Quarentine question

[cmitts]

After nearly 2 weeks into Quarentine on 2 purple firefish, I observed what I eventually concluded were parasites on one of the fish. Did a freshwater dip on the one and looked at the 'thing' under a microscope and sure enough it was some kind of sucker type living being!!

Now that I have patted myself on the back for choosing to quarentine from the start on all new fish, now what do I do?

I assume the Q time restarts. Is that correct?

What do I need to do to the Q-tank after Q-time is done. Should the tank be torn down and cleaned? If no more parasites appear within a few weeks, are they really all dead? are there eggs or whatever that can keep the lineage of this creature going?

This is not a hospital tank since it has some live rock, substrate, and snails.

[billsreef]

Glad to hear you used a Q tank :D

I like to leave the fish in the quarantine for at least 4 weeks after the last observed signs of parasites. Depending on just what that parasite was you might want to consider the hospital route with either copper or hyposalinity as a treatment. The one draw back to using a Q tank set with LR and such is that you cannot safely medicate the fish. Was this a worm or leach like sucker or more crustacean like?

[cmitts]

It was leach like.
looked like a loose flap of skin. milky white, oval - about twice as long as it was wide.
Under microscope - could see a sucker like mouth near one end, 2 other eye(?) like structures very near the mouth, intestinal structures, no hairs, legs, or segments.

So it sounds like there is a whole world of parasites out there.

[billsreef]

Classic description of a fluke (Benedenia melleni). They are readily treatable with FW dips or formalin baths. I have also had good luck with hyposalinity as used for ick. Hyposalinity IMO is easier on both you and the fish as well as taking care of the any loose flukes in the tank itself. Each generation can take several weeks so I would sugest treating in a hospital tank and leaving the tank with LR et al fishless for about 6-8 weeks.