gill Fluke's or Ich?

[Lupin]

Iodine is a non-issue. Why people still freak over this for nothing is beyond me. The concentration level of iodine is regulated by the FDA. It takes a very high amount of iodine to kill a fish. The irony of this is we still use iodine solution or mercurochrome for swabs and even if it seeps into the water (because it naturally does), the fish will not be bothered by that. I've done swabs and use iodized table salt myself with no issues. This is proven fact. The iodine in small concentrations cannot kill a fish.

The only table salt you want to avoid is one containing yellow prussiate or ferrous cyanide. Exposure to sunlight can cause this substance to generate a toxic substance, hydrogen cyanide which can potentially kill your fish.

There are plenty of suggestions here for "anti parasite" meds. Which one exactly is being recommended??? All anti-parasite meds vary and several do not even treat for flukes. You need prazi and 0.3% salt just fine. It will cover both suspected flukes and ich. Prazi is the gentlest anti-fluke med there is. Your other alternatives are fenbendazole or flubendazole.

What is your planned dosing schedule, Megalops?

 

[megalops///]

Iodine is a non-issue. Why people still freak over this for nothing is beyond me. The concentration level of iodine is regulated by the FDA. It takes a very high amount of iodine to kill a fish. The irony of this is we still use iodine solution or mercurochrome for swabs and even if it seeps into the water (because it naturally does), the fish will not be bothered by that. I've done swabs and use iodized table salt myself with no issues. This is proven fact. The iodine in small concentrations cannot kill a fish.

The only table salt you want to avoid is one containing yellow prussiate or ferrous cyanide. Exposure to sunlight can cause this substance to generate a toxic substance, hydrogen cyanide which can potentially kill your fish.

There are plenty of suggestions here for "anti parasite" meds. Which one exactly is being recommended??? All anti-parasite meds vary and several do not even treat for flukes. You need prazi and 0.3% salt just fine. It will cover both suspected flukes and ich. Prazi is the gentlest anti-fluke med there is. Your other alternatives are fenbendazole or flubendazole.

What is your planned dosing schedule, Megalops?

Thanks for checking in Lupin. I was hoping you'd stop by.

I'm doing the 0.3% solution right now. I'll add another 30 teaspoons in the morning, then I'll add the prazi pro. And before that I'm going to check the parameters and do another 30% water change. Then play the waiting game.

Also, I've tried feeding them Hikari blood worms...only one pigs out, the others will bite it then spit it out. They didn't even touch the frozen mysis shrimp. I tried flakes to no avail. And they didn't like the baby sized hikari cichlid gold either. Tomorrow I'm going to try some of the other hikari freeze dried products. I know they like ghost shrimp. But that's not an option right now. Any suggestions?

 

[vaine111]

I feed mine frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and chopped up raw shrimp till it basically looks like a puree. I have never seen my dats grab anything freeze dried(but I have only tried krill) besides some plankton that I had to use up and that was only the first feeding after that they didn't eat it.
I was having problems with my bigger dats that I purchased from a friend flicking at their gills and I used coppersafe for a month and no more flicking. Alot of people say that they will do it occasonally from time to time but I don't think that is the case, if it was then why haven't mine done it in 2 months as compared to everyday before hand. Flukes can stay in a host for a long time before any symptoms are noticed and usually when you do notice it's already too late. Good luck with the dats, keep the parameters good and use caution with new tankmates and you should have them for a long time.

 

[Lupin]

Add garlic juice on the foods I think. This is one way to entice your fish to eat.

 

[brianp]

There is probably nothing wrong with your dats, other than the fact that there is something about your water chemistry that is irritating their gills. Dats are notorious for this behavior and this means that they are probably sensitive to something like nitrates. Mine did it for years even though I felt that my water chemistry was fine. It largely ceased when I implemented a more frequent wc regimen. Mine still do it a bit during and immediately after a water change. My suggestion is that you do nothing more than increase your wc frequency and dechlorinate with a slight excess of something like Prime to bind and hopefully detoxify (inactivate) various nitrogenous compounds which your fish may find irritating. It may also be the pH, alone or in combination with something like nitrate. I would recommend against adding meds or playing with the temp. I can tell you without hesitation that there is a very high probability that this is water chemistry related.