Gill Fluke Treatments

Gill flukes are tiny parasites that primarily affect the health of younger fish. They can cause gills to exude mucous, redden and inflame. Symptoms of gill flukes include partial loss of gills, rapid gill movement and fish that gasp for air near the water surface, based on information from Fish Deals. Gill flukes can spread quickly among pet fish and can cause death if the parasites multiply to large numbers. Though complete eradication of skin flukes is unlikely, there are methods of treating the infection.

  1. Aquarium Salt Bath

    • Aquarium salt baths are a convenient and safe method for treating gill flukes in individual fish. Few pathogens and bacteria tolerate salt, so it can effectively remove them from an environment. To treat a tank, add 4 oz for every 10 gallons of water, instructs Badman's Tropical Fish. You can treat individual fish by immersing them in a salt bath every day for two to three consecutive days.

    Formalin and Malachite Green

    • Formalin, and products containing a formalin and malachite green combination, can also treat gill flukes in fish tanks. This treatment presents more of a challenge than aquarium salt, but it's as effective when applied properly. Clean the fish tank before beginning the formalin or formalin and malachite green treatment, and increase the oxygen output in the aeration system. Add three drops of the product to the tank per gallon of water. For hard water, you may add six drops per gallon. After eight hours, change 50 percent of the water. You apply the treatment up to three times a week, according to The Cichlid Room Companion.

    Organophosphates

    • Due to their potentially damaging effects to fish health, organophosphates, a pesticide, are normally used only in severe cases of gill flukes. Though the use of some organophosphates is banned for household use, Dichlorvos, normally used for fish disease control, is available. This treatment affects the flukes' physiological process by disrupting their nervous system. To treat gill flukes, two to three doses of organophosphates are placed in the affected environment a week apart. Fish owners should dilute each dose in 10 liters of water before use. Subjecting fish to additional treatment leads to an accumulation of organophosphates in their tissue, which can prove fatal, according to Fish Doc.