Treating with Prazi....observations, questions

[Mmathis]

Per a previous thread, I explained about my gill fluke discovery and that I would be treating the pond, QT, and indoor tank with Prazi as a precaution.

The Prazi came, but then I couldn't find my postal scale. Grrrr! Well, finally found the scale.....it was where I put it, but since I rarely put anything away, that's what was throwing me off in my search......

1. This stuff was extremely hard to mix -- even after I put it in a jar and shook, shook, shook it like the directions said. So, I'm assuming the "slurry" was never intended to become a solution [it stayed in suspension, but never totally disolved]? Is this normal?

2. Then when I added it to the water [poured it around the perimeter], the particles, though tiny, stayed in suspension for quite a while. I made sure my aerators were going, to help mix it, and I had to splash it off the plant leaves and rocks where it wanted to settle. I checked a few hours later, and there was no sign of the particles, so have to assume that the medication was still there and doing its "thing?"

3. The directions said it would continue to "treat" for 7 days, and no need for a re-treatment. So......after 7 days, my fish should be free of any gill flukes? Before I treated, I chose 2 random fish to scrape and found nothing on them. The only flukes I found were on a fish that had just died.

4. At the end of this 7-day period, all of my fish that are currently in QT (2 in the big, outdoor QT and 2 in the indoor tank) will be over their QT period. Will it be safe to go ahead and introduce them to the pond? BTW, they are in QT because they are new fish, not due to illness. The gill flukes were discovered on a fish from the pond that died.

@fishin4cars @Meyer Jordan @Dave 54 and anyone else......

 

[bettasngoldfish]

These are the dosing instructions from GAB (a goldfish forum that I used to be on)

Praziquantel (Sources: PondRx, Drs Foster and Smith, Goldfish Utopia)

• Remove carbon.
• Add 2.5 milligrams per liter of water.
• If you are using the powdered version, it is difficult to dissolve. Predissolve in tank water by shaking it up in a small container.
• Dosing
  Day 1 -- remove carbon, perform water change with vacuuming, and add Prazi to tank
  Day 2 -- add Prazi
  Day 3 -- do nothing
  Day 4 -- do nothing
  Day 5 -- do nothing
  Day 6 -- add Prazi
  Day 7 -- add Prazi
  Day 8 -- normal partial water change with vacuuming
  Day 14 - normal partial water change, then add prazi
  Day 21 - normal partial water change, then add prazi
  Day 28 - normal partial water change, then add prazi
  Day 35 - normal partial water change, add carbon, treatment is complete

Hope this helps with some of your questions

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I believe that skin flukes are easier to get rid of than the gill flukes. For gill flukes most people will recommend re-dosing (2-3X) to kill off any eggs (therefore the longer period of treatment as posted above)