| While parasites of various types are often | | | | severely affected fish to a hospital tank. |
| responsible for fish rubbing themselves against | | | | The standard treatments of adding 1 tbs. of |
| objects in the tank, sometimes to the point of | | | | aquarium salt to a daily change of water in the home |
| causing raw skin, it can be difficult to identify which | | | | aquarium, and raising the tank temperature by four |
| parasite it is, unless you have a very good visual of it. | | | | degrees also applies. This is used for most parasites, |
| In the case of skin fluke, which is a parasitic | | | | including gill fluke, which has more obvious and visual |
| flatworm, they are unlikely to show themselves to | | | | symptoms. |
| the extent where you would be able to remove | | | | Gill fluke is a worm that specifically attacks the gill |
| them manually as you can with leeches or fish lice. | | | | membranes, causing them to turn red and acquire a |
| One of the common denominators they have with | | | | coating of slime that makes it difficult to breathe. Fish |
| other parasite infections, is they can cause redness | | | | will hang at the water's surface, gasp, and lose |
| of skin, but so can rubbing against stones and wood. | | | | weight rapidly. The same tank treatments as skin |
| However, skin fluke also causes a fading of color, | | | | fluke can be used, but with gill fluke, removing to a |
| and because the treatment is common to other | | | | hospital tank and adding short baths in either formalin, |
| types of parasites, you are best to go with a general | | | | salt or ammonium hydroxide to the regimen will help |
| medication, such as Droncit or formalin baths, when | | | | kill what is on the fish, and you can then treat their |
| unsure whether it is skin fluke or not. Remove | | | | environment. |