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Dealing with prazi resistant flukes?

Humblefish

NJRC Member
Article Contributor
It's going to happen sooner or later... You treat with Prazipro (or General Cure), wait 5-7 days, do your 25% water change and dose again. And yet flukes remain on the fish. :(

One important step you should take when determining when is the best time to administer the second dose is use this treatment calendar: http://www.marineparasites.com/paratreatmentcal.html

It takes water temperature & salinity into consideration, and provides a more accurate dosing schedule than the generic "5-7 days."

But what if you still have flukes despite following the treatment calendar? Well, if you used API General Cure give Prazipro a try next before moving on to other options. The reason is because General Cure only contains a praziquantel concentration of 2.0 mg/L vs. Prazipro's 2.5 mg/L. To be clear, 2.0 mg/L prazi is considered therapeutic; however Prazipro's "overdosed" 2.5 mg/L concentration is obviously going to be more effective. (If you keep having problems with flukes getting through General Cure, I recommend shaking or rolling the canister to be sure the prazi/metro powder ratio is more evenly distributed.)

What if even Prazipro doesn't get the job done?? Below is a list of alternative treatments for flukes, in order of preference:
  • Fenbendazole: 12 hour bath treatment at 25 mg/L (95 mg/gallon). It would be advisable to transfer the fish into a sterile QT following the bath treatment (to prevent reinfection), and to perform a second bath + transfer 1 week later to eliminate any hatchlings.
  • Hyposalinity for 1 week eliminates both juvenile & adult flukes, and prevents egg hatching.
  • Formalin: 45 minute bath treatment at 0.6 ml per gallon, or 12 drops per gallon. It would be advisable to transfer the fish into a sterile QT following the bath treatment (to prevent reinfection), and to perform a second bath + transfer 1 week later to eliminate any hatchlings.
  • Hydrogen Peroxide (still experimental): 75ppm H2O2 for 30 minutes. To achieve this concentration, dose 0.625 ml of 3% H2O2 per 1 cup of saltwater OR 2.5 ml of 3% H2O2 per 1 liter of saltwater. It would be advisable to transfer the fish into a sterile QT following the bath treatment (to prevent reinfection), and to perform a second bath + transfer 1 week later to eliminate any hatchlings.
The reason I prefer Fenbendazole is because I have yet to see any flukes get through that. It is a PITA to do a 12 hour bath treatment, but Fenbendazole is probably one of the safest medications to use on wrasses and other "prazi sensitive" species. :)
 
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