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 Marine Fish Copper Resistant Trematodes

Resistant Trematodes!

Recently, I had been called to see some marine fish in a retail store that were wasting away, with excessive mucus production and a preferential pounding of Surgeons, Butterflies and Clowns.

Microscopy revealed a fluke, almost definitely monogenetic, probably of the species Microcotyle.

The fluke was causing respiratory signs, and peeling, and no other parasites could be recovered, as the fish were maintained in 0.2 ppm copper, vigilantly monitored.

These flukes, or Monogenetic Trematodes, were most numerous on the gills, although some could be scraped from the gill plate, and pectorals.

The most devastatingly covered fish were the Blue Surgeons.

Marine Trematodes, (Monogenetic), can cause severe losses in marine fish. The species I have recovered this parasite from most include Blue Surgeons, Yellow Tangs, and Anemone fish. The gills are excellent places to look. The damage done to the fish is primarily epithelial, in the skin, and causes such damage that the fishes' skin peels and the fish loses proteins and fluids through the skin defects. Worse, Monogentic Trematodes are NOT sensitive to copper, which is why many folks facing this disease begin to panic when copper fails to clear it.

Control of these parasites is primarily by way of Freshwater dips, (Temp and pH equalized.) Formalin dips have been reportedly effective, but it seems senseless to me to take an animal with an irritated, broken skin and dump it into something as caustic as Formailn.

Treatment of the tank, best when depopulated, is necessary as the young and eggs of these flukes will be found in great number in the substrate. Treatment therein consists of an Organophosphate, like Fenthion or Trichlorfon, at 0.50 ppm (mg/L) and be sure to keep oxygenation to the maximum possible level.

Freshwater dips on the incoming new fish will prevent re-infestation of your system.

Treat the system with Fenthion every week for 3 treatments for best results. Levels up to 1 ppm could be tried.

Biological Test: Anytime you are trying a new medicant, it would be smart to run a biological test, first. Simply set up a remote system, with adequate aeration and filtration, then treat representative fishes at the recommended dose. Success in the remote, usually translates into success overall.

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If you have a koi, pond or fish problem, this site takes you through twenty easy questions and at the end you know what you need to fix in your pond to create restored Koi health.

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Buying Domestic Koi
What does "Domestic" koi mean? Why would you buy that kind? How do you pick good and healthy ones? Who sells them and where do you find the best ones?

Buying Imported Koi
A Japanese or Israeli imported Koi is a beautiful thing. Why would you buy one of those? How do you identify a "good one"? And what kinds are there? Who would you buy one from?

Koi Filtration - Bead
With a little bit of management every week or so, you can have gin clear water in your koi or fish pond. Bead filtration is more than ten years old and defines the state of the art in Koi and pond fish ponds.

Koi Filtration - Natural
Requiring no weekly management but one big yearly overhaul, natural filtration is the easiest there is. Relying on live plants and organic processes, water quality is usually superb. Described and common mistakes illustrated, visit this site!

Koi Food & Feeding
What should you feed your koi? How many times per day? Is Corn really that bad in a Koi diet? What are the most common feeding mistakes people make? What's the best food?

Koi and Pond Hard Goods
So many places these days, are pure ripoffs. Finding a reputable dealer of koi and pond hard goods isn't as easy as you would think but there's ways to tell. The product line should be to-the-point and not contain shams. Who's doing it right? Visit this site!

Finding Reputable Dealers
The fish are only as good as the dealer holding them. Quarantines, guarantees and fish quality all factor in. What to ask, what to see and how to handle your new fish.

Books on Koi Diseases
You will be introduced to Dr Johnson's Koi Health book but also to other books he's reviewed.

Help With Koi Problems
Koi Community rates a variety of forums and message boards on ease of use, friendliness and quality of help. Not all boards are created equal. Not mincing words here.
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