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Hi, I have a 90 gallon community tank and my dojo loach is showing signs of gill flukes. I have this parasite guard but the only fish that is sick is my loach. Should I use a full dose of the parasite guard? Also, it says to remove carbon from filters and remove crustaceans. I have one ghost shrimp. Do you think I should move him if I treat the tank? One more thing, I have noticed some of my other fish scrape on rocks and other objects in the aquarium but that is very rarely I see them do that. Thanks a lot.

before i begin I am not a professional with dojo loaches but, I have taken care of tanks for quite some time, and so i'll give it a try...I would use a full dose of the medicine, because you are treating the tank, not just the fish, and to use a lower dose would be like going to the doctor and him prescribing penicillin and you only taking a half dose each time, because you only have a sinus infection, not the whole body infection. Next remove the ghost shrimp, and put him somewhere else while you are treating the tank, another compatible tank preferably (I don't know how the meds would affect him, but if the directions say remove him, then do), or you could risk it if you want, but I wouldn't Next, yes remove the charcoal medium as it will deactivate, or lessen the strength of the medication being placed in the tank. Your other fish may be coming down with skin flukes, so that is why you would also want to treat the whole tank, and thus why the other fish are scraping some. Hopefully this helps...best of luck, Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Conner, please don't use that product, if you haven't already and especially at full strength with a loach or other scaleless fish.

We've learned alot about a drug called Praziquantel, which is Droncit by brand name - a common dog and cat dewormer. It just so happens to be the number one medication for gill and skin flukes, as well as intestinal worms (less camallanus).

Jungle, who makes the Parasite Guard you bought, also makes a product called Parasite Clear Tank Buddies. Look on the back at the ingredient list and make sure you see Praziquantel. They reformulated the stuff a year ago and did not change the box. The only way you know if you have new stock is to look at the ingredient list for that med.

Praziquantel, at full strength is safe for plants, it is safe for fry and scaleless fish. It may not be effective at lower doses. However, I would remove the shrimp and any other snails or inverts you want to keep. You should be able to keep your plants in there if you have any, however, the Jungle product does contain acriflavine, which could be unfavorable to plants.

Praziquantel is not only the most effective choice for flukes, it is the safest choice of all the meds available. That is why most experts recommend it.

Here's more:

[link=http://www.koivet.com/html/articles/articles_results.php?article_id=198&category=13&search_term=praziquantel]http://www.koivet.com/html/articles/articles_results.php?article_id=198&category=13&search_term=praziquantel" style="COLOR: #C000C0[/link]

These are the only ingredients it says.
Active Ingredients: sodium chloride, trichlorfon, diflubenzuron.
Thanks

Not that it won't work, but the problem is that it needs to be used at half strength with sensitive fish. Any fish without scales is considered sensitive, along with certain tetras.

Hopefully, you'll see by that article by Doc Johnson, the Koivet, that there has been much excitement over the Prazi because it is so much safer and much more effective for flukes and for internal worms.

If you haven't opened it, maybe you can take it back for a refund and get the Parasite Clear Tank Buddies, also by Jungle. Just make sure it has the Prazi in the ingredient list.

Note the difference: Parasite Clear is not equal to Parasite Guard - two different animals. Both are made by Jungle. Any package of Parasite Clear bought needs to be checked to make sure it isn't old stock without the Prazi. When in the store, read the ingredient list and make sure it includes Praziquantel.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 05-Feb-2005 18:26

Yikes, thanks Diane for jumping in, I didn't think of the scaleless fish, and the sensitivity... Listen to Diane, she does know...heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

No problem, Heidi - news of Prazi for flukes hasn't made its way all around yet.

Anytime someone believes their fish have internal worms (white feces, emaciation, vomiting 10 minutes or more after eating, lethargy), or gill/skin flukes, Prazi is the recommended med now.

Below are some ways to get Prazi. Personally, I like straight Prazi and it is available in products like Prazi-Pro, but you have to order it online. Otherwise, Parasite Clear Tank Buddies is the next best choice, but it does contain acriflavine, which works great to keep bite wounds from infecting, but can be bad for plants.

Praziquantel is capable of evacuating several types of intestinal worms in just 4 hours, with a single dose in bath. Feeding is not necessary - the worms just drop out. It does not work for camallanus - red worms that dangle from the vent. That requires levamisol, which is now available in the new Jungle Anti-Parasite Medicated Food.

Pretty cheap here and great article - writer explains how he used it with scaleless fish. It's nice this way as it is already in liquid form. Other forms come in a powder that you make into a slurry then dump in the tank. It's kind of nasty because it doesn't just dissolve. It's there in white balls all over the place, but you pretty much don't see it by the next day.

Prazi-Pro
https://http://www.rockymountaindiscus.com/prazipro.htm

https://www.goldfishconnection.com/shop/details.php?productId=30&catId=21

Parasite Clear Tank Buddies

http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-4224

Praziquantel is also now available in one other source I mentioned above: Jungle Anti-Parasite Medicated Food. It is combined with levamisol and metronazidole for a 1-2-3 punch - a cover all internal parasites.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441806678&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030134&bmUID=1107652337447

Whether fish eat it or not is another story


Last edited by Cory_Di at 05-Feb-2005 19:13