a very cloudy eye and what looked like a lump on one fin. He is still in qt almost 8 months later although he now shares qt with a few starfish, some snails and some anemones. His tank is 75 gallons, kept at 61 degrees and he is well fed and cleaned. The cloudy eye cleared up within a month, but the lump stayed. After 4 months, the lump was gone, but small spots showed up on all his fins. These turned into the exact same kind of lump as the original blemish on his pectoral fin, except they were all over all his fins. We treated with Melafix, <No!!! An at times toxic scam> Prazi, formalin (twice), Neoplex, Ruby reef <.... see WWM Re> Hydroplex and vitamins. We even did a freshwater dip on the back half of him, while keeping salt water running over his gills and mouth. One day, we did a manual inspection on these lumps and I tried to remove one. It came off with just a bit of effort, and upon inspection under a microscope, we found it had a leach type mouth and was actively looking for its host. We removed 15 in total from the fish. We treated the wounds with polysporin and they appear to be healing. We also ran a double dose of Prazi after we removed the parasites. However it is a month later and we notice there are some very fine white dots and a couple of these dots appear to be growing. <See (as in actually READ on WWM re other Anthelminthics.... coldwater settings... don't work as well> How do we break the cycle and get rid of these pests? <Reading... don't have the time, desire to re-key> I would like to get the boy into his permanent home eventually and don't want to have him continue to suffer with parasites. Here is an image of the flukes after we removed them. They were about 10mm diameter, and looked like poplar seeds. They were flat, round and slightly raised in the middle. They appeared to have a small 'tail', no eyes, and a round sucker mouth on the underside. I froze them, in case someone could give me a better ID. Cheryl <Neat! Write back later after reading, trying other Vermifuges. READ before trying misc. "medicines" that are scams. Bob Fenner>

Re: Cupramine leeching      8/8/15
Thanks again. So I did a freshwater dip with Methylene blue (as I was able to get this at the LFS). Formalin, I was only able to find online and I did order it, but wanted to get started asap. He jumped around quite a bit. I did get worried as I have read that trying to jump is a sign of distress, and I know blennies are generally sensitive, so he was probably in the solution maybe 5 minutes. I am hoping that the Cupramine for just under three weeks and the small amount of time with the meth blue worked on his Trematodes.
<... The freshwater may, but copper and Methylene Blue neither do really.
See WWM re Trematodes; their treatment with purposeful Anthelminthics>
I'm sure I will let you know!!!! He is back in his DT, peeking around live rocks. I want to make him fat and happy before I put his frenemy, the Royal gramma back in too.
The last email we discussed entrenched crypt populations, and the possible futility of fallow periods. I will observe these two fish, once they are both in the 55 together and consider a complete tank overhaul should I suspect undesirable critters lay waiting. I can do this because I have a spare 90 gallon laying empty about my home. I just don't care for its location as it is in a room we don't frequent as much as the 55. This is why I started up the 55 and not the 90. Too many rooms, too much cleaning, tanks and otherwise. Of course, I always knew having both tanks eventually running would be a matter of time, as this is quite the addiction.
Thank you, thank you. Alyson R
<W. B>

Please help. Long term copper exposure; fluke trtmt.      6/14/14
Hi,
<Adam>
I am at a loss as I have had a fish tank with a Blueface Angel, Majestic Angel, Emperor Angel, two Ocellaris Clownfish and a Regal Tang. I had been treating for an outbreak of ICH some three months ago which had gone but left the Cupramine at 0.5 for several months
<Detrimental to have fishes exposed for such a long time to copper>
as I was hoping to add another fish. However the Majestic, BlueFace and Emperor became blotchy and twitching from side to side. I therefore did an 80% water change with fresh seawater fearing it might be the long term exposure to the Cupramine
<Yes; at least>
however the fish are getting worse. The Ocellaris and Regal Tang are totally unaffected and it cannot be Ich, flukes etc due to the Copper
<Uh, no... Copper does not effectively kill Trematodes. Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/vermifugefaqs.htm
I would administer a purposeful Anthelminthic as gone over...>
and I would have thought if it was Ich the Regal Tang would be showing signs.
<Likely so>
I have had the Majestic and Blueface for around 18 months and the Emperor for 6 months so really do not want them to die.
<... sampling, 'scope use... The only means of effectively ascertaining what you're dealing with here. Perhaps pay for a download (on Amazon) of Ed Noga's Fish Treatment book for background and SOPs>
Any ideas please as I am stuck for a reason.
<A bit more reading>
Thank you in advance, Adam.
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Marine Monogenea/Trematodes 2/8/11
Hi,
<Hi there>
I work at a tropical fish store in North San Diego, Ca.
<Oh, Tri?! Am in Mira Mesa, land o' fish head eaters m'self>
We frequently have problems with a fluke or Trematode I believe, in our marine fish only system, but it is not digenetic, nor is it species or genus specific.
<Unusual>
Copper treatments do not kill them,
<Not unusual>
and they are extremely hard to see unless on the eyes of fish.
Freshwater dips cause them to turn translucent/cream white and start to fall off in about 30 seconds.
<I'd add a bit of formalin, aeration...>
Some fish, especially large angelfish of the genus Pomacanthus sometimes come in from Indonesian trans-shipments with upwards of 500-1000 of these pests on one large fish, coming from the gills, eyes, from under scales, and covering pectoral and caudal fins completely in some cases.
<Have seen such>
Specimens that are infested this badly often die within 48-72 hours after dip unless hospitalized in a strong solution of "Bifuran" by Hikari (Nitrofurazone) or sometimes we use formaldehyde or malachite green. The store is hard to maintain, but I am fairly adept at recognizing the signs that a fish may need treatment, and there are several fish which are not affected, but many which are surprisingly small or fine scaled, are.
<Mmm, I'd avail myself of a workable Anthelminthic... Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/fshwrmdisflukef.htm and the linked FAQs files above>
My problem, and the reason I am contacting you, is that I am currently keeping a 40 gallon mixed/SPS dominant reef tank. Specs: 40 gallon display, 29 gallon sump, highly overrated protein skimmer, large cryptic/dark zone with profuse sponge growth, vertex pro bio pellets running in an Eheim canister, 9.5 Mag return, lighting; 70watt metal halide, 24 one watt l.e.d.'s and two 24watt T5-HO bulbs. I have a 2" sand bed of fine grain and about 25lbs. live rock. I am housing several clams and 30+ LPS and SPS. The only "soft" corals are Palythoa, Dendronephthya, Ricordea florida, and a very nice blue Clavularia sp. I also keep a healthy colony of Haliclona sp. sponge and several other cryptic spp. of sponges, ascidians and tunicates that I have collected from the sumps of the invert system over the years.
What I am getting at is that I don't want to tear apart my poor reef, but I have an infestation of these Trematodes or whatever they are, on fish which I didn't think they would normally infect. I am currently keeping one Opistognathus aurifrons, one Liopropoma swalesi, one Synchiropus splendidus, one Synchiropus picturatus, several Trimnas and Eviota gobies, two Nemateleotris magnifica, one N. decora, one Elacatinus oceanops and two Discordipinna griessingeri. I am also housing various inverts (obviously), but I do not keep cleaner shrimp.
<Mmmm>
So far, the Jawfish, all three Firefish and the neon goby all have "bugs" and I am positive they are suffering the same infestation the fish store is. The only one I can easily catch is the neon goby (they swim into the net or your hand!). I don't see any possible way for me to catch the Jawfish or Firefish without tearing down my aquarium in order to administer freshwater dips.
Will "PraziPro" help, and if so, what will it kill in my reef? Any other suggestions?
<The Prazi might help... but can be toxic... I'd remove the fishes (yes, even if you have to take the tank apart) and treat elsewhere>
Thanks in advance for any advice or help you can give!
~Patrick R. Laird
Parameters:
Specific Gravity: 1.023
Temp.: 76-78
P.H.: 8.1-8.3
Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:0-5ppm
Phosphate:0-5ppm
Calcium: maintained at 420-480ppm
Alkalinity: maintained above 7 DKH but never able to bring above 8.5DKH
Magnesium: 1280
I change 8 gallons once a week with water made from reef crystals and R.O. water, mixed and heated to same specific gravity and temp. as tank.
<Mmm, did I meet you at DonW's do a couple years back? Bob Fenner>
Re: Marine Monogenea/Trematodes 2/8/11
Yes, Tri-City. I did meet you at Don's, about 6 years ago. I was 18 or 19 and had probably been in the marine hobby for less than a year. Don helped me out a lot back then by pointing me in the direction of people who understood things well, and he also gave me some great deals on used equipment for my first
reef tank. He passed away recently, I'm sorry to say.
<Ahh! Don was my (4277 Taylor St.) employer in the late 60's. A major influence in the trade back then>
Thanks for your help, I am going to hope the critters can hang on until I move, in about 2 months and treat them all then. In the meantime, have you observed any benefit of adding a prophylactic? Like Marine "fishkeeper" or Napthoquinone?
<I have not, nor heard/read consistent reliable accounts of their efficacy.
Cheers, BobF>
Thanks again,
Patrick

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>

Flukes? 2/25/03 Hi!<Hey Steve! Phil here!> I think my fish have flukes.<Oh no.. not good.> They get white things on them, Head & sides. I give them a fresh water dip & see these white things stretch out like worms & jump off. I have already lost most fish. they start hiding & breathing hard & die. I think I will lose my last few fish. What I'm wondering is how long I should Leave the tank empty to get rid of them? Will they get on shrimp, crabs or starfish?<These guys are fine.> Thank you! Steve<Well Steve.. I'm glad your dipping your fish in fresh water. But you can't add them back to the main tank right away! Then need to be placed in a hospital tank for at least 4 weeks. The main tank MUST run w/o fish for this amount of time so these fluke-like creatures die off. Remember to place all new livestock/live rock in a hospital tank for at least 4 weeks also to stop any viruses from entering your main tank!! Hope this helps and good luck! Phil>

Wholesale fish to UK and fish gill flukes 6/18/03 Dear Anthony, <cheers, my friend> Just to let you know, I received my fish yesterday. I acclimatized them as I described and yesterday the fish were not looking too good. <common for transshipped specimens... often no worries> This morning however, all the fish are up and swimming around and most are feeding already, which I am very pleased about. <excellent to hear> 1 was sent a cream angel, which was DOA, <a lovely but fragile fish indeed> the 2 convict tangs were large, one DOA the other was in a bad state but has settled well. The clown/Pyjama tangs are doing well, a tad aggressive but not hurting anything. <heehee... typical... bullies> the powder blue tangs are very good, around 5", very full body and bright in colour. the other fish I received were Scott's fairy wrasse. these are doing very well, lovely little fish. <quite challenging to keep... requires a very high quality diet. And likely a tank with no tangs, clowns, damsels or active/aggressive feeders> I was wondering if I could ask your advice again? <always welcome my friend> in another tank I have an Addis butterfly, gold ring butterfly, Auriga butterfly and a baby epaulette shark. <interesting> I have noticed the butterflies have been flicking their heads against the rock work and shaking a lot. <yes... AKA "glancing". Indicative of gill irritation. Most often caused by water quality or actual parasites on the gills as you would expect> I have treated with various treatments as I am sure that it is a parasite/flukes. <quite commonly> I have used Myxazin (don't know if you have it over there-it is a Waterlife product), removed the fish and tried copper, and now have resulted in MelaFix. <I can assure you that Melafix is a complete waste of time/money if they are flukes. > can you suggest any other treatment other than a freshwater dip (as I am not confident enough to carry this out-I know it is easy and have done it before but I don't like doing it) the main problem is the shark and I don't want this to spread as I want to add some of my stock to the tanks once conditioned. the Addis butterfly (my pride and joy) has scraped against the decor so hard that it has broken the scales and they are reddening. <do consider a Formalin treatment... long bath on the tank or stronger dose in a dip. Methylene blue may be added cautiously/judiciously> this is my favourite fish and was difficult to obtain. other than this there are no other external signs on the fish. Any suggestions would be gratefully received! <the shark really jams things up here... it is sensitive to metals and organic dyes as well as lower salinity which all would help your primary treatment with Formalin. It would be best to remove the shark for a 4 week isolation period... unless this tank is not bare bottomed in which case it should not be medicated at all. Leave the shark and pull all others to QT> thanks again, and I hope you can answer, thank you for giving up your time. Regards, Sam Baker <best of luck, my friend! Anthony>