Tropical Fish Site

Profiles Reviews Guides for Tropical and Marine

Gill Flukes Fish Disease

Undesirable environmental conditions including poor water quality, overcrowding, and/or stress by incompatible species creates conditions that can lead to destructive outbreaks. If you are unsure of compatibility of your fish you can always post on our Facebook page for some advice. Flukes, which are flatworms usually about 1 mm long, are often present in aquariums but remain harmless under ideal conditions.

gill-flukesSymptoms:

  • Infected gills and skin
  • Similar to ich, but telltale sign is movement and possibly eye spots, something that is not found in ich – use magnification lens to observe
  • Once gills are destroyed, fish will die

Treatment:

Isolate the fish and treat with Gill Fluke treatment such as Sterazin. Always follow guidelines given on the treatment bottle and isolate the fish before treating.

Prevention:

Avoiding stressful conditions is key to prevention, but once an outbreak occurs, prompt treatment is critical.

Tropical Fish Site takes no responsibility for diagnosing the exact problem with your tropical fish, this is purely meant as a guide only. Be sure to look at other common tropical fish diseases to ensure you have made the correct diagnosis as there is often crossover between them.