Discus Gill fLukes- How to treat them
In Discus fish, gill flukes are quite common – particularly in the fishes that are younger in age. When there are flukes on gills, the fish will breathe heavily. They make an attempt to scratch on objects that are present in fish tanks, and try to scrape and flick themselves – thus trying to get rid of the itchy symptoms. The gills might be flared. The fish might turn dark in color and attempt to stay far from other discus fishes. The head of the discus might point down at an angle of 45°. This is a bacterial disease.
Best Treatments for Discus Gill Flukes
Wormer Plus
This is a medicine based on Flubendazole which is effective against a variety of discus infections including discus gill flukes, intestinal helminthes and body flukes. You can use it at any water temperature. It will not cause harm to other tropical fish or plants inside the aquarium. When you use this medication on a monthly basis it will ensure that no worm are present in your discus fish and in your fish tank. It does not harm discus or even other fishes in any way. Wormer Plus should be used as a monthly preventative measure. It will make sure that worms and parasites are minimized as much as possible.
Formalin
It has been proven to be effective for the treatment of external and gill parasites. Formaldehyde is found to be sold as Formalin in pet stores, and in a mix with dye as Rid Iccanh and Quick Cure, or can be bought online. Try a dose of 1 ml or 1 cc in 10 gallons of water. Try a change of 50% water eight hours after the addition of Formalin. Do not increase the temperature. As oxygen is depleted by Formalin. Makes sure to add an additional air pump to increase the oxygen levels in the tank. In case you observe any improvement following the first dose, such as easier breathing or less scratching, you may continue the treatment every alternate day for 2 weeks. Dose the entire aquarium. The bio-filter might be affected by the formalin.
Potassium Permanganate
You can use it along with fluke tabs. While administering treatment, ensure that you repeat its use in 2 – 4 week intervals even after recovery, so as to stop any larva that has survived and which might lead to a relapse of the gill flukes in your Discus fish.
Gill flukes are very common in discus fish and can be fatal if not treated quickly and properly.
