We just had an outbreak of flukes in our koi pond...unfortunately killed some of our largest koi but we are in the second round of Prazi and then our vet told us to also salt the pond. I am hoping we saved the five we have left. Your videos are great! Thank you for posting them. :))
I'm based in Perth, Western Australia. We have representatives in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Townsville. Overseas, we have representatives in Hong Kong and London (UK). thefishvet.com.au
Its relaxing watching those kind of fish swim around. Pretty sad that these parasites are killing and harming fish. I was out fishing one day and I caught this fish that had the worst case of something wrong with its gills. I could tell that it didn't have much more time to live. It made me sad.
I have no exotic vet that deals with fish anywhere near me. I have tried every medication API gen cure, Prazipro, coppersafe, even natural meds, aquarium salt….nothing has worked for over 2 months. Cove followed manufacturer instructions and I can’t get rid of them. The flashing has gotten so bad for some of them, that my poor Mickey Mouse Platy has some pretty deep lesions near her gills along with a few others (not as deep). It’s heartbreaking and becoming expensive. I even upgraded to a much bigger tank and bigger filter and heater to help with better living conditions. Don’t know what to do from here 😔
Awsome channel.... very informative..... i do have a question for you though... can i use formaldehyde on its own in my koi pond before doing a fluke treatment? Ive scraped and found flukes and been recommended to use potassium permagenate and hydrogen peroxide fist to strip back the mucus.... BUT i dont like the sound of pp plus ive only just got my filters mature i dont want to kill all my good bacterier.... any info on using formaldehyde woild be great Thanks
I noticed the price of praziquantel is significantly higher when it's marketed as a fish product rather than a non-fish tapework product like for dogs or any other pet. (quantities and dosages factored in). Is there any reason why these formulations can't be substituted, where praziquantel is the only listed ingredient? Perhaps there's many fish medicines which are found cheaper when marketed differently.
Some formulations of medicines are made to be delivered to the patient a certain way. Praziquantel is poorly soluble in water, so the tablets made as oral treatment for dogs may not be suitable as in-water treatments for fish.
Thanks for the video. I have been battling flukes in my 90g African Cichlid tank. Got all new fish, one had it, then another got it. Telltale sign being headshaking and flashing. Treated with general cure, heavy salt, and put the temp at 84 Fahrenheit. I also fed them medicated food(general cure soaked)It’s been about a month and today I noticed the same fish starting the same symptoms. Would you recommend treating with something different? Does increased temps and salt help?
Same thing here. I’ve tried everything even Ick-X thinking maybe it’s Ick and not flukes though I don’t see anything on their scales and nothing is working. I’ve lost 4 fish this past week and been going through this battle actually a little over two months now. What did you do in the end? Did they make it?
Hello Dr. Loh. I am reaching out to you because we don't have a fish doctor in the country (Netherlands) as far as I can see. I am very worried about one of my goldfish. I have two jumbo lionhead oranda with short tails, one male and one female. They're both one year old and live in my 180 L aquarium. My question is regarding the wen. When i looked at the male this morning, everything looked perfectly fine. I proceeded with hand feeding them gel-food. The male was so eager to eat that he extended his mouth so much that the wen got stuck above his mouth. The wen was usually nicely rounded down towards his upper lip, but it seemingly "slid" upwards and got out of position. It looks like the wen is stretching over the protruding bone "bump" under the nose. This bump you often see when they "yawn". The pressure of the stretching wen is forcing the upper jaw outwards a little so that he now looks like he has an overbite and a duck-shaped mouth. Since then he has been very inactive and only hovers over the bottom. He was up until this incident very active, curious and energetic. The difference in behaviour is like day and night, so it's obvious something is not right. What to I need to do? Is there a way to get his wen and jaw back in position?
Excellent video! Are you able to comment on the effectiveness of prazi vs trichlorfon vs formalin vs KMnO4 in 26 to 28 degrees at treating Gill flukes, and particularly if the fish is struggling in more advanced disease, with the flukes well in the gill arch.
Hi Jeremy, good questions. Many factors come into deciding which medicines, or combinations of medicines to use. They include water parameters (particularly water temperature, pH, DO, salinity, amount of organic material present), tank set up, fish species, severity of disease and if there are concurrent diseases. A quick summary: Praziquantel is the medicine most targeted against flukes and hence it is the safest for the fish. Trichlorfon has a narrow safety margin and must be used with care. Formalin has the broadest spectrum, but since it reduces dissolved oxygen, it's not recommended for use in fish with severe gill disease or at water temperatures above 27degC. PP dosing is fiddly, requiring the maintenance of active pink colouration for 4-8hours, but not to overdose. Note: None of these or other medicines are effective against the egg stage of gill flukes, so repeat treatments are necessary, with the timing of repeats influenced by the water temperature.
@@thefishdoctor8746 thanks, Richmond, I wasn't too sure about Formalin's activity against Gill flukes. There is some debate, including in Dr Gerald Bassleer's text books. Please correct me, but I imagine that when there's gill damage, potassium permanganate is an even worse idea?
Dr can you please tell me how to treat Slime Disease if tried all types of meds including Levamosole HCI now I'm trying Maracyn 2 and I think it's helped a little, I'm in Miami FL USA and thought I'd ask you thank you! I breed Fancy Swordtails 😁🌿
Hi, great videos. I have 2 koi with very swollen lips. I have been treating the pond with Blagdon all in one parasite, bacterial and fungal organism treatment. But it doesn't seem to be working.
That's unusual. Could be hypersensitivity, trauma or carp pox or other things. Best to get it checked out by your vet, and also take biopsies for histology testing.
Yes they would but they may flash for many other reasons. If it's shortly after feeding then it might be due to an ammonia spike. But they will also flash when most parasites are bothering them.
just wish vets in the UK would take an interest in stuff like this! unless you are a fish farmer it's impossible to get a fish vet! so it's hard to get targeted treatment that requires a vet by law, We can only get Generalised ones from fish stores that OFTEN do not work or do more harm then good from being the WRONG treatment.
Hello sir I have 4 molly fishes. One of the white albino molly fishes has yellow film on his body especially the gills, I think it's velvet disease or gill flukes. I am really not sure. He gasps on the surface of the water as well. And the second one has recently developed a red spot on his head. I'm really worried about them. What can be done? Please help.
To get a better idea of your problem, you may wish to post with pictures or videos in our VISITOR post section on our other Facebook page - tinyurl.com/thefishdoctor-facebook
Hi Dr Loh. I seem to have the same issue in my Tilapia hatchery. I have struggled to find information on safe and effective dosage amounts for Tilapia fry/fingerlings. Do you have any insight on this which could help with my problem?
Yes I searched it (NaCi) or sodium chloride, (Dose: 5-10mg/liter of aquarium water; 10gm/L for 1-2 hours or 5gm/L for 5-7 days). Never overdose salt I only use salt for sick, stressed fish and for osmoregulatory balance.
Hello, I am having problems with ich. I tried every solution so far but it is not going away. Now I am trying to use salts to kill ich. Do you know any effective treatment. I tried ich guard and ich super cure
I have an Oscar who recently got put into a 3ft tank from a smaller grow out tank. After she was put in she spooked and hit her head on a piece if wood and now has a laceration on her face. It isn’t impinging her eye or lips and she’s swimming normally and eating, there’s just a flap of tissue there doing nothing. Would it be worth anaesthetising and doing the procedure to tidy up that flap or would it be recommended to leave it alone?
Dr. Loh will you please do a video on how to euthanize most humanely?? I know that this is the most unpleasant part of pet ownership but fish are different than cats and dogs - we can't exactly take them to the vet to stay goodbye, and the only other way I know of is chopping the head - but I feel horrible about doing that, as does every other fish pet owner. Please brave this subject in a video for us. It is so hard for pet owners, especially water pets, because there are so few vets who are qualified to do this, also because a fish may cost $2.50 to buy, like a guppy, but just the basic office visit for a vet, not including the euthansia, is $30.00 if you're lucky, to $70.00 on average. That is unaffordable for most. Please do a video on this, on how we know if the pet isn't going to survive, on the emotional aspects of euthanasia, and anything else you can think of, like how we can do it humanely if we do not have the money to pay a vet to do it. I know this is a hard topic, but I believe in you, Dr. Loh, because you are always so kind and gentle with the fish. I have a little farm, and many of my goats and horses and fish are senior, or old aged, and I try to help others understand that euthanasia is a beautiful gift you give your pet so they do not suffer any more. Please do a video on this, Dr. Loh. It's a hard video, but I trust you for it. Your friend in the USA, with land pets and water pets, Samantha Marie
I've heard of that & have seen RUclips videos about that. But I wonder how it works - does it consciously suffocate them or is it numbing to them? How exactly does it work? I think it would be a good topic for Dr Loh to do a video on.
Praziquantel will not adversely affect your biofilter. If anything, the biofilter may consume the medicine as a carbon source, reducing the efficacy of the drug.
Hey man been a subscriber for a while I'm trying to identify something killing me group of female bettas the first become lethargic then stop eating and eventually start pineconing their poop is clear and the don't necessarily show stress stripes but my latest betta Katana has lost some scales despite there being nothing to damage herself on (large planted tank in heated room) I have isolated all fish I can and have tried looking online for instruction but I'm not in america so there is little to nothing available to treat with and certainly not the things you seem to use
@@Sirkamisori I have a test kit and already tested ph ammonia nitrite and nitrate they're all good and yes they did get dropsy (pineconing)towards the end but it's not the course it's a symptom of whatever parasite (it is a parasite because clear poop) is coursing the problem I'm hoping to diagnose it and find something that can treat it hopefully someth used as medicine for not only fish and so are available like garlic and epsom salts
@@Silver_Stream goodluck, this must be very worrisome for you. Maybe someone could dhl you some parasite meds to try?? There is a natural betta fix for skin and fin issues that contains Melaleuca0.2%, sorta like tee tree oil... The almond leaf tannins helps. Where are you located? The bacterial and parasite remedies i have at home should be able to be shipped. They are not pressurized. Can you order them online? Do you want me to ship you some? I live in Maryland. Let me know.
@@aquadesignsbymlt4769 thank you for the kind offer but I live approximately 14100 kilometres away and could not ask that from you do you think tee tree oil may help? I haven't heard of it thanks for the pointer i'll do some research on it
I wish i had a fish doctor in my area. When something goes wrong in my aquarium it just becomes a guessing game. Keep the videos coming Doc!
Big Boy I agree.
So glad that you are putting out videos more often :) Very good content as always Doc :)
Dr Loh is the best! Seems like such a nice guy. Thanks for sharing your knowledge
I find your explanations easy to understand. Thank you!
It's great to see a more in depth video 🙌
Thank you for changing your intro/outro music! I found that music to be annoying! Good video and great that you are publishing more frequently.
We just had an outbreak of flukes in our koi pond...unfortunately killed some of our largest koi but we are in the second round of Prazi and then our vet told us to also salt the pond. I am hoping we saved the five we have left. Your videos are great! Thank you for posting them. :))
Great service to the fish community. Where are you based if you don't mind me asking?
I'm based in Perth, Western Australia. We have representatives in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Townsville. Overseas, we have representatives in Hong Kong and London (UK).
thefishvet.com.au
Love your videos.Really helpful information to us hobbyist.
sir will you pls share your journey with us that how you became a fish vet and doing such an awsome job
Always got a bottle of prazi pro in the fish cupboard flukes seem to come out of nowhere sometimes and appear when you least expect it!
Thank you for this information, i saw one on my bluegills fin and panicked because it refused to eat
Very interesting, nice work
Thank you for a very educational video?
I think you are amazing . A great career .
Great video .Thank you.
Its relaxing watching those kind of fish swim around. Pretty sad that these parasites are killing and harming fish. I was out fishing one day and I caught this fish that had the worst case of something wrong with its gills. I could tell that it didn't have much more time to live. It made me sad.
Hellow doctor!! I want to study about fish disease so please recommend about professional books. Thank you for your help!!!
See thefishvet.com/2014/04/04/some-of-the-fish-books-you-can-trust-because-they-are-written-by-veterinarians-for-veterinarians/
Is a piece of flesh being pulled from the gill, or is it being scraped?
I have no exotic vet that deals with fish anywhere near me. I have tried every medication API gen cure, Prazipro, coppersafe, even natural meds, aquarium salt….nothing has worked for over 2 months. Cove followed manufacturer instructions and I can’t get rid of them. The flashing has gotten so bad for some of them, that my poor Mickey Mouse Platy has some pretty deep lesions near her gills along with a few others (not as deep). It’s heartbreaking and becoming expensive. I even upgraded to a much bigger tank and bigger filter and heater to help with better living conditions. Don’t know what to do from here 😔
Awsome channel.... very informative..... i do have a question for you though... can i use formaldehyde on its own in my koi pond before doing a fluke treatment?
Ive scraped and found flukes and been recommended to use potassium permagenate and hydrogen peroxide fist to strip back the mucus.... BUT i dont like the sound of pp plus ive only just got my filters mature i dont want to kill all my good bacterier.... any info on using formaldehyde woild be great
Thanks
I noticed the price of praziquantel is significantly higher when it's marketed as a fish product rather than a non-fish tapework product like for dogs or any other pet. (quantities and dosages factored in). Is there any reason why these formulations can't be substituted, where praziquantel is the only listed ingredient? Perhaps there's many fish medicines which are found cheaper when marketed differently.
Some formulations of medicines are made to be delivered to the patient a certain way. Praziquantel is poorly soluble in water, so the tablets made as oral treatment for dogs may not be suitable as in-water treatments for fish.
Use garlic as well
Thanks for the video. I have been battling flukes in my 90g African Cichlid tank. Got all new fish, one had it, then another got it. Telltale sign being headshaking and flashing. Treated with general cure, heavy salt, and put the temp at 84 Fahrenheit. I also fed them medicated food(general cure soaked)It’s been about a month and today I noticed the same fish starting the same symptoms. Would you recommend treating with something different? Does increased temps and salt help?
Same thing here. I’ve tried everything even Ick-X thinking maybe it’s Ick and not flukes though I don’t see anything on their scales and nothing is working. I’ve lost 4 fish this past week and been going through this battle actually a little over two months now. What did you do in the end? Did they make it?
how do you sterilize your equipment after usage? Nets , instruments etc...
I spray with virkon solution
Hello Dr. Loh. I am reaching out to you because we don't have a fish doctor in the country (Netherlands) as far as I can see. I am very worried about one of my goldfish. I have two jumbo lionhead oranda with short tails, one male and one female. They're both one year old and live in my 180 L aquarium. My question is regarding the wen. When i looked at the male this morning, everything looked perfectly fine. I proceeded with hand feeding them gel-food. The male was so eager to eat that he extended his mouth so much that the wen got stuck above his mouth. The wen was usually nicely rounded down towards his upper lip, but it seemingly "slid" upwards and got out of position. It looks like the wen is stretching over the protruding bone "bump" under the nose. This bump you often see when they "yawn". The pressure of the stretching wen is forcing the upper jaw outwards a little so that he now looks like he has an overbite and a duck-shaped mouth. Since then he has been very inactive and only hovers over the bottom. He was up until this incident very active, curious and energetic. The difference in behaviour is like day and night, so it's obvious something is not right. What to I need to do? Is there a way to get his wen and jaw back in position?
Don't encourage breeders of fancies by buying them. It's inhuman their organs are tightly squished in a tiny body
what is the interval for prazi treatment if the water temp is 30 degree celcius? ho to determine? thanks
Thanks Doc. I think i need a microscope. 🔬
Excellent video! Are you able to comment on the effectiveness of prazi vs trichlorfon vs formalin vs KMnO4 in 26 to 28 degrees at treating Gill flukes, and particularly if the fish is struggling in more advanced disease, with the flukes well in the gill arch.
Hi Jeremy,
good questions.
Many factors come into deciding which medicines, or combinations of medicines to use. They include water parameters (particularly water temperature, pH, DO, salinity, amount of organic material present), tank set up, fish species, severity of disease and if there are concurrent diseases.
A quick summary:
Praziquantel is the medicine most targeted against flukes and hence it is the safest for the fish. Trichlorfon has a narrow safety margin and must be used with care. Formalin has the broadest spectrum, but since it reduces dissolved oxygen, it's not recommended for use in fish with severe gill disease or at water temperatures above 27degC. PP dosing is fiddly, requiring the maintenance of active pink colouration for 4-8hours, but not to overdose.
Note: None of these or other medicines are effective against the egg stage of gill flukes, so repeat treatments are necessary, with the timing of repeats influenced by the water temperature.
@@thefishdoctor8746 thanks, Richmond, I wasn't too sure about Formalin's activity against Gill flukes. There is some debate, including in Dr Gerald Bassleer's text books.
Please correct me, but I imagine that when there's gill damage, potassium permanganate is an even worse idea?
doctor can they remain inside the fish tank? even after the fish has died... can they live in the water without the fish??
Is Prazipro the medication used?
Clem Mahabir Same thing
thanks!
Was the bloat / dropsy of the goldfish caused by the flukes?
Have lost of fishes frome my tank like that need to knw what other treatment can I use of I dont have the one u have
Do you notice after you treat with prazi the fish flash more? I treated tonight with prazi and my fish have flashed alot at first.
Dr can you please tell me how to treat Slime Disease if tried all types of meds including Levamosole HCI now I'm trying Maracyn 2 and I think it's helped a little, I'm in Miami FL USA and thought I'd ask you thank you! I breed Fancy Swordtails 😁🌿
Hi, great videos. I have 2 koi with very swollen lips. I have been treating the pond with Blagdon all in one parasite, bacterial and fungal organism treatment. But it doesn't seem to be working.
That's unusual. Could be hypersensitivity, trauma or carp pox or other things. Best to get it checked out by your vet, and also take biopsies for histology testing.
@@thefishdoctor8746 thanks for the quick response. If it's carp pox does that mean no cure ?
Dr Loh if fish are flashing and scratching is that typically flukes? What else could that be a symptom of? Thank you from california 😀
Fish rub/flash to scratch off an irritant, which are most commonly due to any of the range of external parasites.
How could I communicate with you doc? I have something to show you
Would fish flash onto tank decoration if they had Gill flukes, I have corydoras that flash infrequently.
You can search up some problems that have flashing as a symptom online and find a result very quickly
Yes they would but they may flash for many other reasons. If it's shortly after feeding then it might be due to an ammonia spike. But they will also flash when most parasites are bothering them.
just wish vets in the UK would take an interest in stuff like this! unless you are a fish farmer it's impossible to get a fish vet! so it's hard to get targeted treatment that requires a vet by law, We can only get Generalised ones from fish stores that OFTEN do not work or do more harm then good from being the WRONG treatment.
Check us out at thefishvet.co.uk
Hello sir
I have 4 molly fishes. One of the white albino molly fishes has yellow film on his body especially the gills, I think it's velvet disease or gill flukes. I am really not sure. He gasps on the surface of the water as well. And the second one has recently developed a red spot on his head. I'm really worried about them. What can be done? Please help.
To get a better idea of your problem, you may wish to post with pictures or videos in our VISITOR post section on our other Facebook page - tinyurl.com/thefishdoctor-facebook
Hi Dr Loh. I seem to have the same issue in my Tilapia hatchery. I have struggled to find information on safe and effective dosage amounts for Tilapia fry/fingerlings.
Do you have any insight on this which could help with my problem?
How to diagnose I had a few fish flash a twice then completely stopped flashing
We demonstrate the use of microscopy for our diagnoses.
The Fish Doctor ok so is feeding praziquantel will treat the Flukes or does it have to be dosed in the tank
Can you teat gill fluke with salt?
Yes I searched it (NaCi) or sodium chloride, (Dose: 5-10mg/liter of aquarium water; 10gm/L for 1-2 hours or 5gm/L for 5-7 days). Never overdose salt I only use salt for sick, stressed fish and for osmoregulatory balance.
Hello, I am having problems with ich. I tried every solution so far but it is not going away. Now I am trying to use salts to kill ich. Do you know any effective treatment. I tried ich guard and ich super cure
Stick to veterinary advice there is literally a video dedicated for this in this channel and yes salt plus temper water equaals ich is fucked
I have an Oscar who recently got put into a 3ft tank from a smaller grow out tank. After she was put in she spooked and hit her head on a piece if wood and now has a laceration on her face. It isn’t impinging her eye or lips and she’s swimming normally and eating, there’s just a flap of tissue there doing nothing. Would it be worth anaesthetising and doing the procedure to tidy up that flap or would it be recommended to leave it alone?
👍👍👍
Dr. Loh will you please do a video on how to euthanize most humanely?? I know that this is the most unpleasant part of pet ownership but fish are different than cats and dogs - we can't exactly take them to the vet to stay goodbye, and the only other way I know of is chopping the head - but I feel horrible about doing that, as does every other fish pet owner. Please brave this subject in a video for us. It is so hard for pet owners, especially water pets, because there are so few vets who are qualified to do this, also because a fish may cost $2.50 to buy, like a guppy, but just the basic office visit for a vet, not including the euthansia, is $30.00 if you're lucky, to $70.00 on average. That is unaffordable for most.
Please do a video on this, on how we know if the pet isn't going to survive, on the emotional aspects of euthanasia, and anything else you can think of, like how we can do it humanely if we do not have the money to pay a vet to do it. I know this is a hard topic, but I believe in you, Dr. Loh, because you are always so kind and gentle with the fish. I have a little farm, and many of my goats and horses and fish are senior, or old aged, and I try to help others understand that euthanasia is a beautiful gift you give your pet so they do not suffer any more. Please do a video on this, Dr. Loh. It's a hard video, but I trust you for it.
Your friend in the USA, with land pets and water pets,
Samantha Marie
try clove oil if your looking for a solution, its been the best method i found so far.
I've heard of that & have seen RUclips videos about that. But I wonder how it works - does it consciously suffocate them or is it numbing to them? How exactly does it work? I think it would be a good topic for Dr Loh to do a video on.
Tell me medicine name
Alfa fish & poultry Praziquel or Also could be Prazipro
Does praziquantel kill your beneficial bacteria in the tank? Will it kill your cycle? Should I remove all filter media or just the carbon?
Praziquantel will not adversely affect your biofilter. If anything, the biofilter may consume the medicine as a carbon source, reducing the efficacy of the drug.
Hey man been a subscriber for a while I'm trying to identify something killing me group of female bettas the first become lethargic then stop eating and eventually start pineconing their poop is clear and the don't necessarily show stress stripes but my latest betta Katana has lost some scales despite there being nothing to damage herself on (large planted tank in heated room) I have isolated all fish I can and have tried looking online for instruction but I'm not in america so there is little to nothing available to treat with and certainly not the things you seem to use
Dropsy?
Sounds like dropsy to me. Its probably the water quality
@@Sirkamisori I have a test kit and already tested ph ammonia nitrite and nitrate they're all good and yes they did get dropsy (pineconing)towards the end but it's not the course it's a symptom of whatever parasite (it is a parasite because clear poop) is coursing the problem I'm hoping to diagnose it and find something that can treat it hopefully someth used as medicine for not only fish and so are available like garlic and epsom salts
@@Silver_Stream goodluck, this must be very worrisome for you. Maybe someone could dhl you some parasite meds to try?? There is a natural betta fix for skin and fin issues that contains Melaleuca0.2%, sorta like tee tree oil... The almond leaf tannins helps. Where are you located? The bacterial and parasite remedies i have at home should be able to be shipped. They are not pressurized. Can you order them online? Do you want me to ship you some? I live in Maryland. Let me know.
@@aquadesignsbymlt4769 thank you for the kind offer but I live approximately 14100 kilometres away and could not ask that from you
do you think tee tree oil may help? I haven't heard of it thanks for the pointer i'll do some research on it
@ 6:40 it looks like an evil ghost face!!!