Do parasites need hosts to survive?

Thanks--I kind of figured that. When I saw the scratching I knew something was up. Do you think a freshwater dip is even worth it at this point?

 

It's really a matter of weighing the stress of a FW dip vs the effect of the parasites.

 

Nope it will just stress the fish and it will become re-infected once you put it back in the display. If all is lost it can not hurt to try but that is a hard choice. If the fish begins to breath heavy than that is a sign that it will not last much longer dipping it may offer some relief but only temporally.

Wish I had better news sorry. :-/

 

That's OK. I guess I have to decide tonight if I should just net him and give him the burial at sea or wait until tomorrow morning and get him when he's dead.

 

well i guess euthanization is the only thing to do IMO. My chromis had a fungus that i cudnt get rid of so i just euthanized... ends their suffering so i guess its better

 

Yea I would wait until he either starts breathing heavy or show a physical infestation of the parasites again. Fish have been able to pull through when they are only scratching and not eathing.

 

Well, when I timed his breathing about 30 minutes ago, he was taking 100 breaths per minute.