(Freshwater) algae eater gill flukes?

[Ssmoor]

Hello,
TLDR: does my fish have gill flukes or did he just hurt himself? Should I treat for flukes regardless just in case?

I need help identifying whether my new algae eater has gill flukes or if they sustained damage somehow? It was fine and looking/behaving normally this morning. Just now I look in and one of its gills looks either scrapped off or agape. It’s difficult to see it due to the fish hiding. I can’t tell if the white stuff near the bottom of the gill is flukes or just hanging skin? This morning his gills looked normal. He was eating and latching fine. Now he has some sort of damage to one gill. He is kind of just hovering in his favorite hiding spot and sometimes on the top of the filter near the top of the water (but not gasping at the top). No other markings can be seen. His other gill is normal. He is not flashing at all. Just kind of laying there. I got him about 2 days ago from a local pet store. I didn’t quarantine because I make poor decisions.

Water parameters:
PH 8.4 (I know it’s high. I’m working on lowering it slowly)
Ammonia and nitrite at 0
Nitrate around 20

 

[Colin_T]

it is not gill flukes.
it looks like physical damage.

do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week.
make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

add 1 heaped tablespoon of rock salt (aquarium salt) for every 20 litres of water. Keep salt in the for 2 weeks. the salt won't harm anything in the tank but will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and reduce the chance of infection. the fish should heal up by itself assuming it isn't life threatening.

 

[Ssmoor]

Thank you so much. I looks like he caught it on something and ripped it. I just panicked a little when I saw it last night and wanted to make sure it wasn’t some sort of infestation. I have no idea what he hurt himself on. I will do exactly what you suggest. Thank you again for your help!

 

[Byron]

Something mentioned in post #1 should be looked into...how are you attempting to lower the pH? And, what is the GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) of your source (tap) water? These are usually part of the pH issue.

 

[Ssmoor]

Something mentioned in post #1 should be looked into...how are you attempting to lower the pH? And, what is the GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) of your source (tap) water? These are usually part of the pH issue.

Thank you for following up with this point. I’m using API pH down. One dose a day, checking levels before applying. I use RO filtered water, not from my personal tap. I don’t know the GH or KH. Maybe I should get a testing kit for those just to keep track.

 

[Byron]

Thank you for following up with this point. I’m using API pH down. One dose a day, checking levels before applying. I use RO filtered water, not from my personal tap. I don’t know the GH or KH. Maybe I should get a testing kit for those just to keep track.

First, stop using the pH down. It is not keeping the pH down I assume, or you would not need to be using it daily. What I mean is, if you use something like this once, and the pH lowers and remains there from then on so you never need use it again, that is one thing. But using it every day means the pH is rebounding every day, and this is very difficult for fish to deal with internally (it affects their physiology) and they will not last.

If you are using RO water exclusively, no tap water, then the GH and KH should be zero, and the pH will naturally become lower (acidic) due to the natural organic processes in the aquarium. If you have only soft water fish species, this will be OK, but not if you have any species requiring harder water.

The other thing about zero GH/KH water is that you can encourage the pH to lower by natural means. Organic matter, such as wood, dried leaves, etc, and the natural decomposition of organics that occurs in the substrate will all contribute. Assuming there is not something else interfering.

What is the pH of the tank water normally?

And it would be advisable to get the GH and KH tested; before buying a test kit, maybe a local store will test these.

And, is there a reason you do not use the tap water? What is the GH, KH and pH of that (you can or should be able to find this out from the water authority if you are on municipal water, check their website)? It may be suited for your fish and be better. What fish species do you have?

There is a lot of chemistry involved with pH, and it is never wise to mess with it, but if one must, it needs to be done properly by dealing with the GH and KH so it will be stable.